The Eisenzeit route through the north face of the Zugspitze follows the historic line once used by the workers who built the cogwheel railway to the summit. Numerous remains along the route still bear witness to the construction work, and some sections even lead through the inside of the mountain. The tour is extremely varied, combining enjoyable climbing passages with old, shaky and rusty ladders to create an exciting mixture of alpine climbing and via ferrata. Near the end of the route, two or three abseils lead to the Höllental via ferrata, which is then followed to the summit of the Zugspitze. During the descent by the Eibsee cable car, you get another impressive view of the wall you have just climbed. The tour is best planned for a weekday or in autumn, as the Höllental via ferrata becomes extremely crowded on summer weekends.