Hochfeiler
3,509 m
Italy, Austria
Also known as Хохфайлер, Gran Pilastro, +2Also known as
Хохфайлер · Gran Pilastro · ჰოხფაილერი · Hochfeiler - Gran Pilastro
- Elevation
- 3,509 m
- Prominence
- 986 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1The standard route from South Tyrol: about 3 hours from the third hairpin of the Pfitscherjoch road (1,720 m) to the Hochfeilerhütte (2,710 m), then 2½–3 hours up the south-west ridge, with a short cabled rock step above the hut and easy scrambling (I) on the summit ridge. No glacier contact in summer; about 1,800 m of ascent in all.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 8.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,840 m
- −56 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,509 m
- Time Up
- 7h 20m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 57m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Sterzing drive up the Pfitschtal to Stein and continue on the gravel road towards the Pfitscherjoch as far as the free car park at the third hairpin (about 1,720 m). Follow the signs for the Hochfeilerhütte: the path runs into the Unterbergtal on the left bank above the Gliederbach, crosses the stream by a bridge and climbs south-east to the hut at about 2,710 m (6.5 km, about 1,000–1,100 m of ascent, 3 hours, T2–T3). Just below the hut a signed shortcut leads directly towards the ridge and saves about 30 minutes for day-trippers. From the hut a short traverse leads to a steep rock step secured with steel cables; above it you gain the broad south-west ridge, which is mostly walking terrain over scree and slabs and reaches about 3,100 m. The last 150 m of the summit ridge is steeper, narrow and in places exposed, with short scrambling passages of UIAA I, and is often icy early and late in the season. The summit cross was replaced in 2021. Allow 2½–3 hours from the hut (about 800 m of ascent). Descend the same way: about 4–4½ hours back to the car park, a descent of almost 2,000 m. Most parties sleep at the Hochfeilerhütte (open mid-June to mid-September) and climb early the next morning. After fresh snow or with old snow on the ridge, crampons and an ice axe are needed; the glaciers on either side (Gliderferner to the south, Schlegeiskees to the north) are not entered on the normal route.
Start
3. Kehre1,726 m
- Train to Sterzing/Vipiteno; bus up the Pfitschtal to St. Jakob (no service to the third hairpin, about 4–5 km further on)
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3. Kehre → Hochfeilerhütte | 6.3 | 1,037 | 56 | 4h 21m |
| 2 | Hochfeilerhütte → Hochfeiler | 2.4 | 800 | 0 | 2h 58m |
Waypoints
- Parking: 3. Kehre1,726 m
Free car park at the third hairpin of the gravel road from Stein towards the Pfitscherjoch
- Hut: Hochfeilerhütte2,706 m
- Crux: Cabled rock step above the Hochfeilerhütte2,706 m
Short steep step protected with steel cables, a few minutes above the hut (not on route line)
- Summit: Hochfeiler3,509 m
Key Passages
- Cabled rock step just above the Hochfeilerhütte
- Narrow, exposed upper summit ridge (last 150 m, UIAA I)
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest summit of the Zillertal Alps (3,509 m), on the Austria–Italy border above the Pfitschtal. From the South Tyrol side it is one of the easiest 3,500 m peaks in the Eastern Alps: a hut walk and a rocky ridge with no glacier contact, while the north side drops in a 300 m ice wall.
Hochfeiler (Italian Gran Pilastro) stands on the Zillertal main ridge between the Pfitschtal in South Tyrol and the Schlegeis valley in North Tyrol. Its two sides could hardly be more different. The north face is fully glaciated, a firn and ice wall up to 60° and about 300 m high above the Schlegeiskees, one of the classic ice climbs of the Eastern Alps. The south-west side is a long ridge of gneiss and greenschist rising above the small Gliderferner and the Hochfeilerhütte.
The normal route follows that south-west ridge. After a long hut approach from the Pfitschtal (about 1,000 m of ascent), a short cabled step leads onto a broad ridge that is mostly walking terrain; only the last 150 m is narrow and exposed, with easy scrambling. In good summer conditions no crampons are needed, which makes it a popular 'first 3,500 m summit'. The rock near the top is weathered and loose, and the ridge holds snow and ice into July.
The summit gives wide views over the Zillertal and Tux Alps, the Hohe Tauern, the Stubai Alps and the Dolomites.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for about 1,800 m of ascent over two days, or a very long day, is the main requirement. Technically it is a T4 mountain walk with a short cabled step and grade I scrambling on the final ridge; you need sure footing and a head for heights, but no glacier skills on the normal route in summer. Altitude can be felt at 3,500 m by those coming straight from the valley; a night at the hut (2,710 m) helps.
Typical itinerary: drive to the third hairpin of the Pfitscherjoch road above Stein, walk to the Hochfeilerhütte in about 3 hours, sleep there and start early for the summit (2½–3 hours), then descend all the way to the car (about 4–4½ hours). Fit parties do it in one long day using the shortcut that bypasses the hut.
Check with the hut warden about snow on the ridge before going: until early July and after the first autumn snow, crampons and an ice axe are needed on the upper ridge. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer. The north-face ice route and the east ridge (mixed, UIAA IV) are serious undertakings for experienced alpinists only.
History
The first ascent was made on 24 July 1865 by Paul Grohmann, a co-founder of the Austrian Alpine Club, with the guides Georg Samer, Josele Steinklauber and Peter Fuchs. Starting from the Unterbergtal after a night in a poor herdsmen's hut, they reached the summit via the Gliderferner and the south-west ridge, roughly today's normal route. The first winter ascent followed in 1882. The north face was first climbed in 1887 by Franz Dyck and the Zillertal guide Hans Hörhager. The present Hochfeilerhütte was built in 1984–1986 by the Sterzing section of the Alpenverein Südtirol, a little above the site of the former Wiener Hütte. The summit cross was replaced in 2021. The Italian name 'Gran Pilastro' (great pillar) is a 20th-century translation based on a probable misreading of the German name.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut closed (unlocked winter room with 6 places)
- Feb
- Winter; ski-mountaineering only for experienced parties
- Mar
- Ski tours from the Pfitschtal for experienced ski-mountaineers; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Spring ski-touring season; hut closed
- May
- Late ski tours; heavy snow on the summer route
- Jun
- Hut opens mid-June; snow on the ridge, crampons usually needed
- Jul
- Main season; ridge usually clears of snow during July
- Aug
- Best conditions; afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Hut closes mid-September; risk of early snow and ice
- Oct
- Hut closed; possible in a dry autumn, ice on the ridge
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Hochfeilerhütte (AVS Sektion Sterzing): book online via hut-reservation.org (linked from hochfeilerhuette.com) or by phone/email; open mid-June to mid-September. The winter room is free and unlocked outside the season (mattresses and blankets only).
- Fees
- Parking at the third hairpin of the Pfitscherjoch road is free
- Hochfeilerhütte half board from about EUR 67 (room) or EUR 57 (dormitory) per person per night, as listed by the hut
- Rules
- Summit lies on the Austria–Italy border; carry ID if continuing to the Austrian side
- Getting There
Sterzing/Vipiteno (Stein and St. Jakob in the Pfitschtal at the trailhead)
Innsbruck Airport (INN); Bolzano Airport (BZO) is closer but has few flights
- By car: Brenner motorway exit Sterzing, then up the Pfitschtal via Wiesen and St. Jakob to Stein, and on the gravel road towards the Pfitscherjoch to the free car park at the third hairpin (about 1,720 m)
- By public transport: train to Sterzing on the Brenner line, then bus up the Pfitschtal to St. Jakob; from there about 4–5 km on foot or by taxi to the trailhead
- From Austria: from the Schlegeis reservoir over the Pfitscherjoch, or from Lappach (Neves reservoir) via the Edelrauthütte
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Altitude
- Glacier
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,710 m
HochfeilerhütteHutStaffed
88 beds · Mid-June to mid-September; unlocked winter room with 6 places outside the season