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The Grossglockner (German: Großglockner; Slovene: Veliki Klek) is Austria's highest mountain at 3 798 m above sea level. The Grossglockner lies on the border between Carinthia and the East Tyrol; it is the highest peak in the Glockner group, a group of mountains along the main ridge of the Hohe Tauern. The summit itself lies on the Glockner ridge, which branches to the south off the main ridge. The Pasterze, Austria's biggest glacier, lies at the Grossglockner's foot. The Grossglockner is used for trained ice climbers. Some of the most difficult routes are at the north face, that can stand comparison to famous ascents at 4000 m-peaks in the Western Alps. The Pallavicinirinne is the most classical of these routes. First climbed in 1877 when crampons were still unknown it has become famous because of the hard work of leading guide J. Tribusser who hit 2500 steps into the ice with his axe.
The major routes on the Grossglockner are The easiest and most common route is from Erzherzog-Johann-hut: PD, glacier 35°, UIAA II. A good alternative with starting point Stuedlhuette is: south west ridge "Stuedlgrat", ridge climb, III -IV
Berglerrinne, culoir ice climb, 45-50°, III. First ascent of Berglerrinne to Oberer Nordwestgrat by E. Rainier 9.9.1929 (Ridge to the top climbed
Pallavicinirinne, couloir ice climb, 55-60°, III. First ascent by A.Pallavicini, J. Tribusser, G. Baeuerle & J. Kramser 18.8.1876.
North face. Welzenbach Route, mixed, IV+, 55°. First ascent by W.Welzenbach & K.Wein 19.9.1926.
Mayerlrampe (Glocknerhorn Nordwandrampe), ice climb, 60-70. First ascent by S.Mayerl, H.Lindner & H.Messner 19.10.1967.
Ice nose ("Theo-Riml-Gedenkanstieg"), ice climb, 90°. First ascent by K. Hoi, L. Baumgartner, G. Haefele, W. Haiden, W. Laserer & M. Rust, 29.8.1984.
Direct north face, 90°/mixed. First ascent by K.Hoi, L.Baumgartner, St.Lackner, A.Prugger & H.Christoph, 30.8.1985.
This year the Sliven's Alpine club "Blue stones" have an anniversary - 50 years since it was establish. We are planning to climb Mt. Triglav & Mt. Grossglockner this summer to celebrate this remarkable anniversary. The first in the list is Mt. Triglav. Triglav (2864 m) is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the Julian Alps. The origin of Triglav name is still not completely clear. People used to be believe that it is home of Gods. Triglav means three heads. Although mountain is compact, from south it shows 3 heads. On the left is Rjavec (2568m), in the middle is main summit, Triglav (2864m) and on the right is Mali Triglav (2725m), which is actually just a shoulder, not a real peak.
First on the summit where: Luka Korosec, Matija Kos, Stefan Rozic and Lovrenc Willomitzer. It happened on August 25th 1778. They climbed from Bohinj lake, over Velo Polje (where today is Vodnikov Dom hut), then to Ledine (where today is Planika hut) and further to Mali Triglav. Behind it, then notorious, ridge awaited them. They had to ride it because it is so narrow and on both sides is few hundred meters of sheer drop. Triglav was one of first important alpine peaks that were climbed. It was great feat for that time. First ascent from Krma valley happened in 1818.
Today Triglav is by far mostly climbed high peak in Slovenia and wider. Last 108 years, on the summit proudly stands Aljazev Stolp (more in objects section). Just below the summit is Stanicevo Zavetisce refuge, carved in stone. Four secured routes lead to Triglav. Some say that Triglav was humiliated with all that steel on the mountain. It became easy for anyone in better shape to climb Triglav, so today crowds can sometimes be unbearable and you have to wait on the ropes for long lines of people to pass as so many want to climb this magical mountain. Triglav regains respect in winter when security pegs and steel ropes are covered with snow. Then it is reserved only for experienced mountaineers and climbers. There are many huts around Triglav. In summer they are often overcrowded.
North face of Triglav is most impressive in Julian Alps and Slovenia. 1200m high and around 3km wide face belongs to the alpine elite. Its name is written into the foundations of European alpinism. In the face there are numerous couloirs, towers or pillars, which divide it into few sections. In the eastern part most noticeable are Slovenian and German Steber towers. Most powerful is Centralni Steber, as name says, in the central part, which is steepest. In the western section is wild and high Jugova Grapa couloir. Above it is best known part of the face, Sfinga, almost smooth overhanging section.
Triglav and routes on its Stena First man to climb The Face was Berginc, a hunter from Trenta valley, in 1890. He climbed where today is Slovenska Smer, famous route suitable for experienced mountaineers that have some knowledge in climbing (up to III grade). First to climb central part were German climbers König, Reinl and Domenigg in 1906. Since then many routes were climbed in the face. The most famous route is Copov Steber, climbed in 1945 by Joza Cop and Pavla Jesih. The face is much climbed and represents to climbers what Triglav is to mountaineers.
Here are some routes: Slovenska Smer route Nemska Smer (German route) Zimmer - Jahn exit (variation of German route): 800m, IV+ Bavarska Smer (Bavarian route): IV Skalaska Smer route: IV-V Copov Steber (Chop pillar) route: 1000m, VIII+ Prusik-Szalay and Kunaver-Drasler routes: 900m, VII+ Stopnice v Nebo (Stairs to the Sky): 500m, VI+ Zlatorogove Police (Zlatorog ledges)
More information about hiking routes could be found here.
The "Matterhorn" is one of the world's most famous mountain and it's considered as an iconic emblem of the region of the Swiss Alps. Its 1 200 meters North face is one of the great north faces of the Alps.
The Matterhorn has two distinct summits, both situated on a 100-meter-long rocky ridge: the Swiss summit (4 477,54 m) on the east and the Italian summit (4 476,4 m) on the west. Their names originated from the first ascents not for geographic reasons as they are both located on the border. Because of plate tectonics, the part of the Alps in which the Matterhorn is located still continues to rise at a faster rate than the forces of erosion are able to erode it.
The mountain derives its name from the German words Matte, meaning meadow, and Horn, which means peak also named after the family that lived there Matter which latter derived the names Mattern and Mottern. The Italian and French names come from Mons Silvinus from the Latin word silva, meaning forest. The changing of the first letter s to c is attributed to Horace Bénédict de Saussure, believing that the word was related to a deer (French: cerf).
The most well-known faces are the east and north ones, both visible from Zermatt. The east face is 1,000 meters high and presents a high risk of rockfall, making its ascent dangerous. The north face is 1,200 meters high and is one of the most dangerous north faces in the Alps, in particular for its risk of rockfall and storms. The south face is 1,350 meters high and offers many different routes. Finally, the west face, the highest at 1,400 meters, has the fewest routes of ascent.
The Matterhorn was one of the last of the main Alpine mountains to be ascended, not because of its technical difficulty, but because of the fear it inspired in early mountaineers. The first serious attempts began around 1857, mostly from the Italian side; but despite appearances, the southern routes are harder, and parties repeatedly found themselves having to turn back. However, on July 14, 1865, in what is considered the last ascent of the golden age of alpinism, the party of Edward Whymper, Charles Hudson, Lord Francis Douglas, Douglas Robert Hadow, Michel Croz and the two Peter Taugwalders (father and son) was able to reach the summit by an ascent of the Hörnli ridge in Switzerland. Upon descent, Hadow, Croz, Hudson and Douglas fell to their deaths on the Matterhorn Glacier, and all but Douglas (whose body was never found) are buried in the Zermatt churchyard.
The four main ridges separating the four faces are also the main climbing routes. The easiest, the Hörnli ridge (Hörnligrat), lies between the east and north faces, facing the town of Zermatt. To its west lies the Zmutt ridge (Zmuttgrat), between the north and west faces. The Lion ridge (Cresta del Leone), lying between the south and west faces is the Italian normal route and goes through the Pic Tyndall. Finally the south side is separated from the east side by the Furggen ridge (Furggengrat), the most difficult ridge of all.
Today, all ridges and faces of the Matterhorn have been ascended in all seasons, and mountain guides take a large number of people up the northeast Hörnli route each summer. By modern standards, the climb is fairly difficult (AD Difficulty rating), but not hard for skilled mountaineers. There are fixed ropes on parts of the route to help. Still, several climbers die each year due to a number of factors including the scale of the climb and its inherent dangers, inexperience, falling rocks, and overcrowded routes.
The usual pattern of ascent is to take the Schwarzsee cable car up from Zermatt, hike up to the Hörnli Hut (elev. 3,260 m/10,695 ft), a large stone building at the base of the main ridge, and spend the night. The next day, climbers rise at 3:30 am so as to reach the summit and descend before the regular afternoon clouds and storms come in. The Solvay Hut located on the ridge at 4,003 m can be used only in a case of emergency.
Other routes on the mountain include the Italian ridge (D Difficulty rating), the Zmutt ridge (D Difficulty rating) and the north face route, one of the six great north faces of the Alps (TD+ Difficulty rating).
The major routes on the Matterhorn are Hörnli (Normal route) * Difficulty: AD+ * Time: 5-6 hours * Start: Hörnlihütte (3'260 m)
Zmutt * Difficulty: D * Ascent time: 6-7 hours * Start: Hörnlihütte (3'260 m)
The Eiger is a notable mountain in the Swiss Alps, rising to an elevation of 3970 m. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge-crest that extends to the Mönch at 4107 m, and across the Jungfraujoch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m. The three mountains of the ridge are sometimes referred to as the Virgin (German: Jungfrau, lit. "Young Woman" - translates to "Virgin" or "Maiden"), the Monk (Mönch) and the Ogre (Eiger). The name has been linked to the Greek term akros, meaning "sharp" or "pointed", but more commonly to the German eigen, meaning "characteristic".
The Nordwand, German for "north face", is the spectacular north (or, more precisely, north-west) face of the Eiger (also known as the Eigerwand, "Eiger wall"). It is one of the six great north faces of the Alps, towering over 1,800 m above the valley in the Bernese Oberland below.
It was first climbed on July 24, 1938 by Anderl Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek of a German–Austrian group. The group had originally consisted of two independent teams; Harrer (who didn't have a pair of crampons on the climb) and Kasparek were joined on the face by Heckmair and Vörg, who had started their ascent a day later and had been helped by the fixed rope that the lead group had left across the "Hinterstoisser Traverse." The two groups, led by the experienced Heckmair, co-operated on the more difficult later pitches, and finished the climb roped together as a single group of four. A portion of the upper face is called "The White Spider", as snow-filled cracks radiating from an ice-field resemble the legs of a spider. Harrer used this name for the title of his book about his successful climb, Die Weisse Spinne (translated into English as The White Spider: The Classic Account of the Ascent of the Eiger). During the first successful ascent, the four men were caught in an avalanche as they climbed the Spider, but all had enough strength to resist being swept off the face.
Subsequently the face has been climbed many times, and today is regarded as a formidable challenge more because of the increased rockfall and diminishing ice-fields than because of its technical difficulties, which are not at the highest level of difficulty in modern alpinism. In summer the face is often unclimbable because of rockfall, and climbers are increasingly electing to climb it in winter, when the crumbling face is strengthened by the hard ice present.
Since 1935, sixty climbers have died attempting the north face, earning it the German nickname, Mordwand, or "murder wall", a play on the face's real German name Nordwand.
The major routes on the Eiger are: West Flank & West Ridge - AD (G4) with III-, 1650m. 6 hours in ascent, 3 to 4hours in descent. North Face - 1938 Route: ED2 (G14) V-, A0, 60°, 1800m, one to three or more days. Northeast Face (Lauper)- ED (G12) with V, mostly IV+ and III, 50-55°. 1700m, 15 to 18hours Mittellegi Ridge - D (G5) with IV & fixed ropes, 4 to 8 hours from Mittellegi Hut South Ridge - AD, rock to III, 7 to 9 hours in ascent and another 6 to 7 hours in descent
More information about climbing routes could be found here.
The Grossglockner (German: Großglockner; Slovene: Veliki Klek) is Austria's highest mountain at 3 798 m above sea level. The Grossglockner lies on the border between Carinthia and the East Tyrol; it is the highest peak in the Glockner group, a group of mountains along the main ridge of the Hohe Tauern. The summit itself lies on the Glockner ridge, which branches to the south off the main ridge. The Pasterze, Austria's biggest glacier, lies at the Grossglockner's foot.
The easiest and most common route is from Erzherzog-Johann-hut: PD, glacier 35°, UIAA II. A good alternative with starting point Stuedlhuette is: south west ridge "Stuedlgrat", ridge climb, III -IV
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