Rötspitze
3,496 m
Austria, Italy
Also known as Rötspitz, Pizzo RossoAlso known as
Rötspitz · Pizzo Rosso
- Elevation
- 3,496 m
- Prominence
- 651 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: PD+ (hikr.org (WS+, Sept 2018)) · III- (de.wikipedia.org (Nordostgrat))
The usual route from South Tyrol: from Kasern through the Windtal to the Lenkjöchlhütte (2,603 m), then up the remnant Rötkees (30–35°) to the gap beside the Untere Rötspitze and along the upper north ridge, with a 7 m chimney (II+, a few pegs), two short firn fields and an airy final crest to the summit. About 900 m from the hut.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 10.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,947 m
- −51 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,496 m
- Time Up
- 7h 55m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 23m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Day one: from Kasern (about 1,595 m) follow path 12 past the Heilig Geist chapel and the Labensau pastures through the Windtal to the Lenkjöchlhütte (2,603 m), about 3 hours. Day two: from the hut drop to the small reservoir at the Lenkjöchl and take the path that zigzags up beyond it; a short rock passage (I) and a traverse left into a bowl lead over large blocks (cairns) to the foot of the Rötkees. Climb the glacier to its highest point (30°, finally 35°); in firn this is straightforward, in late summer it is often icy and needs proper protection. Leave the ice to the left over loose rock ramps to the lowest point of the ridge just right of the Untere Rötspitze (3,290 m). Follow the ridge, passing a rock head on the right, to the first firn field and the first rock step. Traverse left on tracks and climb straight up to the overhanging 7 m chimney (II+, a few iron pegs) to an abseil ring, then easier ridge (II-) to a shoulder and the second firn field. A slanting corner and easy rock (II-) left of the crest regain the ridge, and an airy knife-edge leads to the roomy summit. Allow about 3–4 hours from the hut; descend the same way, abseiling the chimney if wanted, or out through the Röttal to Kasern. Avoiding the chimney by staying in the east flank means a long traverse on loose, sloping ground. The rock is poor schist with a sandy surface, and the older routes from the east and south over the Welitzkees are now rarely used because the glacier has melted out.
Start
Kasern1,600 m
- Train or bus to Bruneck/Brunico, then bus 450 up the Ahrntal to its terminus at Kasern (about 1¼ hours).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kasern → Lenkjöchlhütte | 7.3 | 979 | 0 | 4h 10m |
| 2 | Lenkjöchlhütte → Rötspitze | 3.3 | 968 | 54 | 3h 45m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Kasern1,600 m
- Hut: Lenkjöchlhütte2,584 m
- Col: Lenkjöchl2,566 m
- Feature: Rötkees2,847 m
- Shoulder: Untere Rötspitze3,249 m
The route reaches the ridge at the gap just right of this top
- Summit: Rötspitze3,496 m
Key Passages
- Rötkees (30–35°, often icy late in the season)
- Loose rock ramps to the gap by the Untere Rötspitze
- 7 m chimney (II+) on the first rock step
- Airy summit knife-edge
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The highest point of the Umbal ridge on the Austrian–Italian border, a 3,496 m schist pyramid ringed by small, shrinking glaciers. The normal route from the Lenkjöchlhütte combines a short glacier with an exposed, loose rock ridge and a II+ chimney.
The Rötspitze (3,496 m; Italian Pizzo Rosso, formerly Welitzspitz) is the highest summit of the Umbalkamm in the western Venediger Group. The border between East Tyrol and South Tyrol, which here is also the boundary between the Hohe Tauern National Park and the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park, runs over the top. Long ridges run north, south and west; the Prettaukamm branches off west to the Rotenmannjoch. It is ringed by glaciers: the Rötkees to the north-west, the crevassed Welitzkees to the east and the Schwarzachkees to the south-west. A 3,350 m north-east top and the Untere Rötspitze (3,290 m) on the north ridge are its main satellites.
It stands about 6 km from Kasern at the head of the Ahrntal and is usually climbed from the Lenkjöchlhütte together with, or as an alternative to, the neighbouring Dreiherrnspitze. Compared with that peak the glacier section is short, but the climbing is more involved: the rock is poor schist with a sandy surface, and the upper ridge has an awkward chimney and an airy knife-edge. In return the summit is roomy and the view takes in the Zillertal Alps, the Rieserferner and the Dreiherrnspitze.
Glacier retreat has changed the mountain. The former easy normal route from the Clarahütte over the Welitzkees is now hardly used, and the remaining Rötkees is often bare ice by late summer.
Climbing Notes
This is a mountaineering route, not a hike: you need glacier skills, crampon technique on 30–35° slopes that may be hard ice, and confidence moving on loose rock up to II+ with exposure; carry a short rope and slings to protect or abseil the chimney. Wear a helmet. Spend the night at the Lenkjöchlhütte, start early and expect a long day: 3–4 hours up from the hut and much the same back to Kasern after descending. Late in the season ask the hut about conditions on the Rötkees.
The ascent can be combined with the Dreiherrnspitze over two days from the same hut. Less experienced parties should go with a guide; South Tyrolean guide offices list the tour.
History
The first documented ascent was made on 22 August 1854 by Oberleutnant J. Breymann and an assistant during the military land survey, from St. Valentin in Prettau via the Röttal, the Rotenmannjoch and the south-west ridge; the party spent five days bivouacking on the summit waiting for clear weather for triangulation. Local people had probably been up before to prepare the survey. Mixed routes on the north face (ice to 50°, rock V-) have been climbed since 1974.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut closed
- Feb
- Winter; hut closed
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Spring ski tours in the area; summit ridge needs climbing
- May
- Lots of snow on the ridge; hut not staffed
- Jun
- Snow on the ridge; hut usually opens in July
- Jul
- Hut open; Rötkees still in firn
- Aug
- Most settled weather; rock dry, glacier increasingly icy
- Sep
- Rötkees often bare ice; hut closes in late September
- Oct
- Hut closed; early snow on the ridge
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Lenkjöchlhütte: book by phone (+39 0474 838144) or email (info@lenkl.com); cash only; hut sleeping bag compulsory.
- Fees
- Paid car park at the end of Kasern (rate not verified); a free car park before the Berggasthaus Kasern was described in 2013
- Rules
- The summit lies on the boundary between the Hohe Tauern National Park and the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park; national-park and nature-park rules apply
- Getting There
Kasern (Prettau), Ahrntal, South Tyrol
Innsbruck (INN); Bolzano (BZO)
- By car: A22 Brenner motorway exit Brixen/Bressanone Nord, SS49 to Bruneck/Brunico, then the Ahrntal road via Sand in Taufers and Prettau to Kasern
- By public transport: train to Bruneck/Brunico, then bus 450 to the terminus at Kasern
- From East Tyrol: Prägraten – Ströden, then through the Umbaltal to the Clarahütte and the Philipp-Reuter-Biwak
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,603 m
LenkjöchlhütteHutStaffedBooking required
41 beds · July to September; winter room with 12 places