The Östliche Seespitze is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

, , in the

Stubai Alps The Stubai Alps (in German ''Stubaier Alpen'') is a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps of Europe. It derives its name from the Stubaital valley to its east and is located southwest of Innsbruck, Austria. Several peaks form the border betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. It belongs to the Alpeiner Mountains (''Alpeiner Berge'') and is their second highest peak after the

Ruderhofspitze At the Ruderhofspitze is the fourth highest mountain in the Stubai Alps in Austria. It is part of the Alpein Mountains (''Alpeiner Berge'') and lies in the Austrian state of Tyrol. As a result of its topographic isolation and good all-round views ...

. In addition, it is the highest point in the chain that runs northeast from the Westliche Seespitze, which separates the Falbesontal valley in the southeast from the Alpeiner Valley to the northwest. The ''Alpeiner Kräulferner'', a glacier on its north flank, gives the Östlichen Seespitze a much wilder appearance than from the south.

Bases and ascents

The easiest ascents up the Östliche Seespitze run over

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

s and require the right equipment and experience. The normal route from the Neue Regensburger Hut takes about four hours to reach the summit. This route runs initially westwards over the ''Hochmoosferner'' glacier and then up the southwest flank to the summit, requiring block climbing of moderate difficulty (

UIAA grade In rock climbing, mountaineering, and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a grade to a climbing route or boulder problem, intended to describe concisely the difficulty and danger of climbing it. Different types of climbing (such as sport ...

I). More difficult and one hour longer is the ascent from the

Franz Senn Hut The Franz Senn Hut (german: Franz-Senn-Hütte) is a large and very popular Category I alpine hut in the Stubai Alps owned by the Austrian Alpine Club (''Österreichischer Alpenverein''). Reynolds, Kev (2009). ''Walking in Austria'', 1st ed., Cicer ...

over the Alpeiner Kräulferner. The crossing to the Westliche Seespitze is difficult and, at one point, is assessed as UIAA grade III.

Literature and maps

* Walter Klier, ''Stubaier Alpen'',

Alpine Club Guide The ''Alpine Club Guides'' (german: Alpenvereinsführer, commonly shortened to ''AV Führer'' or ''AVF'') are the standard series of Alpine guides that cover all the important mountain groups in the Eastern Alps. They are produced jointly by the G ...

, Munich, 2006, * Alpine Club map 1:25,000 series, Sheet 31/1 ''Stubaier Alpen, Hochstubai''

External links

Summer ascent
an
ski tour
at franzsennhuette.at

at regensburgerhuette.at {{DEFAULTSORT:Seespitze, Ostliche Alpine three-thousanders Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Tyrol (state) Stubai Alps