Intense but very nice winter hike... my training diary entry from January 24 2026

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_{(Here you see the cross near Priener Hütte, the mountain hut which was our destination on yesterdays winter hike.)}

Hi Actifitters,

hope you all are fine. I'm doing well and, with a slight muscle ache in my thighs, I look back on a really fun but also strenuous winter hike. Yesterday, I went to the Chiemgau Alps with two friends, more precisely to the Geigelstein mountain. Initially, it wasn't clear whether we would do it to the summit or only hike to Priener Hütte mountain hut.

My two buddies aren't quite as fit as I am right now, so they were supposed to decide. After just the first hour, it was clear to both of them that we wouldn't be going all the way to the summit, which would have meant an extra 400 meters of elevation gain.

Since I wanted a challenge, I used this information to intensify my hike yesterday. So I repeatedly started walking ahead on sections of the trail and then back to my dudes. This allowed me to gain some extra elevation and also got my heart rate up.

After about 700 meters of elevation gain and two and a half hours, we arrived at the hut and stopped for a one-hour break, had something to drink and warmed up.

For the return journey, my buddies had brought along a very simple butt slider, which they could use from time to time to make the descent easier. I deliberately chose not to use them, as I love the descents when hiking. With ice cleats under my shoes, it's perfect to jog downhill even on icy and snowy paths.

So the downhill section went much like the uphill section. I kept going quite a way ahead, only to then go back to my buddies, which added a few extra meters of elevation gain.

When we arrived back at the parking lot, my Garmin watch showed almost four hours of pure movement time. We took off our sweaty clothes, changed into dry ones, and set off. On the way, we stopped at a Bavarian inn for dinner before heading home to the sofa. All in all, it was a wonderful day in the mountains, and I'm already looking forward to the next trip.

Here are some numbers of the hike:

Duration (in movement) - 3:59:34
Distance - 19.05 km
Elevation gain - 802 m
Average pace - 12.34/km
Best pace - 4.12/km
Average heart rate - 135 bpm
Maximum heart rate - 173 bpm

Today is a rest day since yesterdays hike took a lot out of me.

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