Ortler (; it, Ortles ) is, at above sea level, the highest mountain in the
Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in the ...
outside the
Bernina Range
The Bernina Range is a mountain range in the Alps of eastern Switzerland and northern Italy. It is considered to be part of the Rhaetian Alps within the Central Eastern Alps. It is one of the highest ranges of the Alps, covered with many glaciers. ...
. It is the main peak of the
Ortler Range. It is the highest point of the
Southern Limestone Alps
The Southern Limestone Alps ( it, Alpi Sud-orientali, german: Südliche Kalkalpen), also called the Southern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent l ...
, of
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
in Italy, 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 ...
overall, and, until 1919, of the
Austrian-Hungarian empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1 ...
. In
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
the mountain is commonly referred to as "König Ortler" (King Ortler), like in the unofficial hymn of South Tyrol, the ''
Bozner Bergsteigerlied
The Bozner Bergsteigerlied ( en, Bozen mountaineer song) is one of the two unofficial hymns of the South Tyroleans, the other being the '' Andreas-Hofer-Lied''. Its lyrics were composed in 1926 by Karl Felderer in Moos am Ritten to the melody o ...
''.
Geography
The massive mountain is capped by a glacier on the northwest flank and has a long north ridge that ends at the village of ''Gomagoi'' and separates the valleys of
Trafoi
Stilfs (; it, Stelvio ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located near the northern ramp of the Stelvio Pass.
The municipality of Stilfs contains the ''frazione, frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainl ...
and
Sulden. The South ridge leads to the Hochjoch (3527 m) on the main ridge of the Ortler Alps that forms the border of the
Province of Sondrio
The Province of Sondrio ( it, provincia di Sondrio) is in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Sondrio. As of 2017, it has a population of 181,403.
History
The Province was established in 1815, within ...
and South Tyrol. Going west on this main ridge are the
Thurwieserspitze
The Thurwieserspitze ( it, Punta Thurwieser; german: Thurwieserspitze) is a mountain in the Ortler Alps on the border between South Tyrol and the Province of Sondrio, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the ...
(3652) and Trafoier Wall (3565 m), while to the Southeast are the
Monte Zebrù
Monte Zebrù () is a mountain of the Ortler Alps between Lombardy and South Tyrol, Italy.
Mountains of the Alps
Alpine three-thousanders
Mountains of Lombardy
Mountains of South Tyrol
{{TrentinoAltoAdige-mountain-stub ...
(3740 m) and the majestic
Königspitze
The Königspitze (german: Königspitze; it, Gran Zebrù) is a mountain of the Ortler Alps on the border between South Tyrol and the Province of Sondrio ( Lombardy), Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the ...
(3859 m). From nearby mountains in the northeast the impressive lineup of Königspitze, Zebru and Ortler is known as “das Dreigestirn” (the three heavenly bodies).
First ascent
The Ortler was first climbed by ("Pseirer-Josele"), a
chamois
The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Ril ...
hunter from
St. Leonhard in Passeier
St. Leonhard in Passeier (; it, San Leonardo in Passiria ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Passeier Valley in South Tyrol, northern Italy, located about north of Bolzano.
Geography
As of 30 November 2010, it had a population of 3,547 and ...
, and his companions Johann Leitner and Johann Klausner from
Zell am Ziller
Zell am Ziller is a municipality in the Schwaz district in the Austrian state of Tyrol. The name derives from the river Ziller.
Climate
Population
Facilities
The Zillertal Arena was formed in 2000 from a merger of the ski area
A ski area i ...
on 27 September 1804. The ascent had been a request of
Archduke Johann of Austria
Archduke John of Austria (german: Erzherzog Johann Baptist Joseph Fabian Sebastian von Österreich; 20 January 1782 – 11 May 1859), a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, was an Austrian field marshal and imperial regent (''Reichsverwes ...
, who felt strongly that after the first ascent of the
Großglockner
The Grossglockner (german: Großglockner ; or just ''Glockner'') is, at 3,798 metres above the Adriatic (12,461 ft), the highest mountain in Austria and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass. It is part of the larger Glock ...
(3,798 m) in 1800, the highest mountain in his
brother's empire ought to be climbed. The archduke ordered Johannes Nepomuk Gebhard, a "mountain official" and topographer from
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
, to climb the mountain with locals. The first five attempts failed and Gebhard was ready to give up, when Pichler responded to the prize money offered for reaching the peak. Pichler and his friends took a difficult, and because of avalanche danger until recently disused, route over the northwest face from Trafoi. (The route was re-opened in 2004.
)
Upon their return, the men were not believed on their words alone. Gebhard sent Pichler onto the mountain twice more, first in August 1805 with a flag that could be observed with a telescope from the valley, and again in September 1805 with a huge torch. Only after the torch had been seen burning at night was the accomplishment acknowledged. The route Pichler and his men (two brothers named Hell and an unnamed hunter from Langtaufers) took in 1805 was the currently still popular East ridge ("Hintergrat", literally "back-ridge") route. In 1834, at the age of 70, Pichler would make his fifth and final ascent, guiding professor to the top.
Notable other ascents and descents
The first time the Ortler was climbed via the easiest and currently normal route, the North ("Tabaretta") ridge, was more recently, in July 1865, as the approach is rather lengthy. In 1875 a hut was erected 3,029m high on the North ridge, to break up the climb in two steps. It was named the Payer house, after
Julius von Payer
Julius Johannes Ludovicus Ritter von Payer (2 September 1841, – 29 August 1915), ennobled Ritter von Payer in 1876, was an officer of the Austro-Hungarian Army, mountaineer, arctic explorer, cartographer, painter, and professor at the Ther ...
, who had mapped the Ortler Alps between 1865–1868 and had climbed 50 of its peaks with as his guide.
The first ascent of the South ridge from the Hochjoch followed in 1875, two couloirs on the East face (the ''Minnigerode'' and ''Schück'' couloir) were opened in 1878-79 and the two steep Northeast ridges (''Marlet'' and ''Rothböck'' ridge) were conquered in 1889 and 1909, respectively. Members of the Pinggera family were involved in most of these ascents.
The 1,200 m high ice route on the Ortler north face, longest in the Eastern Alps, was first climbed in June 1931 by
Hans Ertl and and the remote Southwest face in 1934. The North face was soloed first in 1963 by Dieter Drescher who had also added some first winter ascents to his name, including a traverse of Königspitze, Monte Zebrù, and Ortler in February 1975. On August 31, 1981, achieved the amazing feat of climbing the north faces of Königspitze, Zebrù and Ortler all in one day.
Extreme skiing
Extreme skiing is performed on long, steep (typically from 45 to 60+ degrees, or grades of 100 to 170 percent) slopes in mountainous terrain. The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s. The first practitioners include Swiss skier ...
started early in the Ortler mountains, with descending the Schück couloir in 1971 and the Minnigerode couloir in 1975. On June 24, 1983, skied down the North face.
First World War
The Ortler Alps were one of the main battlegrounds between Austrian and Italian troops in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, being on the border of Italy and the Austrian Empire. The advantage of owning the highest point was very important. The Austrian troops had quickly occupied the highest peaks, and the Italian troops' main goal, for four years, was to dislodge them from the positions. In the mid-1990s, a mountain guide discovered two guns that had been stationed very near the top of the Ortler but had been hidden by snow ever since. The discovery was kept secret until the 200th anniversary of the first ascent in 2004. The cannons are now on display in a museum in
Trafoi
Stilfs (; it, Stelvio ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located near the northern ramp of the Stelvio Pass.
The municipality of Stilfs contains the ''frazione, frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainl ...
.
See also
*
List of Italian regions by highest point
This is a list of Italian regions by highest point. There are 20 regions, but in one case (Serra Dolcedorme) the highest point is shared between two of them (Basilicata and Calabria''Serra Dolcedorme, Italy'', page owww.peakbagger.comaccessed on 23 ...
*
List of mountains of the Alps above 3000 m
This page tabulates only the most prominent mountains of the Alps, selected for having a topographic prominence of ''at least'' , and all of them exceeding in height. Although the list contains 537 summits, some significant alpine mountains ar ...
References
Sources and external links
* Sabine Holzknecht
Sulden und der Ortler ″Alpin″ June 2004 (German article at the occasion of the 200 year anniversary of the first ascent)
German article on the first ascentView from the Ortler to the southeastPanoramic view from the northwest of the Ortler in winter*
*
Gallery
Ortler Ascent - South Tyrol.jpg, Ortler ascent
Koenigspitze HQ.jpg, Königspitze, Zebrù and Ortler from the south-east
Ortler 1891 lohner I 19.jpg, Mountaineers from Vienna at the Payer house on their way to climb the Ortler in July 1891.
{{Authority control
Mountains of the Alps
Alpine three-thousanders
Mountains of South Tyrol