After the hut breakfast, the morning starts straight away with a climb that leads, secured by a wire rope, over the first ridge of the Siebenschneidenweg. My mild fear of heights was to be put properly to the test that day. Right after that, the route continued on a grassy path that was, for someone from the Harz like me, rather narrow.
The Siebenschneidenweg (“Seven Ridges Trail”) takes its name from the 7 ridges that have to be crossed on the way to the Kasseler Hütte. The ridges to be crossed: Popbergnieder (2448 m), Krummschnabelscharte (2478 m), Sammerschartl (2392 m), Nofertensmauer (Viehmauer, 2277 m), Weisskarjöchl (2119 m), Samerkarjöchl (2200 m), Sonntagskarkanzel (2202 m).
It is maintained by the Aschaffenburg section of the DAV (German Alpine Club) and is therefore also called the Aschaffenburger Höhenweg
The first three ridge crossings, which were secured with ropes, seemed particularly difficult to me. Especially in the very damp and foggy weather I was very glad to have my via ferrata set with me, and I happily made use of it. The weather in which our crossing took place is not only unpleasant but also not exactly made for a safe hike on the Siebenschneidenweg.
When the trail is not crossing the ridges, it mostly follows grassy paths and leads over pathless boulder fields, which are well marked, however. As a general rule, I would say the trail becomes considerably easier at the latest from the emergency bivouac, which you come across after the 4th ridge.
Anyone tackling this trail should ideally bring good weather and good fitness. The trail, just under 14 km long, offers no escape routes down to end the hike early.
Towards the end you can apparently take a different route to the Kasseler Hütte than we did. In the thick fog, however, we did not find the alternative and descended quite a way, only to climb back up to the hut on a wide path.
Hike details
- Ascent: approx. 780 m
- Descent: approx. 870 m
- Distance: approx. 14 km
Map and GPS data for the hike
Information about the Kasseler Hütte
- Accommodation: 30 beds in rooms, 78 dormitory places and 6 emergency places
- Opening times: mid-June to late September
- Phone: 0043/664/4016033
- Email: kasseler-huette@alpenverein-kassel.de
- Website: Click
We slept in a very large dormitory, which was also fully booked. As a result our night was very restless, because there are always a few snorers. We had half board and the food was very good – in the vegetarian version too. The hut warden and the staff were very friendly
Photos from the hike
