Gefrorene-Wand-Spitzen
Encyclopedia
The Gefrorene-Wand-Spitzen are two summits on the Tux Crest (Tuxer Kamm), a mountain chain in the Zillertal Alps
, one of the ranges of the central Eastern Alps
in the Austrian state of Tyrol. The north summit (Nordgipfel) is recorded as 3,286 metres high in the literature, but is 3,288 metres high according to the Federal Office for Metrology and Survey
. The south summit (Südgipfel), by contrast, is only 3,270 metres high. The two peaks are about 300 metres apart. They appear from the north as a stubby, cone-shaped, firn
-covered dome, but from the east as a forbidding, dark rock face. Sharp, prominent ridges radiate from the peaks to the northeast and southwest, along the main crest of the mountain range. The twin peaks are the highest points in the summer skiing area of the Hintertux Glacier
and, since the end of the 1990s, have been accessible from Hintertux on cable car
s and ski lift
s; which makes them a popular destination for day trippers. The north summit was first conquered in 1867 by Dr. Berreitter, the south summit on 7 September 1872 by the brothers, Max and Richard von Frey from Salzburg.
s. To the west the vast Gefrorene-Wand-Kees reaches up to the summits; to the southwest the Große Riepenkees reaches the 3,000 metre mark; to the northeast lies the little Friesenbergkees and, to the southeast is the Kleine Riepenkees. Their neighbouring peaks are: along the northeast ridge (Nordostgrat), separated by the Friesenbergscharte (2,904 m), the 3,231 metre high Riffler
; along the southwest ridge (Südwestgrat), separated by the broad Riepen Saddle (Riepensattel), lies the Olperer
, at 3,476 metres, the highest peak on the Tux Crest. To the northwest the terrain falls away into the Tuxer Tal, and to the southwest into the Zamser Grund. An important settlement is Hintertux, some 6 kilometres away to the north as the crow flies
. The Finkenberg
village of Ginzling lies just under 11 kilometres to the east.
Zillertal Alps
The Zillertal Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps on the border of Austria and Italy. The range is named after the Zillertal on its north....
, one of the ranges of the central Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps
Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass in eastern Switzerland. North of the Splügen Pass, the Posterior Rhine forms the border, and south of the pass, the Liro river and Lake Como form the boundary line.-Geography:The...
in the Austrian state of Tyrol. The north summit (Nordgipfel) is recorded as 3,286 metres high in the literature, but is 3,288 metres high according to the Federal Office for Metrology and Survey
Federal Office for Metrology and Survey
The Federal Office for Metrology and Survey or BEV is the body responsible in Austria for official surveying, geo-information and weights and measures . It belongs to the Ministry for the Economy, Family and Youth. Its headquarters is in Vienna and it has 67 branches spread across all the Austrian...
. The south summit (Südgipfel), by contrast, is only 3,270 metres high. The two peaks are about 300 metres apart. They appear from the north as a stubby, cone-shaped, firn
Firn
Firn 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 is at an intermediate stage between snow and glacial ice...
-covered dome, but from the east as a forbidding, dark rock face. Sharp, prominent ridges radiate from the peaks to the northeast and southwest, along the main crest of the mountain range. The twin peaks are the highest points in the summer skiing area of the Hintertux Glacier
Hintertux Glacier
The Hintertux Glacier is the tourist name for the glaciers of the Gefrorene-Wand-Kees, also called the Tuxer Ferner, and the nearby Riepenkees at the top of the Tuxertal, a side valley of the Zillertal in the Austrian state of Tyrol...
and, since the end of the 1990s, have been accessible from Hintertux on cable car
Cable car
A cable car is any of a variety of transportation systems relying on cables to pull vehicles along or lower them at a steady rate, or a vehicle on these systems.-Aerial lift:Aerial lifts where the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable:...
s and ski lift
Ski lift
The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...
s; which makes them a popular destination for day trippers. The north summit was first conquered in 1867 by Dr. Berreitter, the south summit on 7 September 1872 by the brothers, Max and Richard von Frey from Salzburg.
Surrounding area
The Gefrorenen-Wand-Spitzen are surrounded by glacierGlacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s. To the west the vast Gefrorene-Wand-Kees reaches up to the summits; to the southwest the Große Riepenkees reaches the 3,000 metre mark; to the northeast lies the little Friesenbergkees and, to the southeast is the Kleine Riepenkees. Their neighbouring peaks are: along the northeast ridge (Nordostgrat), separated by the Friesenbergscharte (2,904 m), the 3,231 metre high Riffler
Hoher Riffler (Zillertal Alps)
The Hoher Riffler is a 3,231 metre high mountain in the Zillertal Alps, on the eastern part of the main chain of the Tux , in the Austrian state of Tyrol. The peak is firn-covered on its northern side, but from the south it looks like a rocky summit...
; along the southwest ridge (Südwestgrat), separated by the broad Riepen Saddle (Riepensattel), lies the Olperer
Olperer
The Olperer is a 3,476 metre high mountain in the Zillertal Alps in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol. It is the main summit on the Tux Crest and is often crossed in the summer as climbers transit from the Olperer Hut to the Geraer Hut. It was first climbed on 10 September 1867 along the...
, at 3,476 metres, the highest peak on the Tux Crest. To the northwest the terrain falls away into the Tuxer Tal, and to the southwest into the Zamser Grund. An important settlement is Hintertux, some 6 kilometres away to the north as the crow flies
As the crow flies
"As the crow flies" or beelining is an idiom for the shortest route between two points; the geodesic distance.An example is the great-circle distance between Key West and Pensacola, at either end of the U.S...
. The Finkenberg
Finkenberg
Finkenberg is a municipality in the Schwaz district of Tyrol, Austria....
village of Ginzling lies just under 11 kilometres to the east.
Sources and maps
- Heinrich Klier / Walter Klier: Alpine Club GuideAlpine Club GuideThe Alpine Club Guides are the standard series of Alpine guides that cover all the important mountain groups in the Eastern Alps. They are produced jointly by the German , Austrian and South Tyrol Alpine Clubs...
Zillertaler Alpen, Bergverlag Rother, Munich, 1996, ISBN 3-7633-1269-2 - Eduard Amthor (ed.): Der Alpenfreund. Monatshefte für die Verbreitung von Alpenkunde unter Jung und Alt in populären und unterhaltenden Schilderungen aus dem Gesammtgebiet der Alpenwelt und mit praktischen Winken zur genußvollen Bereisung derselben, Gera 1870, page 245
- Eduard Richter (editor): Die Erschließung der Ostalpen, III Band, Verlag des Deutschen und Oesterreichischen Alpenvereins, Berlin 1894, page 101
- Alpine Club map 1:25,000 series, Sheet 35/1, Zillertaler Alpen, westliches Blatt