The Hoher Riffler is a 3,231 metreAustrian Map online
1:50.000 (ÖK 50) of the BEV high mountain in the

Zillertal Alps The Zillertal Alps ( it, Alpi Aurine; german: Zillertaler Alpen) are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps on the border of Austria and Italy. Name The range is named after the Zillertal (Ziller river valley) on its north. Geography The ...

, on the eastern part of the main chain of the Tux (''Tuxer Hauptkamm''), in the

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 ...

. The peak is firn-covered on its northern side, but from the south it looks like a rocky summit. Ridges run from the top towards the southwest, north, northeast and southeast, some of them carrying approach paths. The summit is easily attained from the mountain hut of Spannagelhaus to the west or the Friesenberghaus to the south and, as a result, is often visited. In winter it is an easy destination for

ski mountaineer Ski mountaineering (abbreviated to skimo) is a skiing discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis. There are two major categories of equipmen ...

s. The peak was first ascended during the Austrian national survey. The first tourist climber, according to the literature, was one H. Weber, guided by Georg Samer in 1875.

Surrounding area

The Zillertal Riffler (''Zillertaler Riffler'') is only enclosed by

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 to the north and west. To the north the ''Federbettkees'' starts just below the summit whilst, to the west, is the much smaller ''Schwarzbrunnerkees''. To the southeast are the remnants of the ''Rifflerkees'', which has largely retreated due to

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. Amongst the neighbouring peaks are the twin summits of the Gefrorene-Wand-Spitzen (3,288 m) along the southwest ridge (''Südwestgrat'') on the other side of the 2,904 m high wind gap of the Friesenbergscharte. On the other side of the Federbettkees, along the north ridge (''Nordgrat'') which swings northeast, lie the ''Griererkarspitze'' (2,968 m), ''Napfspitze'' (2,925 m) and die 3,038 metre high ''Realspitze'', separated by the col of ''Obere Rifflerscharte'' (2,968 m), Along the southeast ridge (''Südostgrat''), above the ''Wesendlekarsees'' glacier (surface at 2,375 m) and separated by the 2,774 m high col of ''Untere Rifflerscharte'', is the Kleine Riffler (2,835 m). The nearest important settlement is the winter sports resort of

Hintertux Tux is a municipality in the Schwaz district in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Geography The parish of Tux covers the higher and largest part of the Tuxertal, a side valley of the Zillertal that branches off at Mayrhofen. The territory of the par ...

about four kilometres northwest

as the crow flies __NOTOC__ The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points, rather similar to "in a beeline". This meaning is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver ...

Bases and routes

The Friesenberghaus (2,498 m) is the base for an ice-free climb along the south ridge (''Südgrat''). The base for an approach via the Friesenbergscharte gap and southwest ridge (''Südwestgrat'') is the Spannagelhaus. Both routes are similar and of climbing grade UIAA I and count as the normal route. According to the literature, it takes about 2 1/2 hours to reach the summit cross from the Friesenberghaus and somewhat less time from the Spannagelhaus. In winter the climb can be done as an easy ski tour.

References

Sources and maps

*Heinrich Klier/Walter Klier: ''

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 ...

Zillertaler Alpen'', Munich, 1996, *Alpine Club map, 1:25,000 series, ''Zillertaler Alpen, West'', Sheet 35/1

External links

Tour description and photosDetailed description at roberge.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riffler, Hoher Mountains of Tyrol (state) Mountains of the Alps Alpine three-thousanders Zillertal Alps Schwaz District