2025–26 Winter Season Report

The 2025–26 winter season was packed with adventure, learning, and community spirit. From representing Pink Summits at international conferences to exploring the snow-covered mountains of Austria, Germany, and Norway, the season combined technical (ski) mountaineering, cultural outreach, and ambitious planning for future expeditions.

In November, Pink Summits participated in the IGLYO Annual Members’ Conference in Zurich, Switzerland. The event brought together youth organizations from across Europe to exchange ideas and strengthen international cooperation. It provided another opportunity to present our work promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion in mountain sports while building partnerships for future projects and exchanges. One of such partnerships is a planned hiking event on September 5-7 in Romania together with Asociatia TransCore, a non-profit organisation for trans* people near Brasov. Join us!

In December, we returned from the mountains to the lecture hall with a public presentation in Leipzig about our expedition to West Papua. Hosted at tapir Leipzig and delivered in German, the talk covered not only the mountaineering aspects of the journey but also encounters with local communities, logistical challenges, and reflections on responsible adventure travel. The event sparked engaging discussions.

The winter season on snow started around the turn of the year with several days of ski touring in Austria’s Inntal region. We enjoyed moderate tours in classic Alpine terrain while reconnecting after the busy autumn season.

One of the first highlights was the ascent of Widdersberg (2,327 m) in the Stubai Alps above Axamer Lizum. With roughly 780 metres of elevation gain, it provided ideal terrain for warming up the season and refreshing ski touring skills. Widdersberg is opening up the second season in a row as the first ski tour goal. During the same weekend we also completed a tour onto Rosskopf (2,577 m) in the Tux Alps above Hochfügen. It covered more than 13 kilometres and over 1,000 metres of ascent.

February continued with community tours organised together with members of the GOC (queer section) of the German Alpine Club (DAV). In the Obernberg Valley we joined the ski tours to Grubenkopf (Monte delle Cave, 2,337 m) and Sattelberg (2,115 m), both enjoyable ski tours with around 900 metres of ascent. During the GOC DAV event Pink Summits presented its last expedition to Denali and it was fantastic to get so much positive response!

We also attended avalanche awareness training through the SAAC programme before heading into the backcountry, underlining the importance of safety, preparation, and continuous learning. As always, plans remained flexible, with ski resorts serving as alternatives whenever avalanche or snow conditions made touring inadvisable.

March offered one of the season’s technical highlights with an ascent of the classic north face of Rubihorn (1,952 m) in the Allgäu Alps. The route combined mixed climbing up to M4 with steep snow and ice sections, providing a rewarding challenge in a spectacular alpine setting.

We were lucky with the weather, and almost everything went perfectly. The only real difficulties arose right before the summit, where we needed to climb the icy slopes and during the very steep descent that demanded our full concentration. Nevertheless, the climb captured everything that makes the Rubihorn north face special: wild terrain, sustained mixed climbing, and a long, beautiful ascent that will remain one of the season’s defining memories.

The adventure continued the following day with ice climbing course in Taschachschlucht/Pitztal, Austria. After the demanding mixed tour on Rubihorn our calf muscles made walking difficult, but once axes were swinging into the frozen ice, fatigue quickly faded into the background. Complete concentration on movement and technique replaced aching legs, serving as a reminder of just how absorbing—and enjoyable—ice climbing can be.

The season concluded with two memorable trips to Norway’s Jotunheimen region, where we experienced some of the finest ski touring conditions of the winter.

The programme included an ascent of Austre Nautgardstinden (2,194 m) via its normal route, climbing around 1,160 vertical metres despite temperatures of –11 °C and winds reaching 40 km/h with gusts up to 60 km/h. Another outing to Mugnetind (1,740 m) challenged the team with difficult navigation in complete whiteout conditions, while the ascent of Midtre Høgvagltind (2,066 m) combined glacier travel across Høgvaglbreen with ski touring in strong winds and sub-zero temperatures.

The Easter trip marked our second ski tour adventure in Jotunheimen National Park. Once again, the region delivered abundant snow, brutal cold, welcoming mountain huts with outstanding food, and endless snow-covered landscapes that stretched to the horizon. The combination of challenging weather, rewarding skiing, and evenings spent together in cozy lodges created memories that will last for years.

Special thanks go to Hans Martin for organizing and to Chris for the wonderful companionship throughout the journey.

The final ski tours in Norway also inspired ideas for the future. Conversations in mountain huts evolved into plans for a multi-day ski touring expedition in Kyrgyzstan, potentially combined with a winter outdoor gathering in cooperation with a local queer organization in Kyrgyzstan.

While Dastan, the founder of Pink Summits, has fond memories of snowboarding in Kyrgyzstan, the opportunity to undertake a proper multi-day ski traverse through its remote mountain ranges would represent an entirely new adventure. We hope the 2026–27 winter season will take Pink Summits from the snowy peaks of Scandinavia to the powder-filled landscapes of Central Asia.

Thank you to everyone who joined our winter activities, contributed their expertise, shared their enthusiasm, or simply enjoyed time together in the mountains. Your support continues to make Pink Summits a vibrant and inclusive community, and we are already looking forward to the next season of shared adventures.