Dreischusterspitze
3,145 m
Italy
Also known as Punta dei Tre Scarperi, Dreischusterspitze - Punta dei Tre ScarperiAlso known as
Punta dei Tre Scarperi · Dreischusterspitze - Punta dei Tre Scarperi
- Elevation
- 3,145 m
- Prominence
- 1,393 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 6 check notes
- danger scan: Steinalpscharte → Dreischusterspitze: straight line 546 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Steinalpscharte → Dreischusterspitze: straight line 546 m above the last hut/bivouac
- danger scan: Steinalpscharte → Dreischusterspitze: sustained 49° > 45° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 546 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- Steinalpscharte → Dreischusterspitze: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 45° between the endpoints, 0.5 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Schusterlahn, Steinalpenkar, Start of climb (memorial plaque), Summit gully chockstone
Sources differ: AD+ (ZS+) (hikr.org (2016 report)) · III+ (Camptocamp (crux step in the summit gully))
The easiest way up the highest peak of the Sexten Dolomites is still a long, serious climb: 1,650 m from the Innerfeldtal, a pathless scree approach to the Steinalpscharte (2,678 m), then about 600 m of unmarked, loose face and gully climbing, mostly I–II with steps of III, followed by three abseils and long downclimbing. Allow 10–12 hours; no hut or bivouac above the valley.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 4.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,683 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,145 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 6h 19m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 4h 07m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Start at the Antoniusstein car park (about 1,510 m) in the Innerfeldtal above Innichen and walk 20 minutes to the Dreischusterhütte (1,626 m). The unmarked path starts behind the hut by the washing line, climbs through dwarf pine to the Schusterlahn scree fan and crosses it horizontally northwards; round the rock nose, descend loose ground to a stream and climb the steep bank opposite (an awkward step that sometimes needs light crampons) to a path in dense dwarf pine. Past a large boulder you enter the Steinalpenkar and follow intermittent traces south-east, later close under the east flank of the mountain, to the Steinalpscharte (Forcella dei Sassi, 2,678 m), 2–3½ hours from the hut. From the notch a narrow path traverses south-west on the Fischleintal side, slightly descending, to a broad scree slope; the climb starts below a rock step with a memorial plaque, a little left of it, up a short wall and dihedral of poor rock (abseil anchors). Above, a steep but broken face is climbed by its weakest line (I–II, a few moves of III, unroped by most competent parties), with many changes of direction, cairns and scree-covered ramps, to a ledge leading into the summit gully. Halfway up the gully a chockstone barrier is passed by the right-hand chimney (III to III+, overhanging, old peg), followed by ledges and pegs on the wall of the large tower to the right, and a final short gully that comes out on the ridge a few metres from the summit cross. The route follows the line of the first ascent in 1869. Descend the same way. Three abseils of up to 30 m (a 50 m half rope or 60 m rope is recommended) from the summit, above the chockstone and at the first wall; the rest is downclimbed on loose II–III ground, which many find harder than on the way up, especially in poor visibility. Snow in the summit gully can make it serious, so July and August are the usual months.
Start
Antoniusstein1,502 m
- Train to Innichen (San Candido), bus 446 towards the Kreuzbergpass to the Innerfeldtal entrance, then shuttle bus 449 to Antoniusstein (half-hourly, June–September)
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antoniusstein → Dreischusterspitze | 4.9 | 1,683 | 40 | 6h 19m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Antoniusstein1,502 m
- Hut: Dreischusterhütte1,632 m
- Col: Steinalpscharte2,672 m
- Summit: Dreischusterspitze3,145 m
Key Passages
- Stream crossing below the Steinalpenkar
- Steinalpscharte (2,678 m)
- First wall and dihedral by the memorial plaque
- Route-finding on the broken face (I–II, cairns)
- Chockstone chimney in the summit gully (III/III+)
- Three abseils on descent
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 78%Overview
The highest peak of the Sexten Dolomites (3,145 m), a complex, crumbling fortress between the Innerfeldtal and Fischleintal. Even its normal route is a long, unmarked climb of UIAA III on loose rock, with 1,650 m of ascent, three abseils and no hut above the valley.
The Dreischusterspitze (Punta dei Tre Scarperi) rises east of the Innerfeldtal and west of the Fischleintal, two side valleys of the Sexten valley, inside the Drei Zinnen (Tre Cime) Nature Park and the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage area. Its massif includes the Kleiner Schuster (3,125 m), the Wiener Turm (3,095 m), the Gsellknoten and the Steinalpen towers; the summit forms part of the 'Sexten sundial' of peaks seen from the village.
The mountain is known for its complicated structure and brittle dolomite. There is no easy way up: the normal route, first climbed in 1869, leaves the Dreischusterhütte, climbs a pathless scree cirque to the Steinalpscharte and then wanders up about 600 m of broken face and gully with many changes of direction, mostly I–II with a few steps of III. Route-finding is the main difficulty, and the climb is usually done unroped apart from a few short sections, with abseils on the way down. It is a 10–12 hour day, often admired, rarely climbed; most visitors to the hut climb the neighbouring Haunold instead.
Harder routes include the Innerkofler routes on the west face and west pillar (III), the north-east ridge (IV) and the north face (IV, ice equipment needed).
Climbing Notes
Only for experienced, very fit alpinists who are comfortable moving unroped on loose grade II–III rock and on pathless scree. Expect 1,650 m of ascent and 10–12 hours; start at first light, as there is no hut, bivouac or shortcut above the Dreischusterhütte. The route has no waymarks, only cairns and old abseil slings, so good route-finding is essential; poor visibility makes it much harder, particularly on the descent. Carry a rope (50 m half rope or 60 m) for three abseils, a helmet, slings and a small rack; light crampons can help on the approach and if snow lingers in the summit gully. July and August are the usual months; snow in the gully makes the route serious. Most parties sleep at the Dreischusterhütte the night before. Hiring an IFMGA mountain guide from Sexten or the Hochpustertal is a sensible option.
History
First climbed on 18 July 1869 by Paul Grohmann with the guides Franz Innerkofler of Sexten and Peter Salcher of Maria Luggau, by today's normal route; they took about five hours from a bivouac 1½ hours above Sexten. Grohmann made the first ascents of the Langkofel and the Grosse Zinne within weeks. The second ascent came five years later; Emil Zsigmondy, who climbed it in August 1881, believed his was the twelfth. Veit Innerkofler's first ascent of the west face in 1888 is regarded as a milestone of Dolomites climbing.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; not climbed
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Winter
- May
- Snow in the cirque and gullies
- Jun
- Snow likely in the summit gully; hut open from June
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Shorter days; early snow possible late in the month
- Oct
- Short days; snow and ice in the gullies
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Dreischusterhütte directly (dreischusterhuette.it, phone +39 0474 646066); payment in cash only.
- Rules
- Innerfeldtal road: closed to private cars from 09:00 to 18:00 in summer (Bergwelten gives May or June to September); cars may follow directly behind the shuttle bus into the valley between 09:00–10:00 and 16:00–18:00, and leave only behind the bus
- Drei Zinnen Nature Park rules apply (no wild camping, keep to paths)
- Getting There
Innichen (San Candido); Sexten (Sesto)
Innsbruck (INN); Venice Marco Polo (VCE)
- Train on the Franzensfeste–Lienz line to Innichen, bus 446 (Toblach–Kreuzbergpass) to the Innerfeldtal entrance, then shuttle bus 449 to Antoniusstein (half-hourly, June–September)
- Car: from Innichen towards Sexten, turn into the Innerfeldtal; park at the valley entrance or, outside the closure hours, at Antoniusstein (about 1,510 m)
- On foot from the Sexten valley (Gasthof zum Klaus / Alte Säge) to the Dreischusterhütte in about 1½ hours
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,626 m
DreischusterhütteHutStaffed
56 beds · June to October and December to April