From Zwieselstein, follow the signposting for the E5 along the road into the Ventertal valley. After just over 2km, you will come across the signpost that marks the E5 turn-off to the Gaislachalm. Following the track uphill through the forest woodland, it is possible to catch a few marvellous views into the Ventertal valley every now and then. After around 1h the trail reaches the little settlement of Gaislach with its ancient farms. After a short walk along the forest road and sometimes upwards across the meadows, you will reach the Gaislachalm (approx. 1h 45min). Here, continue to follow the E5 eastwards. It leads on directly behind the Gaislachalm inn. First of all, the trail crosses the woodland for a while, and then bends towards the North West before a leisurely walk across the Löplealm meadowland. This is a very pleasant route passing at regular intervals through sparse mountain woodland and crossing the meadowlands and ski slopes to the Rettenbachtal valley. You reach the valley once level with the toll point, and the trail turns off to the West. Always following the signposting for the E5 and Via Alpina, continue into the valley now along the forest road. A cool wind from the glacier will soon have those pullovers off. The vegetation becomes increasingly sparse, but not just because of the rise in altitude but unfortunately also due to the intervention of people in this valley. Just below the edge of the hill, a somewhat hidden path on the right branches off through the boulders. Cross the stream over a rather shaky wooden bridge and climb steeply upwards on the opposite side to the road before continuing on to the Rettenbachferner car park with the little chapel that was erected at the site of a dramatic cable car accident (approx. 3h 30min from the Gaislachalm). The trail continues on an uphill course, once again crossing the road and arriving at the upper car park. From here, the track leads through boulders to a snowfield, at the edge of which the Pitztaler Jöchl pass is situated. Beware of any ice lying underneath the snow! Hiking sticks are very helpful here. After reaching the Pitztaler Jöchl pass at 2,996m, a wonderful view over the Mittelbergferner glacier to the Wildspitze mountain can be enjoyed. The opening of the basin-shaped valley, on whose floor the Braunschweiger Hut can be distinguished, is not yet used for skiing and offers up a white, peaceful picture. The route then takes a narrow and initially very exposed track steeply uphill to the ridge of the Siebergrube. Following the ridge, it goes downwards on the Karleskopf mountainside until reaching the valley floor and –according to snow conditions – over an easy couple of small snowfields to the Braunschweiger Hut.
It is not difficult to walk across the snowfield below the Pitztaler Jöchl pass. After passing the lower car park, the track branches off to the right and you will cross the stream. Once on the other side, follow the roadway until the trail to the Gaislachalm meadow leads off to the right. Pay attention to the signposting.

(Christina Schwann, OeAV)

The ski resorts through which part of this stage runs are not included in the Ötztal Alps rest area. This is because any noise disturbances caused by cable railways for transporting people, drag-lifts, roads for public transport and helicopters for purely touristic purposes are not allowed in the rest area. Nevertheless, this stage does offer some wonderful sections such as the climb from Zwieselstein through the mixed mountain woodland to the Gaislachalm meadow. From approx. 1,700m to 2,100-2,300m, the trail passes a sub-alpine level that is above all characterised by spruces and larches and normally also cembran pine. It is not possible for the spruce tree to grow at higher altitudes within the Alps. This can basically be explained by two factors: the spruce tree does not cast its needles and winter desiccation (the process of photosynthesis during solarisation: owing to the frozen earth, no water can be drawn up into the tree and the plant withers) is often too harsh for it. The second reason is a commonly occurring “Goldrost” mushroom, which causes severe damage to the needles. The larch is better equipped for the cold. It is the only coniferous tree in the Alps whose needles turn a golden yellow and are shed in the autumn. This prevents the danger of winter desiccation and lets the heavy snow fall gently through the branches. The best equipped, however, is the cembran or Swiss stone pine, a type of pine tree with 5 needles per short shoot. It can withstand wind, storms and avalanches and survives without difficulty in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius. In addition to this, all tree species in high mountain areas form a root symbiosis using mushrooms (mycorrhiza), the advantage of which for the mushroom is that it receives an optimal supply of metabolic products and for the tree that it has a significantly larger root surface area, thus allowing for greater water and nutrient absorption. Unfortunately, the graceful cembran pine population has been severely depleted due to human exploitation – in several areas, there are none left at all – and this gives the impression of a much lower treeline. Today, the Ötztal and Pitztal Alps are once again home to between 900 and 1000 ibexes. They can often be spotted in the late afternoon in the basin-shaped valley of the Braunschweiger Hut. As is the case all over the Alps, the ibex was hunted relentlessly, as marvellous healing qualities were attributed to all of its body parts. The last ibex in the Pitztal valley was shot back in 1574. In 1953, the valley was successfully repopulated by the St. Leonhard municipality using surviving ibexes from the Gran Paradiso area in Italy. St. Leonhard is still referred to today as the “ibex parish" and in 1973 it incorporated the ibex into its coat of arms. Literature: St. Leonhard im Pitztal, Kerstin Blassnig/Renate Schnegg, Loewenzahn
(Christina Schwann, OeAV with the kind support of Dr. Hans Haid)