![Wildspitze seen from Hinterer Brunnkogel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Wildspitze_seen_from_Hinterer_Brunnkogel.jpg)
Wildspitze () is the highest
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 (topography), summit area, and ...
in the
Ötztal Alps
The Ötztal Alps ( it, Alpi Venoste, german: Ötztaler Alpen) are a mountain range in the Central Eastern Alps, in the State of Tyrol in western Austria and the Province of South Tyrol in northern Italy.
Geography
The Ötztal Alps are arrayed at ...
and in
North Tyrol
North Tyrol, rarely North Tirol (german: Nordtirol), is the main part of the Austrian state of Tyrol, located in the western part of the country. The other part of the state is East Tyrol, which also belongs to Austria, but does not share a bord ...
, as well as the second highest mountain in
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 ...
after 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 ...
and in terms of
prominence
In topography, prominence (also referred to as autonomous height, relative height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop or relative height in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contou ...
(2261 m) is the fourth summit of the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
and the fifteenth of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
Location
The Wildspitze is on a ridge called ''Weißkamm'' ("white ridge") that joins the
main chain of the Alps
The main chain of the Alps, also called the Alpine divide is the central line of mountains that forms the drainage divide of the range. Main chains of mountain ranges are traditionally designated in this way, and generally include the highest p ...
at the
Weißkugel
Weißkugel (; ) or Weißkogel is the second highest mountain in the Ötztal Alps and the third highest mountain in Austria. Featuring many glaciers, it lies on the border between Austria and Italy. The easiest way to climb it is over its south ...
. Its north and west flanks form the end of the
Pitz valley, while the south and east flanks rise above the upper ends of the
Ötztal
The Ötztal is an alpine valley located in Tyrol, Austria. The Ötztaler Ache river flows through the valley in a northern direction. The Ötztal separates the Stubai Alps in the east from the Ötztal Alps in the west. The valley is long. The nor ...
. The mountain has twin peaks, with a rocky south summit (3768 m or by most other sources 3770 m
[The ]Austrian Alpine Club
The Austrian Alpine Club (german: Österreichischer Alpenverein) has about 573,000 members in 196 sections and is the largest mountaineering organisation in Austria. It is responsible for the upkeep of over 234 alpine huts in Austria and neighbour ...
's Alpine Club map
Alpine Club maps (german: Alpenvereinskarten, often abbreviated to ''AV-Karten'' i.e. AV maps) are specially detailed maps for summer and winter mountain climbers (mountaineers, hikers and ski tourers). They are predominantly published at a scale o ...
of the Ötztal Alps[Walter Klier, ''Ötztaler Alpen: ein Führer für Täler, Hütten und Berge'', Rother, Munich, 14th print, 2006.]) and a
firn
__NOTOC__
Firn (; from Swiss German "last year's", cognate with ''before'') is partially compacted névé, a type of snow that has been left over from past seasons and has been recrystallized into a substance denser than névé. It is ice that ...
-covered north summit at about 3760 m.
[ Bergsteiger, January 2001, page 25.]
Richard Goedeke: ''3000er in den Nordalpen.'', Bruckmann Verlag, Munich, 2004, , page 93. The mountain is surrounded by glaciers on three sides, of which the Taschachferner (at 8 km
2) is the largest. The 50° north face is popular with ice climbers.
The view from the peak is only limited by the curvature of the Earth. To the east one can see as far as 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 ...
and to the west as far as the
Finsteraarhorn
The Finsteraarhorn () is a mountain lying on the border between the cantons of Bern and Valais. It is the highest mountain of the Bernese Alps and the most prominent peak of Switzerland. The Finsteraarhorn is the ninth-highest mountain and thi ...
.
The nearest higher mountain is the
Ortler
Ortler (; it, Ortles ) is, at above sea level, the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps outside the Bernina Range. It is the main peak of the Ortler Range. It is the highest point of the Southern Limestone Alps, of South Tyrol in Italy, of Ty ...
, away in
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
.
Early ascents
The first recorded attempt at the Wildspitze was made in 1847 by
Hermann and
Adolf Schlagintweit, who probably reached a point at 3,552 m on the north east ridge.
[ The first successful ascent was in 1848 by Leander Klotz, a guide and farmer in the at the foot of the mountain (now part of ]Sölden
Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria.
Geography
At c. , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. With tou ...
), and another, unnamed local farmer. In August 1857, the brothers Nikodem, Leander and Hans Klotz guided , a merchant from Vienna, to the summit for the second ascent. The northern summit was somewhat higher, at the time measured to be 11,947 Viennese feet or 3,776 m,[Anthon von Ruthner]
Ersteigung der hohen Wildspitze im Oetzthale
Mittheilungen der Kaiserlichen=Königlichen Geographischen Gesellschaft, pp. 216–243. but the south summit was a better viewpoint and the first two parties had climbed it instead. On August 29, 1861, Nikodem and Leander Klotz guided Anthon von Ruthner and Friedrich R. von Enderes, both from Vienna, to the south summit again. During their hour-long stay on top, Leander traversed to the north peak, which subsequently was considered the first ascent of the main summit of the Wildspitze.[ However, by the end of the 20th century, snow melt had lowered the northern summit to about 3,765 m,][ rendering the south summit the highest point and 1848 the year of first ascent.
]
Routes
The most common route to the top is from the Breslauer Hut
Breslauer may refer to:
People
* A person from Breslau, a former name for Wrocław, Poland
* Alfred Breslauer (1866–1954), German architect of Jewish origin
* Bernard H. Breslauer (1918–2004), German antiquarian book dealer and collector
* ...
, which is approached from the village Vent
Vent or vents may refer to:
Science and technology Biology
*Vent, the cloaca region of an animal
*Vent DNA polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase
Geology
*Hydrothermal vent, a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water ...
(1900 m a.s.l.). Most climbers sleep at the hut or in a tent and continue to the summit the next day (about 4 hours from the Breslauerhütte).
An alternative route goes from the Braunschweiger Hut in the Pitztal
The Pitztal is an alpine valley located in Tyrol, Austria. The Pitztal is a southern side valley of the Upper Inntal, and runs between the valleys Ötztal (to the east) and Kaunertal (to the west). The Pitze river runs the length of the valley an ...
er 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#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
area. From the hut the route crosses the 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#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
s to the Mittelbergjoch (see right image, close to the lower left corner), and then traverses a crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack, that forms in a glacier or ice sheet that can be a few inches across to over 40 feet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pie ...
-filled area of the Taschachferner glacier to the summit of the Wildspitze. The average time used for this tour is 6.5 hours.
See also
* List of the highest mountains in Austria
This page shows the highest mountains in Austria as well as the highest mountains in each mountain range and in each of the States of Austria, Austrian states. The heights are given in metres above the Adriatic Sea.
Highest mountains in Austria ...
References
External links
Wildspitze on Summitpost
* - photos
{{Authority control
Mountains of Tyrol (state)
Mountains of the Alps
Alpine three-thousanders
Ötztal Alps