Reach the discovery site of Ötzi, the Iceman in winter

The archeoParc in Val Senales Valley offers guided tours to the Ötzi discovery site all year long, including in the winter! We call it the Ötzi Glacier Tour. You can register online or in person at the archeoParc. It’s a very special experience to visit the discovery site in winter with alpine touring skis, then enjoy some fantastic downhill powder lines – depending on the conditions, of course.

The Route

The route mostly runs along the glacier, with just a few short (but steep) ascents.
The tour starts at the meeting point next to the Alpine Arena Senales valley station in Kurzras, where we will take the cable car up to the mountain station Grawand. After a short briefing from the mountain guide, we will ski down the piste to cross the lift Finail. At that point, we will leave the in-bounds terrain and enter the backcountry. Depending on the snow conditions, we can traverse a short slope, or we will take a nice short downhill upon the Hochjoch-Ferner glacier.

Now let’s put on the skins and hike uphill! As we cross the Kreuzferner glacier, we’ll reach our highest point, the Hauslabjoch (3, 280 m /10,761 ft). A short descent leads us to the discovery site of the Iceman Ötzi (3,210 m /10,532 ft), where we will turn around after a short stop.

After climbing back to the Hauslabjoch, we can look forward to a great descent in the Hochjoch Valley. Hopefully we will have amazing snow conditions! Finally, we’ll put on the skins again for the last ascent back to the piste, which will take us back to Kurzras.

Food & Drink

During the winter tour, there’s not an option to stop in a hut, so everybody is responsible for taking something to eat and drink. It’s therefore very important to take enough to drink at high elevations – we recommend 1 – 1.5 liters per person. Hot drinks like tea with honey or sugar or hot cider are perfect if it’s cold and windy on the ridges.

We will usually take three breaks during the tour where you can eat a sandwich or a snack like chocolate, a granola bar, or some dried fruits and nuts.

Equipment for the Ötzi Glacier Tour in Winter

As you can see from the route, most of the journey will be made on glaciers or on resort terrain. Nevertheless, a few short, steep ascents await us. For these, you have to bring ski crampons. You also need avalanche equipment, with a shovel, probe and avalanche beacon/transceiver. If you don’t have your own equipment, our mountain guide will lend it to you. You can rent alpine touring skis, skins, boots, and poles at the ski rental store Stricker in Maso Corto the day before.

Another very important thing to consider is what clothing you should wear. We always recommend layers and a windproof jacket to keep warm. You can also take a dry shirt if you sweat easily: depending on the temperature, you may be more comfortable if you change your underlayer at the discovery site before the descent. Furthermore, you will also need a cap, gloves, sunglasses, and sunscreen. The sun is very intense on the glacier, so you really need good protection. You may also want a ski helmet for the downhills.

There’s a webcam at Tisenjoch run by the University of Innsbruck that shows the current weather and temperature on the ridges, so you can prepare for the conditions. But remember: it doesn’t matter if the day starts sunny or cloudy or what the forecast says: the weather in the mountains can change very fast and you must be prepared for anything.

You do not have any backcountry skiing experience?

Are you a good and experienced skier in the resort? And are you in good physical condition? Then nothing stands in your way to experience an unforgettable glacier adventure – even if you don’t have any backcountry skiing experience!

Do you want to join us for this great winter adventure?
Click here for your registration. Or send us your questions to info@archeoparc.it