This is a tour we put together with a wish to use the excellent avalanche conditions for two summits in one day: Laufbacher Eck and Grosser Wilder (both new to us). It's really long for a day's march, made possible only by the Nebelhorn lift. It's also time consuming with the many on and offs of skis, skins, harscheisen (ski crampons), ice axe and even crampons. But for that, one is rewarded with two very interesting summits and some steep, shaded descents where snow keeps fresh even with spring conditions.

Starting from Edmund-Probst-Haus (Nebelhorn top station), we head south a short distance along a winter walking path. With the skis put on, we round Zeiger and traverse, lightly descending, along the northern slope of Gosser Seekopf. Crossing the north east ridge of this summit is partly very steep* and demands stable snow (we had level 1 before noon). Just after this crossing, the terrain opens up and offers a view over all the surrounding summits.

Continuing mainly south below Schochen and Lachenkopf, we eventually start ascending to the wide saddle between Lachenkopf and Laufbacher Eck. The west ridge of Laufbacher Eck is free of snow (it's commonly blown bare), and we put the skis on the backpack again and climb on steepening grass. For a short section, the grass is so steep that we deem crampons and an ice axe necessary. This is the most exciting part of Laufbacher Eck, and probably what makes it rarely climbed.

The view from the summit is magnificent. Hochvogel rises over all other mountains in the east. Our next goal, Grosser Wilder, is hidden from sight by the steep precipices of Schneck to the south. We have the infamous Höfats to our south west, and the ridged summits below which we have just traversed, partly sun drenched, partly in darkness, to our west/north west. We try to take it all in while having a quick lunch and removing crampons and skins to prepare for descent.

The descent of the upper east part of Laufbacher Eck is very steep*, but the snow is still rather good. We stop by Zwerchwand, amazed by the remains of an immense avalanche, and here put the skins back on the skis. The ascent to Grosser Wilder to our south has started.

As the climbing from Schönbergerhütte steepens we swear a little over the sliding snow on the tracks. The ski crampons don't work on this kind of snow, and we don't want to fall here. We simply hope it will get better before the real difficulties start. Eventually we reach the first of two cruxes on the ascent. It's mainly snow climbing in what is right now good, firm snow. A little more exposed is the exit over bare-blown grass and rocks, where one must traverse over a drop with an icefall clinging to it. We continue on foot as long as this traverse stays exposed, then put the skis on as we emerge  into the big snow field called Gamswanne.

Keeping left, there are some steep zig-zag turns before it's time to strap the skis to the backpack and unstrap the ice axe yet again. There's some icy scrambling and an exposed traverse, but we manage with a good mood and exit on the very comfortably smooth south ridge of Grosser Wilder.

We are a bit late, and move on along the ridge without a break. Hochvogel catches the eyes more than any other and naturally becomes the motive of a whole array of photos, none of which may take any precious time to snap. The summit cross of the only slightly lower, but in winter immensely more demanding south summit, appears far ahead of us. But our ridge continues softly onwards, and before we know it, we're up. 

There's happiness and hugging, but not much of a relaxing break. We just snap a couple of photos, nibble a handful of nuts and then take the skins off for descent. Like those before us, we ski down to Gamswanne along another route more to the west, which thankfully involves no climbing. The conditions turn out to be surprisingly good and we really enjoy the descent.  Until we reach the lower crux…

Unsure of what way is best, this being our first time here, we follow some tracks to a possible descent route by the western end of Gamswanne. It's only a short steep section, but the snow is all gone so we won't even try and jump down with skis. Thinking we may just climb down with an ice axe, we strap the skis to the backpack for the 4:th time today and try it out. But the grass smears flat like hair not showered for a week, on an angle too severe for us. Time to retreat, reconsider, and finally hike back through high snow towards the ascent route.

Now, what may have been a fun climb two hours ago in firm snow turns out to be the real excitement of the day. On the upper and exposed part the snow has rotted away. It still covers the ground but provides no hold for hand or ice axe. Very cautiously, we trace back the former steps and are relieved when finally reaching the end of it.

Since we have chosen an oddly long itinerary for today, we will not descend to Bärgundtal like those before us. Instead we descend only a few hundred meters to the west, in untouched and to great surprise fantastic snow. A shame that the joy is so brief. Below Himmelecksattel we strap on the skins for the last time, and follow the very steep and uncomfortably icy zig zag turns up to the saddle. The harscheisen don't help here either; we slip and swear, slip and swear. And reach the Himmelecksattel at last.

Time's really running out, none to spare. We keep left, traversing the western side of the great Wilder, until we can ski down in varied snow to Wildenfeldhütte with Höfats ever towering before us. We continue down west between bushes, here and there in untouched powder (taking care crossing older tracks which by now constitute unpleasant ice barriers) and stop only to snap a photo of the beautiful Stuibenfall waterfall. Then it's only the flat, remarkably stretched-out valley floor of Oytal left to endure.

We now follow what in summer is a forest road pleasant for mountainbiking, but now a patchwork of frozen tracks by skiers and hikers. As long as we're going downhill, it's a bumpy ride with lots of sliding and breaking. Then we reach the completely flat valley floor. After a last glance at the summits behind in the cold late afternoon sun, we push our way as long as the upper back and shoulders can take us. Skating isn't possible, since we follow a narrow track, or rather two narrow tracks parallell to each other. Tired as we are, it's somewhat annoying to note that the hikers could have chosen one of the tracks and left the other one for skiers. But we're in a good mood anyway - perhaps it's just the happiness of being safe.

Oytal continues around 8 km in total before reaching Oberstdorf. We make two thirds of it on skis with lots of pushing, and walk the rest of the way. If there ever was a cross-country path along the last third of the way (as the map indicates) we missed it. All we could see was a walking path with gravel…

* The steepness level is an alpine scale used for avalanche (and general) risk assessment. Its levels are as follows: gentle (less than 15 deg) / moderate (less than 30 deg) / steep (30 - 34 deg) / very steep (35 - 39 deg) / extremely steep (more than 40 deg). Often it serves as a good indication to if a certain tour is possible under given conditions.