Title

An endurance test in the mountains

With Nil and Norit through the Alps

This summer, Nick set himself the goal of getting to know the Kitzbühel Alps and the most beautiful places in the region with his hiking boots. His goal was to combine two hiking trails –  the Kitzbühel Alps Trail, Kat Walk for short, and the WAIWI from Waidring to Wildseeloder. He took 9 days to complete the 156 km and 9550 vertical metres. The Norit and Nil Bermuda from Maier Sports accompanied him.

Nick Wassong
By Nick Wassong

Crossing the Alps with the Norit and the Nil Bermuda

As with my previous Alpine crossings, I planned every single detail for this long-distance hike. I put together a packing list. Things I needed for the tour included two durable pairs of pants that are comfortable to wear. Since I had to carry the backpack over the mountains, I couldn't take anything too heavy. So I needed pants made of a light material with a low weight and small pack size. As it can get really hot in the middle of August, but it can also get cooler depending on the altitude in the mountains or early in the morning, I needed a combination of Bermuda shorts and long pants. So my first choice for pants fell on the NORIT ZIP 2.0 M outdoor pants. For a change of clothes, I needed something just as durable but shorter and so chose the NIL BERMUDA. With these two pants in my backpack, I started my long-distance hike across the Kitzbühel Alps.

A unique mountain landscape

My tour began in Hopfgarten im Brixental in sunny August and took me along traditional farms, through forests and across meadows to Kelchsau. The first stage was really pleasant to get into it. I was always rewarded with beautiful views. On the second day, the ascent got steeper. The highest point was the Lodron at 1,925 m with a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains. During the third stage, we walked through alpine roses and juniper bushes. The views on the way to the strikingly incised Hintenkarscharte at 1,829 m were consistently fantastic. I had a wonderful view of the Großer Rettenstein mountain from Hintenkarscharte. Also during stages four to six, I constantly experienced highlights – felt just like winning the World Cup – on the Hahnenkamm, the Kitzbüheler Horn or hiking through beautiful mountain pines in the beautiful Pillersee Valley. I was on the Kat Walk for six days, completed 106 km and 6,350 vertical metres and had wonderful weather the entire time. I wore the Nil Bermuda functional shorts during all the stages. Especially on the sweaty steep ascents, the Bermuda shorts were always comfortable to wear and dried quickly. I was always able to move flexibly in the mountain world of the Kitzbühel Alps.

Fog worlds at an altitude of 3,200 metres

But it wasn't over after the Kat Walk. I got to the Pillersee Valley and the long-distance hike continued on the WAIWI. 50 km and another 3,200 metres in altitude were still ahead of me and my hiking boots. It was over with the constant sunshine. Clouds, rain and thick fog kept coming my way. Every so often, a few rays of sunshine managed to push through the clouds. Now it was time to be flexible. It was time for my NORIT ZIP outdoor pants. On the WAIWI, we hiked high up and through forests and mountain pines up to the stony and rocky heights to Wildseeloder Lake and the Henne at 2,078 m in altitude. We crossed different mountain zones and enjoyed the different vegetation on the mountain. The NORIT ZIP outdoor pants were the ideal companion for the tour. When it was sunny, you could quickly turn them into Bermuda shorts and during cooler rainfall you could simply attach the legs with the zip. Another pleasant aspect was that the fabric did not stick to the skin, neither from the inside nor from the outside. You could quickly cover your legs when it got muddy. And then in the evening at the hut, you could simply wash the pants, which were dry and ready for use again the next morning.

This was certainly not my last long-distance hike through the mountains with Norit and Nil.