Hintere Hintereisspitze

The Hintere Hintereisspitze stands in the Ötztal Alps on the border between Austria’s Tirol and Italy’s South Tyrol. It is a 3 485-metre peak that forms part of the Weißkamm ridge, overlooking the Gepatschferner ice field. Three neighbouring summits—Vordere, Mittlere and Hochvernaglwand—frame the glacier’s south-eastern edge. The mountain’s summit ridge rises about 100 metres above the ice, marking a clear line across the landscape. Italian maps call the peak Punta della Cresta Bianca, reflecting its location on the frontier. The first recorded climbers were Theodor Petersen and Alois Ennemoser on 28 July 1875. Today the usual route starts from the Brandenburger Haus to the north, crossing the Gepatschferner. An alternative base is the Weißkugelhütte in the Langtauferer valley. Many hikers tackle the Hintere as part of a three-summit traverse that takes roughly three hours and is graded II on the UIAA scale. Visitors who reach the summit find a narrow, exposed crest with sweeping views of the Ötztal Alps. The Gepatschferner stretches below, its crevasses and icefalls visible from the ridge. On clear days the summits of the Weißkamm stretch away in both directions. The contrast between the high, windswept crest and the vast ice field below creates a memorable alpine scene.