The Babylonische Turm (literally: "Babylonian Tower") is a 2,060-metre-high
rock needle
A pinnacle, tower, spire, needle or natural tower (german: Felsnadel, ''Felsturm'' or ''Felszinne'') in geology is an individual column of rock, isolated from other rocks or groups of rocks, in the shape of a vertical shaft or spire.
Examples are ...
on the eastern
arête
An arête ( ) is a narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequ ...
of the
Kellenspitze
The Kellenspitze, often also called the ''Kellespitze'' or ''Köllenspitze'', at is the highest peak in the Tannheim Mountains. It lies in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol. Originally the mountain was known locally as the ''Metzenarsch ...
(2,238 m),
[ the highest summit in the ]Tannheim Mountains The Tannheim Mountains[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 ...]
n state of Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
. Seen from the south the pinnacle looks like an independent peak. It is important to Alpine climbers because it has numerous climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and grade; once committed to that ascent, it can sometimes be difficult to stop or return. Choice of rou ...
s.
Climbing routes
The easiest ascent, the so-called normal route
A normal route or normal way (french: voie normale; german: Normalweg) is the most frequently used route for ascending and descending a mountain peak. It is usually the simplest route.
Overview
In the Alps, routes are classed in the following way ...
, runs up the South Gully and is rated as 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 to III and was first climbed in 1904. The Southwest Arête
An arête ( ) is a narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequ ...
, first ascended in 1921, is classed as UIAA grade IV+. The route up the West Face of the tower (opened in 1959) requires free climbing to grade UIAA VI+ , or technical climbing
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...
at grade A 3. In the mid-1980s, short routes at grades V+ and IV+/A 0 were opened up the Southeast Arête and up the crumbly Southeast Face.
References
Literature and maps
*Dieter Seibert: ''Allgäuer Alpen Alpin'', 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, Bergverlag Rudolf Rother, 2004. {{ISBN, 3-7633-1126-2
*Freytag und Berndt: walking map 1:50,000, Sheet WK 352, ''Ehrwald, Lermoos, Reutte, Tannheimer Tal''
Two-thousanders of Austria
Mountains of Tyrol (state)
Mountains of the Alps
Allgäu Alps