Bauernbrachkopf

The Bauernbrachkopf stands at 3,125 metres in the Glockner range of Salzburg. It is the northernmost three-thousand-metre peak in Europe when a thirty-metre drop is used to define an independent summit. A narrow ridge links it to the Kempsenkopf, a 3,093-metre neighbour that only rises sixteen metres above its col and feels more like a crest than a separate mountain. Climbers recognise the Bauernbrachkopf for its sharp north face and exposed ridge scrambles. The route follows the Kaindlgrat, a classic alpine ridge first climbed in the 19th century. Guidebooks credit Willi End’s 2011 Alpenvereinsführer for the most detailed description of the ascent. The map sheet published by the Austrian Alpine Club at 1:25,000 scale shows every contour and couloir on the mountain. From the summit the Grossglockner’s summit cross and the Pasterze glacier lie directly south. To the north the Tauern valleys drop steeply toward the Salzach river. On clear days the Hohe Tauern’s highest peaks form a jagged horizon. The ridge itself is narrow and airy, with cables fixed in places to protect the exposed sections.