Großelendkopf

The Großelendkopf stands in the Ankogel range of the Hohe Tauern in Carinthia. It reaches 3 317 m and is the second-highest summit in the group, only 43 m below the Hochalmspitze. The mountain lies on the territory of Malta municipality, east of Mallnitz village. Formerly it was treated as a minor summit of the Hochalmspitze. Three smaller Elendköpfe—southern, middle and northern—line the Preimlscharte ridge to the northeast. The Großelendkopf is worth the journey for mountaineers who need a serious alpine challenge. Routes from the Osnabrücker Hütte and the Villacher Hütte both cross crevassed glaciers and demand full equipment, sure-footedness and head for heights. In 1894 the guide Gfrerer and climber C. Arnold opened the Arnoldweg up the west and south-west flank, graded II on firn. A straightforward snow-and-rock ridge links the Großelendkopf to the Hochalmspitze in about half an hour. Visitors who reach the top are rewarded with a high alpine panorama. The Großelendkees glacier spreads north of the summit, while the Hochalmkees lies to the east and the Winkelkees to the west. From the Osnabrücker Hütte the Großelendkopf towers above the head of the Großelend valley and the Großelendbach stream. The name itself reflects the remote character once known as Ali lanti.