Charity hike project August 2025
This year, the MOYO association once again launched a fundraising hiking project together with Swiss mountain runner Beat Lohner, which raised over EUR 10,000. The programme consisted of three stages on the Stubai High Trail (starting in Neustift), with a total length of 63,8 kilometres and an elevation gain of 4,696 metres and a loss of 5,053 metres.
Here is a brief report on the event:
Unfortunately, I received a call three days before our planned charity hike. Beat Lohner – the initiator of this project and Swiss mountain runner – was on the phone with bad news. Due to a troublesome inflammation in his foot, he was unable to take part in the three-day tour, as his doctor had strictly forbidden him from participating in any sporting activities. Since the planning was already well advanced, we decided to go ahead with the project without Beat. We, that is, myself (Barbara Messner, president of the MOYO association) and Nicola Reinisch, the association’s auditor. We had already completed a charity fundraising run project with Beat Lohner in 2023, pushing ourselves to our physical limits for a good cause.
Sunday, 17.8. / 1. Stage: Neustift – Starkenburger Hütte- Franz-Senn-Hütte – Neustift (1,898 HM+, 1,820 HM-, 26,9 km)
Sunday morning marked the start of our charity hiking project. We deliberately decided to complete the longest and most strenuous stage on the first day. This meant we could start without tired legs and sore muscles and were full of motivation. The only thing that made us, as locals and experienced mountaineers, a little nervous were the numerous media reports this summer about serious accidents on the Stubai High Mountain Trail – some of which were fatal. The Stubai High Mountain Trail is a high-altitude long-distance hiking trail with some exposed, rocky passages. Sure-footedness and a head for heights are absolute prerequisites.
At 6:00 a.m. sharp, we set off from the valley town of Neustift to the Starkenburger Hut under cloudy skies. This steep climb would take us two hours and cost us a lot of sweat. We made a conscious decision not to complete the high-altitude trail from hut to hut, as most hikers do. As an additional challenge, we added the altitude difference of the ascents and descents from the valley, as we wanted it to be a borderline experience for a good cause.
At around 8:00 a.m., after climbing through forests and meadows, we reached the Starkenburger Hut, which towered majestically above the valley. Through the clouds, we could even see the sun peeking through as it was just rising. While the hikers staying overnight at the hut were still finishing breakfast, we quickly moved on to be the first on the exposed trail towards the Franz-Senn Hut.
After the hut, the trail climbed steadily uphill, and after crossing a rugged field of rocks and gravel, we reached the Seejöchl (2,518 m). We then continued above Lake Schlicker to the Senderjöchl (2,477 m). The weather forecast had predicted good weather, but it was becoming increasingly overcast and looked like thunderstorms were on the way. I felt a little queasy as the path wound its way down to the Rote Wand, secured by ropes. This is the part of the high-altitude trail where there have been numerous accidents. When it is wet, extreme caution and concentration are required here, as the trail descends steeply on the south side into the Obernberg Valley.
Below the Schwarzhorn, the Wildkopfscharte and the Hohe Schöne, we continued on partly exposed paths to the Seducker Hochalm. After a good 4,5 hours of walking, we treated ourselves to a break and some refreshments there. The clouds seemed to be clearing, so we were in no hurry. The signpost indicated 2.5 hours to the Franz-Senn-Hütte, so we continued via the Villergrube and along the steep slopes of the inner Oberbergtal valley. Time and again, we saw that scree and rocks had come loose from the mountains due to the thawing permafrost and continuous rain in July, causing mudslides.
The path wound its way along all the bends in the slope, and thanks to rope safety measures, even tricky sections could be overcome. Although the hut was already visible from afar thanks to the sunshine, it took us seven hours of sweaty effort to finally reach it. Once there, we treated ourselves to a cold soda as refreshment before heading downhill towards Oberrissalm. Normally, this would be the end of the tour, but the hiking car park there has been empty for years. A mudslide had blocked the path there five years ago and, due to the imminent danger, it cannot be reopened. This meant that hikers, including us, now had to walk an extra 5 kilometres (1 hour) to Seduk, which can be reached by car.
At around 6 p.m., we reached the valley town of Neustift, happy but also tired (after all, we had climbed 1,898 metres, descended 1,820 metres and covered over 26 kilometres). We could now tick off the first stage.
Monday, 18.08. / 2. Stage: Neustift – Franz-Senn-Hütte – Neue Regensburger Hütte – Neustift
(1,532 HM+, 1,755 HM-, 21,4 km)
That morning, the alarm clock rang at 5 a.m. It was going to be a hot day, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees in the valley, so we wanted to start early at 5:30 a.m. and quickly gain altitude. Our tired bones and sore muscles from the previous day already told us that it was going to be a strenuous day. Once again, we set off from Neustift to Seduck. As mentioned in yesterday’s report, the last stretch to the Oberissalm had to be completed on foot due to the road closure. Before sunrise, when it was still quite cool, we made our way up to the Franz Senn Hut. Yesterday, when we descended, the temperatures there were quite different.
After two hours of walking, we reached the familiar Franz Senn Hut. This time, however, we did not turn right towards Rinnenspitze, but instead turned left towards Schrimmennieder. The first part was quite pleasant, as it was almost flat as we walked out of the valley into ‘Kuhgschwetz’. But we rejoiced too soon, as we still had to climb some metres in altitude, even though we could already see the pass into the other valley from below. Rocks and scree characterised the ascent in serpentines to the 2,714-metre-high Schrimmennieder, which runs along a long right-hand bend towards the end. Between two steep steps, we reached the Platzengrube, where we took a break. After 4.5 hours of walking, we finally arrived at the Schrimmennieder pass.
We were rewarded for our hardships with a magnificent view of the Lüsener Ferner and the Zuckerhütl. Secured by ropes, we descended on the other side, first steeply over scree and rubble, then over stone slabs until a meadow slope made the path more pleasant. Again and again, the Neue Regensburger Hütte and the impressive waterfall below the hut appeared and disappeared behind the hills on the last section.
The Neue Regensburger Hütte is located at 2,286 metres and only offers vegetarian cuisine, which has attracted both positive and negative criticism in the past. Happy to have arrived there after a 6-hour hike, we fortified ourselves with coffee and homemade cake. After all, we still had a 2-hour descent into the valley ahead of us. We descended via a steep step in sweltering temperatures towards the Falbesoner Ochsenalm. Fortunately, the path below the hut wound its way along a waterfall, which constantly sprayed us with cool water particles. This made the high summer temperatures at least a little more bearable. After the alpine pasture, we descended another steep step in the forest towards Neustift.
The closer we got to the valley, the more unpleasant the heat became. We finally reached our destination at 2 p.m. and were happy to have completed another day in the mountains successfully and without injury. Thanks to our early start, we were back in the valley in good time. This meant we could relax in the shade and recharge our batteries for the next day.
Tuesday, 19.08. / 3. Stage: Neustift – Sulzenauhütte – Nürnburger Hütte – Neustift (1,266 HM+, 1,478 HM-, 15,5 km)
We woke up reasonably well rested this morning under completely clear skies, but we could still feel the stages and physical exertions of the previous days in our legs. Although the sun had not yet risen, it looked like it was going to be a glorious hot summer’s day. Perfect for the last stage of our charity hiking challenge. The starting point for today’s tour was once again Neustift in the Stubai Valley, but here the end of the valley. This area is also known for its numerous waterfalls. Our ascent began at around 7:00 a.m. along the Grawa Waterfall, which thunders down into the valley in a cascade, 80 metres wide and almost 200 metres high.
After about 45 minutes of climbing, we reached the idyllic valley floor crossed by a glacier stream, on which the Sulzenau Alm is also located. Behind it, we saw an impressive waterfall thundering down over another steep step and, next to it, our next destination for the day, the Sulzenau Hut. The climb did not bode well – even from a distance, we could see how the path wound its way up over rocks in numerous curves. In addition, the sun was just rising over the ridge, and we realised that we would have to complete this section in full sunlight. We took another sip and set off. After a good 45 minutes, we reached the Sulzenau Hut, decorated with Nepalese flags.
After crossing several mountain streams, we continued across meadows, diagonally over a hilltop and a moraine ridge to the Grünausee lake. The largest mountain lake in the Stubai Alps welcomed us with its most beautiful colour, behind which the Wild Freiger glacier was reflected. Here we treated ourselves to a refreshing rest on the shore, while the more courageous mountain hikers even cooled off in the ice-cold glacial lake.
We then continued past more small mountain lakes over rope-secured rocky terrain up to the so-called Niederl (2,680 m) – the pass into the next valley. After four hours, we reached the top, where we were greeted by a small wooden cross, a bench and a wayside shrine. The panorama was impressive – in addition to the Stubai Glacier, we could see all the mountain peaks of the rear Stubai Valley. We could also already see the steep descent that awaited us on the other side of the valley.
The challenging route continued over rocky grassland with rope and climbing aids to the Nürnberger hut. The summer day that had been forecast lived up to its promise in terms of temperatures. The closer we got to the valley, the more unbearable the heat became, as it was already past midday. We were all the happier when we finally reached the Bsuchalm and the final stretch was almost entirely flat, along the Langetal valley, on an easily walkable trail back to our starting and finishing point. After 7 hours of walking, we reached our destination exhausted but happy and were able to tick off our last stage, which involved climbing and descending over 1,000 metres in altitude.
Unforgettable, beautiful, yet challenging days have now come to an end. All the sweat and hardship are forgotten, as the feeling of having done something good prevails: girls in Kenya are being given the opportunity to receive an education and lead independent lives.