Reichenspitze
3,303 m
Austria
- Elevation
- 3,303 m
- Prominence
- 683 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: F (DAV München & Oberland ('Hochtour leicht'); hikr.org 2022 (L)) · PD+ (hikr.org 1978 report (WS+)) · II (de.wikipedia.org (summit slope, partly climbing II))
The standard summer route: from the Zillergründl reservoir (1,850 m) up to the Plauener Hütte (2,364 m), then a short marked path to the Kuchelmooskees, a steep glacier step beside the icefall, the upper glacier basin with a short crevasse zone, and a steep firn slope or easy rock ridge (I) to the summit.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 7.7 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,574 m
- −117 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,303 m
- Time Up
- 6h 26m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 30m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day 1: from the Zillergründl dam (bus stop 'Staumauer', 1,850 m; reachable by bus or on foot from the Bärenbad car park in 1½ hours) walk through the tunnel and along the reservoir road, then take the new path up to the Plauener Hütte (2,364 m) in about 1½ hours; the old path via the goods-lift valley station takes 1¾ hours. Day 2: follow the marked path north-east towards the Gamsscharte and Richterhütte; in the Kuchelmooskar turn left at a signposted fork, cross a moraine ridge below the south-west ridge of the Zillerspitze and reach the Kuchelmooskees at about 2,700 m. Climb the first steep glacier step on its right (east) side beside the icefall, skirt a short crevasse zone and reach the flatter upper basin between the Kuchelmooskopf and the Reichenspitze. Swing in a wide arc east around the hollow to the steep firn slope below the summit block. With good snow cover the firn (up to about 43°) leads straight to the top; with less snow a bergschrund must be crossed and the ridge north-west of the summit is followed on dry blocks (I) to the summit cross. The hut gives about 3½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way. The Kuchelmooskees has large crevasses and is shrinking; the steep lower step can be bare ice by late summer. The optional Kuchelmooskopf (3,214 m) adds about 150 m from 3,040 m on the glacier.
Start
Staumauer1,844 m
- Train to Jenbach, Zillertalbahn to Mayrhofen, then bus line 8328 up the Zillergrund to Bärenbad and the 'Staumauer' stop at the dam (first bus 07:33, last return 17:50 in the DAV München description).
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Staumauer → Plauener Hütte | 4.0 | 636 | 117 | 2h 51m |
| 2 | Plauener Hütte → Reichenspitze | 3.7 | 938 | 0 | 3h 35m |
Waypoints
- Station: Staumauer1,844 m
Bus stop at the crest of the Zillergründl dam
- Hut: Plauener Hütte2,362 m
- Summit: Reichenspitze3,303 m
Key Passages
- Steep lower glacier step beside the Kuchelmooskees icefall
- Short crevasse zone below the upper basin
- Steep summit firn slope (up to about 43°) or bergschrund and block ridge (I)
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The 3,303 m high point of the Reichenspitze group in the eastern Zillertal Alps, on the Tyrol–Salzburg border, ringed by three glaciers. Its normal route from the Plauener Hütte is a short but steep glacier tour finishing on firn or easy rock.
The Reichenspitze stands at the head of the Zillergrund, on the watershed between the Ziller and Salzach basins and the border between Tyrol and Salzburg. It is the highest summit of the group named after it. Glaciers surround it on all sides: the Wildgerloskees to the north, the Rainbachkees to the east and the Kuchelmooskees to the south-west. Its neighbours are the Gabler (3,263 m) on the north-east ridge, the Richterspitze (3,052 m) on the south ridge and the Wildgerlosspitze (3,280 m) on the north-west ridge.
The usual ascent starts from the Zillergründl reservoir and the Plauener Hütte, a DAV hut built in 1898–99 above the lake. The climb from the hut is about 950 m: a marked path, a steep glacier step beside an icefall, an upper glacier basin with crevasses and a steep summit slope of firn, or broken rock when the snow has gone. Harder approaches come from the Richterhütte (Salzburg side) and the Zittauer Hütte.
It is a good first 3,000 m glacier summit for parties with basic glacier skills, but the Kuchelmooskees has large crevasses and has retreated markedly, and conditions on the summit slope change a lot between June snow and late-summer ice. In spring the mountain is a popular ski tour from the reservoir.
Climbing Notes
Requires basic glacier skills: walking in crampons on steep firn and ice, roped glacier travel and crevasse rescue. Fitness for 1,000 m of ascent at altitude on summit day. Inexperienced parties should go with a guide; local alpine schools in the Zillertal offer guided ascents.
Typical itinerary: day 1 bus or car to the Zillergründl dam and walk 1½ hours to the Plauener Hütte; day 2 summit (about 3½ hours from the hut) and descent to the hut or the valley. Fit parties do it in one long day from the dam (about 7 hours with a bike to the dam, per a 2022 report). Start early: the lower glacier step and summit slope soften in the afternoon sun, and summer thunderstorms are common.
Early in the season the summit slope is steep firn (up to about 43°) where an ice axe is very useful; later a bergschrund opens and the last section is easy block scrambling on dry rock. Ask the hut about current glacier conditions.
History
The first ascent was made in 1856 by an unnamed farmer from Prettau in the Ahrntal, from the south-east via the east face; the summit section of that line is graded about UIAA III today. The first recorded tourist ascent was on 16 July 1865 by Peter Haller of Gmünd with the foresters Anton Peer and Josef Unterrainer, from the Schönachtal. The Plauener Hütte, base for the normal route, was built by the Plauen section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club in 1898–99 and modernised in 2013.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut closed
- Feb
- Ski-touring possible; Zillergrund road and bus winter service limited
- Mar
- Ski-touring season from the Zillergründl reservoir
- Apr
- Ski-touring season; avalanche risk
- May
- Late ski tours; hut closed
- Jun
- Hut opens mid-June; good snow cover on the glacier and summit slope
- Jul
- Main season
- Aug
- Main season; glacier increasingly bare, bergschrund may open
- Sep
- Hut closes mid-September; icy lower glacier step
- Oct
- Hut closed; early winter conditions
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Book the Plauener Hütte online via hut-reservation.org or directly with the tenant (contact on plauener-huette.at). The hut is open from mid-June to mid-September.
- Fees
- Toll road up the Zillergrund to the Bärenbad car park
- Small fee for sending rucksacks up on the Plauener Hütte goods lift
- Rules
- Hochgebirgs-Naturpark Zillertaler Alpen: stay on paths and respect nature-park rules
- Hut sleeping bag, towel and hut shoes are obligatory at the Plauener Hütte
- Getting There
Mayrhofen (Zillertal)
Innsbruck Airport (INN)
- Train to Jenbach, Zillertalbahn to Mayrhofen, then bus line 8328 through the Zillergrund to Bärenbad and the Zillergründl dam ('Staumauer')
- By car: A12 to the Zillertal exit, B169 to just before Mayrhofen, then the Zillergrund toll road to the Bärenbad car park (1,450 m); 1½ hours on foot to the dam
- From South Tyrol: train to Bruneck, bus to Prettau/Kasern in the Ahrntal, then on foot over the Heilig-Geist-Jöchl
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,364 m
Plauener HütteHutStaffed
71 beds · Mid-June to mid-September; winter room with 4 places