Vent - Similaun (običajni pristop iz Venta)

Access to starting point:
From Ljubljana, we drive on the highway past Salzburg in the direction towards München. At the multilevel junction Dreieck Inntal we go on the road A93 in the direction of Innsbruck/Kufstein/Brenner. When we return to Austria we continue on the highway A12 past Innsbruck, Telfs and Mötz, and then at exit 123 near the Ötztal Bahnhof we turn towards B186/B171/Ötztal/Haiming. The road B186, which runs to Ötztal valley, we follow past settlements Oetz, Längenfeld and the center of the valley, Sölden. Only few kilometers ahead from Sölden at village Zwieselstein we turn on a steep ascending, but comfortable asphalt road towards Vent. In the tourist settlement Vent we park on one of the numerous (payable) parking lots. Parking fee in Vent in the year 2020 was 5 euros/day.

Path description:
From one of the parking lots in Vent we go through the settlement to its southwestern edge, where we notice signs which over a small bridge lead in the direction towards Martin-Busch-Hütte and Similaunhütte. A considerably gentle path, which in the first part of the trip runs on the route of a worse macadam road, we follow to a smaller private cottage, soon behind which we go on a little narrower footpath towards the east, which leads us through a smaller canyon of river Niedertalbach. After approximately fifteen minutes of additional walking, we follow the footpath through an iron bridge to the junction with the mountain road. Barely ascending road, on which we will in the warm summer months often meet cyclists, past the turn below the far northern slopes of the mountain Hintere Schwärze we follow to the mountain hut Martin-Busch-Hütte.

The path between the huts Martin-Busch-Hütte and Similaunhütte mostly runs on a relatively gentle, open meadow slope below vastness of glaciers Marzellferner and Niederjochferner. Easy and to summer heat exposed path at first leads past a crossing, where a direct approach branches off towards Ötzi memorial, and later it goes past a smaller glacial lakes and ascends a little steeper to the hut Similaunhütte. From Vent to the hut below Similaun there is around 4 hours of walking, and the entire path is well marked.

The path from Similaunhütte towards the summit isn't marked anymore, but because of numerous cairns it is relatively clearly visible. At first, we descend through gravel into a smaller hollow of the road of the glacier Niederjochferner, whereupon we ascend to the end of the glacial. Here we have two options for continuation:
- in straight line continues a direct path on a glacier Niederjochferner, which is in the lower part quite steep and in parts cracked. A permanent glacial trail at first runs towards the east, whereupon it turns towards the south and crosses below the ridge, on which runs below described alternative to the juncture in the first part of the glacier. I don't recommend the ascent or descent on this version in late summer afternoons;
- a little easier is summer variant, which near the end of the glacier with the help of individual cairns and traces of predecessors through in parts inconvenient gravel leads to attractive lake below in larger part of the year snowless cliffs of the western ridge of Similaun. From the lake, we further follow obvious, undemanding and a moderately steep path on part of the western ridge of Similaun massif to the juncture of the paths.

After returning to the glacier, we cross it towards the eastern to the western edges of the upper rocky head of Similaun; the glacier in this part is less steep and without visible cracks, and crossing is relatively easy.
At the end of the ascent, we follow unmarked, but obvious ridge path on a rocky building of Similaun. A moderately steep path is in parts exposed a little, which is especially tricky in time when on the path, there are still patches of snow - in this case also at the final ascent it is recommended to use full winter equipment. A key part of the path is revealed in the first part of the ridge ascent, where after the passage of a smaller plain we cross above the precipitous flanks of Similaun. After the entrance on the upper part of the mountain, we follow a relatively wide ridge without any bigger problems to the ample and panoramic summit with a large cross.

Despite this, that the ascent on Similaun is full day high mountain tour, which in the final part runs in serious glacial environment, the path in the view of relative technical straightforwardness and well placed mountain huts on the path it is amont the easiest such tours. Although part of the path runs on a glacier, because of in the high mountain season clearly visible traces and lack of the steepness and crevasses we usually don't need winter equipment - but it is mandatory, in case if we decide for the ascent through the enitre glacier and in case if conditions in the final part are not optimal.
Because of the above the peak is well visited, and to this contributes also the mountain hut Similaunhütte, which offers a comfortable option to spend the night above 3000 meters height.
However, it should be noted, that the description refers to the approach during the peak high mountain season, which usually lasts from August to the middle of September; when the final ridge is still covered with snow, the difficulty of the tour increases.

On the way: Martin-Busch-Hütte (2501m), Similaunhütte (3019m)