Lachenkopf (DL/AL-068) has been on my agenda for a while now because it will be deleted from the summit list on Jan 1st 2025, which is a pity! It seemed obvious to combine it with nearby Wengenkopf (DL/AL-076) which is accessible along the via ferrata “Hindelanger Klettersteig”.
The activation took place on October 30th, 2024.
Wx: Sunny, approx 12°C, light winds
Walking time: approx. 30 minutes from the Nebelhorn cabin lift summit station to Wengenkopf, 35 minutes back to Nebelhorn cabin lift station „Höfatsblick“. Then approx. 1:45 h to Lachenkopf and 1:30 h back.
Ascent/ descent: approx. 860 vertical metres up, 1100 vertical metres down, distance 12,5 km
Rig: Elecraft KX3 / 10W, 2200mAh LiPo battery (3S), Palm Mini Paddle green
Ant: Vertical EFHW for 10 metres with QRP L-tuner on a 6m squid pole
DL/AL-076: 08:45 – 09:30 UTC; 16 QSOs on 10m CW; 2 x EU S2S; 2 x JA
DL/AL-068: 12:25 – 13:15 UTC; 26 QSOs on 10m CW; 2 x EU S2S; 7 x NA; 1 x NA S2S
„Hindelanger Klettersteig“ follows the ridge from Nebelhorn (DL/AL-073) to Grosser Daumen (DL/AL-077). Inactive summits along the ridge in light grey.
Lachenkopf (DL/AL-068) seen from the trail.
The weather forecast had announced perfect weather for the whole week. If there weren’t too many people on the via ferrata, it should be possible to activate both peaks on the same day. So the only limitation were the operating hours of the Nebelhorn cabin lift (8:30 to 16:40 local time).
I started in Oberstdorf at 8:30 with the first cabin and went straight to the via ferrata. Since only a few people were joining me, progress was very good and it took less than 30 minutes to reach Wengenkopf. The via ferrata set wasn’t required on this section. In anticipation of a restricted and crowded summit, I had decided on a vertical antenna and wanted to operate 10m only. But just as it couldn’t be any better, everyone carried on. So I had the summit all to myself. Setup was done quickly and to my pleasure the band was in excellent conditions. Several stations were answering my CQ at once. The challenge was to read the weak backscatter signals from EU. Almost every single letter had to be pulled out of the noise which made copy difficult and slow. In comparison, it was much easier to work the stations from Japan. They came in with rst 559 and 579 respectively.
It was pure joy to operate from a mountain top with such a stunning view. But I had set my time limit for the activation to 45 minutes in order to have enough time for the second summit. Soon it was time to pull the plug and carry on. The first exit of the via ferrata wasn’t far and I headed down to Nebelhorn cabin lift station „Höfatsblick“ where I could store parts of my gear until the afternoon. Here part two of the activation began.
In the vicinity to the cabin lift, the gravel roads are well maintained. Accordingly, you will encounter many tourists here. But just a little further, the trail becomes slightly more demanding, and I found myself almost alone on the way. With marvellous views and gentle ups and downs, I continued southwards through a wild and remote scenery until the trail turned off to the east. From there Lachenkopf was visible for the first time. But it still took a while before the route branched off from the hiking trail into the steep grassy slope. I proceeded towards the summit over scree and steep grass, initially bypassing rocky passages. Once, I had to scramble over a gentle slab and further to the left towards the ridge. Then following the ridge to the summit without much difficulty. I was surprised to find a spacious spot up here, covered in tall grass.
The vertical for 10 metres was installed quickly. As no one else was around, I could pick a comfortable operating position with a marvellous view of Höfats (DL/AL-055, see below picture). It was so much fun operating in the warm sunlight while enjoying the fantastic scenery!
The band was again in excellent shape and the QSOs came rolling in. After two minutes, @K3TCU was in my log as contact #4 and brought in the second mountain goat 
Amongst other QSOs I managed to log a trans Atlantic S2S with @N0QLR on a mountain top in Virginia and a few more home stations in the US. – amazing what’s possible with a few watts and a piece of wire!
The rate kept up for a while, then slowly faded out. This was the sign to dismantle station and antenna and start the descent because the cabin lift wouldn’t wait for me. Extra care was necessary on the first steep section of the descent. As soon as this was over and I had safely reached the hiking trail, I carried on in high spirits.
It was a perfect day with mild temperatures and sunshine throughout the day.
10 metres was in excellent shape with SFI = 266 and k = 2, resulting in many QSOs with EU, Japan and US.
Thanks for the QSOs! It was lots of fun.
73, Roman
