Grossglockner. The highest mountain of Austria

The Grossglockner (3798m) in the Hohe Tauern (Osttirol, Carinthia, Salzburg) mountain range is not only the highest mountain in Austria, it is also one of the most sought for of all the many high mountains in Austria. Each year, thousands of mountaineers from Austria, Germany, Italy and increasingly from Central and Eastern Europe are aspiring to summit this mountain with its small, rocky peak towering above the gorgeous glaciers of the Pasterze basin (itself the largest glacier of Austria).

Indeed there are so many mountaineers climbing to the summit of the Grossglockner that almot every summer discussions arise about somehow ‘managing’ the traffic jams caused by the crowds at the narrow and exposed cruxes just beneath the summit. These crowds more than the objective difficulties itself make the Grossglockner to one of the more accident-prone mountains of Austria with quite a couple of fatalities each year.

According to estimates by the Austrian Alpine Club (based upon sample counts on the different routes) about 8000 mountaineers are summiting the Grossglockner each year of which 5000 mountaineers are climbing during the summer months. Especially at weekends and during certain summer holidays (e.g. August, 15) ‘traffic jams’ alongside the narrow ridge just beneath the summit are causing significant delays. Mountaineers trapped in these traffic jams risk of getting in serious dangers especially when bad weather is rolling in.

Of course, the Grossglockner and its surrounding regions offer so many different possibilities for mountaineers (as well as for hikers, or just sight-seers and automobile tourists) that one blog post is definitely too short to give a comprehensive overview. Hence, I will start a mini-series of Grossglockner-related posts covering some facts and stories about this majestic peak in the Eastern Alps. Up to date, I have climbed the Grossglockner three times plus I did some ice climbing and ski mountaineering in the region as well. Hence, I attempt to give some honest assessments about the risks and rewards of climbing this mountain based upon first-hand experience.