Wildspitze
Austria's second-highest mountain, in the Ötztal Alps
Photo: Pirmin Olde Weghuis / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
At 3,768 m the Wildspitze is the highest mountain in North Tyrol and the Ötztal Alps and, after the Großglockner, Austria's second-highest mountain. The glaciated summit is a classic high tour with starting points in Vent and at the Pitztal glacier and requires full glacier equipment.
Activities
- High-alpine tour over glacier
- Ski tour/ski high tour in spring
- Hut walk to the Breslauer Hütte
- Glacier/firn ascent
- guided tours / mountaineering school
Highlights
- Highest peak of the Ötztal Alps and North Tyrol
- Vast glacier landscape
- The Breslauer Hütte as a high-altitude base
- Popular spring ski tour
- Panorama of the glaciated three-thousanders
Routes & ascents
| Route | Type | Difficulty | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal route from Vent via the Breslauer Hütte A classic from Vent via the Breslauer Hütte, Mitterkarjoch and Taschachferner to the summit structure. |
High-alpine tour | moderate high tour (PD), glacier experience required | from the hut approx. 4–5 h to the summit |
| Ascent from Mittelberg (Pitztal) From the Pitztal glacier via the Mittelbergferner, often using the glacier railway as a head start. |
High-alpine tour | high tour (PD), glacier equipment | approx. 5–6 h |
| Hike to the Breslauer Hütte Ascent from Vent to the Breslauer Hütte (2,844 m) at the foot of the Wildspitze. |
Hike | Mountain hike (T2–T3) | approx. 2.5–3 h from Vent |
Good to know
| Elevation | 3,768 m a.s.l. |
| Mountain range | Ötztal Alps |
| First ascent | 1848 by Leander Klotz from Rofen |
| Special feature | Highest peak of North Tyrol/the Ötztal Alps; Austria's second-highest mountain; surrounded by the Taschach, Mitterkar and Rofenkar glaciers |
Practical info
Getting there: Into the Ötztal to Vent (normal route) or into the Pitztal to Mittelberg to the glacier railway.
Best time: High tour July–September; ski high tour March–May with stable firn.
Cost: Overnight at the Breslauer Hütte and, if applicable, chairlift/glacier railway (seasonal, please verify)
Safety: Full glacier equipment (rope, crampons, ice axe) and crevasse rescue required; a guided tour is recommended.
Background & History
At around 3,768 metres, the Wildspitze is the highest peak of Tyrol north of the Inn and, after the Großglockner, the second-highest mountain in Austria. It crowns the glaciated Ötztal Alps, a world of ice, rock and mighty firn fields, which rank among the most heavily glaciated areas of the Eastern Alps. Over thousands of years these glaciers shaped the high region and created the rugged ridges and wide ice streams that surround the massif to this day.
The starting point for the ascent is the innermost Ötztal, above all the lonely mountaineering village of Vent. From here the pioneers of alpinism set out as early as the 19th century to conquer the icy giants all around, and to this day the Wildspitze is considered a serious high-alpine objective that demands experience in ice and rock. Quite nearby, on the neighbouring glacier ridge, hikers in 1991 found the glacier mummy “Ötzi”, a testimony that these heights were crossed by humans as early as the Stone Age. The first documented ascent was achieved in 1848 by a local shepherd, an early milestone that marked the beginning of the mountaineering exploration of this ice world. The Wildspitze thus reigns as an icy crown over a landscape that tells of alpine history and prehistory alike, from the Stone Age wanderer to the modern high-mountain hiker.
To make your trip run smoothly , our guides and gear tips for this destination:
