Schneibstein (2276 m)
Elevation: 700 m / Lenght: 8,5 km / Time: 4,5 hrs
Visit rate: 2/5 / Rating: 4/5
Schneibstein is a beautiful summit in the Berchtesgaden area, and under normal conditions, the hike is definitely worth it. For us, however, it was a horror experience that I would not wish on any of you. On the other hand, it was a good experience to have. More about that in a moment. You can reach the summit on foot or by the overpriced Jennerbahn cable car. We were lazy and did not have that much time, so the choice was obvious.
From the cable car, we headed towards Carl von Stahl Haus, where we stopped for our favourite Spritz. After that, we started the approximately one and a half hour climb to the summit. Already at ten o'clock in the morning, most hikers were heading back down, and one of the men warned us that a storm was approaching and that we should hurry. This surprised us a little because the morning forecast had looked promising. Mistake number one was not checking the radar before setting off!
We quickly made it to the summit, took a few photos, and it was clear that it would be better to turn around and head back. I was disappointed. I had been looking forward to this hike for several years and had it on my bucket list ever since I last visited Berchtesgaden.
After just a few metres on the way back, it was already clear that something was heading straight towards us. The descent was supposed to take more than an hour, and in some places the trail was quite rocky and slippery. There was not much opportunity to hurry or even jog. For at least the first half hour of the descent, there was barely a blade of grass anywhere and we were walking entirely on rock. Then we were hit by wind so strong that we could barely stay on our feet. A black, flashing cloud was approaching, and within a few minutes the sky turned almost completely dark, like night. We were moving fast enough, though, and managed to catch up with a group that had started descending even before we had reached the summit.
Fortunately, the storm caught us just as we reached an area with dense vegetation growing in a natural narrow gorge. For the first time during the entire descent, we were no longer directly on bare rock and there was somewhere to hide. We threw off our backpacks, crouched as close to the ground as possible and waited. Soaking wet and freezing, we could not move for several dozen minutes, and at that moment it felt like an eternity. Lightning was striking and thunder was booming all around us, and they were some really big ones. After a while, it became clear that the storm was moving behind us and that we had a chance to get out of there.
Another half an hour of descending along the slippery rocky trail and we jumped straight back into the mountain hut for something warm. I will remember that day for a long time. I had no time to take photos of the clouds, so you will just have to trust me that this story is not fiction. And most importantly, always check the radar before setting off. The weather forecast is not enough!