Achensee Langstreckenschwimmen

A deep alpine trough stretches between the crags of the Karwendel and Rofan ranges, where Lake Achensee fills a glacial trench with exceptional clarity. The Achensee Langstreckenschwimmen is an open water swimming race held in the freshwater of Lake Achensee at Maurach in Tyrol, Austria. In the heat of July, athletes assemble along these alpine shores to take on the largest lake in the province, setting the stage for one of Central Europe's most dramatic crossings.

The nine-kilometer traverse of Achensee to Maurach

The competition was inaugurated in 2024 as the pinnacle event of the weekend and quickly became a prestigious fixture of the Alpen Open Water Cup. Swimmers in the main crossing face a pure point-to-point journey traversing the entire length of the lake. The race has attracted field representation from ten nations, filling the water with an international pack competing in summer weather. For competitors seeking shorter distances within the same alpine basin, the event also stages accessible sprint heats of 250 and 500 meters, alongside intermediate challenges of 2.5 kilometers and 5 kilometers. The nine-kilometer traverse gets underway from the northern shore at Achenkirch. From this northern trailhead, swimmers sight down the vast corridor toward the southern shore, locking into their rhythm as the morning sunlight clears the eastern crests.

The finish gate awaits on the southern edge at Atoll Achensee in Maurach, providing an organized modern arena where finishers step out of the water after crossing the complete lake basin. Safety protocol across the deep water is strictly defined by the organizer, European Open Water and Event GmbH. All participants must carry an official Restube safety buoy provided directly by the event, and the use of personal swimming buoys is strictly prohibited. To ensure complete environmental awareness and course communication, wearing music earbuds during competition is barred.

Drinking-water clarity and lake-spawning trout in Achensee

Tyrol's largest body of water descends to reach an immense maximum depth of 133 meters. Far from feeling murky or suffocating, the lake water maintains a purity approaching drinking water standards, granting swimmers horizontal visibility of up to ten meters below the surface. Every stroke glides over a glowing turquoise expanse where the light filters far into the depths, making the swim feel like flying suspended in cold liquid air. Lake trout in Achensee display a rare reproductive instinct, abandoning the typical migration up mountain tributaries to spawn directly on the lake floor at depths between 10 and 15 meters. In the silent abyss far beneath, human engineering shares the deep: in 2013, technicians laid a 30-kilovolt power line and a fiber optic cable across the lake bed, resting quietly 133 meters below the surface.

The roadless Karwendel shore from Scholastika to Pertisau

The western margin of the swimming lane tracks the rugged foot of the Karwendel range. In past centuries, the shoreline terrain was so forbidding that wagons and heavy freight could not travel overland, compelling locals to operate transport ferries to shuttle cargo between the northern and southern shores. A somber chapter in this lake transport history occurred on May 15, 1921, when a boarding bridge at the Seespitz landing stage gave way, claiming the lives of eight people. Halfway down this western bank stands Gaisalm, an isolated alpine outpost resting at 938 meters above sea level in the Karwendel range. The settlement remains entirely inaccessible by car, reached solely by boat or by walking along a rugged shore path linking Scholastika in the north with Pertisau to the south.

Further south near Pertisau, wild mountain waters feed into the course. The Pletzach is a ten-kilometer wild torrent originating in the rocky gullies of the Plumskar near the Plumsjochhütte. The stream runs through the lakeside district of Pertisau, where its course is enclosed by stonework, before discharging into Achensee across a small alluvial fan located between the public bath and the boat landing stage.

Dalfazer waterfall and the Rofan cliffs above Maurach

In the Rofan mountains, the Dalfazer waterfall forms a spectacular centerpiece. Plunging 60 meters down a sheer cliff face, it ranks as the highest waterfall in the entire Rofan range. Below the cascading drop, a wooden viewing platform erected in 2007 offers a stunning vantage point. Right beside the torrent, rock climbers scale the 150-meter Buchau via ferrata, a steel-cable route bolted directly onto the sheer cliff. This grand waterfall is driven by the three-kilometer Dalfazer Bach, a mountain stream originating high up at the Dalfazalm. Down in the surrounding valleys, the regional water system broadens into historic riverways and protected low-altitude lakes. Nearby in Kramsach, smaller natural gems showcase Tyrol's tranquil lake heritage. Diverse alpine waters frame Lake Achensee, where thousands of strokes through pure mountain water bring swimmers home to Maurach.