Jubiläumsgrat from Zugspitze to Alpspitze

The Jubiläumsgrat ("Jubilee Arête") or Jubiläumsweg ("Jubilee Way"), also nicknamed ''Jubi'' in climbing circles, is the name given to the

climbing route A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and grade; once committed to that ascent, it can sometimes be difficult to stop or return. Choice of rout ...

along the

arête An arête ( ) is a narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequen ...

between the

Zugspitze The Zugspitze (), at above Normalhöhennull, sea level, is the highest peak of the Wetterstein Mountains as well as the highest mountain in Germany. It lies south of the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and the Austria–Germany border runs over ...

(2,962 m) and the

Hochblassen The Hochblassen is a mountain high, located in the Wetterstein in the German state of Bavaria. In addition to the main summit, it has a sub-peak, the so-called ''Signalgipfel'' ("signal peak") which is high. It was first climbed in 1871 by Herma ...

(2,706 m) (hence it is also called the ''Blassenkamm'' which means "Blassen Crest"). In front of its northwestern end, at the wind gap known as ''Falsche Grießkarscharte'', climbers normally cross over to the

Alpspitze The Alpspitze is a mountain, 2628 m, in Bavaria, Germany. Its pyramidal peak is the symbol of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and is one of the best known and most attractive mountains of the Northern Limestone Alps. It is made predominantly of Wetter ...

(2,628 m) or down to the Matheisen cirque. Along the arête the three peaks of the

Höllentalspitzen The Höllentalspitzen are three peaks in the Wetterstein Mountains near Garmisch-Partenkirchen in southern Germany. They rise from the ridge of ''Blassenkamm'' which runs eastwards from Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze, and separate the Höll ...

(2,740 m), the Vollkarspitze (2,630 m) and several rises have to be assailed or circumnavigated. The route is a serious, high Alpine tour and not, as often described, a ''

Klettersteig A via ferrata (Italian language, Italian for "iron path", plural ''vie ferrate'' or in English ''via ferratas'') is a protected climbing route found in the Alps and certain other locations. The term "via ferrata" is used in most countries and ...

''.

History

Its name goes back to the founding members of the Munich branch of the

German Alpine Club The German Alpine Club (german: links=no, Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV for short) is the world's largest climbing association and the eighth-largest sporting association in Germany. It is a member of the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the ...

who, in 1894 in return for being honoured at the 25th anniversary of the branch, initially donated 900 marks, so that a "Jubilee Way" could be financed. By the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

a total of 9400 marks had been raised through other charities and from interest payments. Among other things, this was used to pay for the construction of the climbing path, which was also called the ''Höllentalgrat''. However, the project was not without controversy, and the safety facilities which were under construction from 1906 to 1915 were never completed in their entirety and, in some cases, even dismantled again. In particular, the section of ridge between the Inner Höllentalspitze and the Zugspitze is largely free of iron rungs and safety cables. Even its name has been much discussed. It was feared that the name "Jubilee Way" would attract too many people to a high alpine terrain for which they were not prepared. As a result, the tour is often referred to as the "Jubiläumsgrat" today. The arête was negotiated for the first time as far as the Inner Höllentalspitze in 1896 by Emil Diehl, and its whole length to the Alpspitze was first traversed in 1897 by Ferdinand Henning. The first winter ascent was not undertaken until 19–20 March 1927 by W. Hofmann, Karl Kraus and Karl Vienna. At Christmas 1936 Otto Eidenschink made the first solo winter ascent. In 24 hours, he conquered the high ridge in difficult winter conditions from the Stuibenhütte to the Münchner Haus.Report in the 1964 Alpine Club Yearbook

References

External links

Touring web page for the Münchner Haus

Jubiläumsgrat Tour description with Topo and GPS Track

Jubiläumsgrat tour description at travel-fever.com

Jubiläumsgrat at alpin.de
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