Samspitze

The Samspitze is a 2,624-metre peak in the Lechtaler Alps of Tirol, Austria. It stands on the main ridge that divides the waters of the Lech from those of the Inn. The nearest villages, Schnann and Flirsch, lie in the Stanzer valley just south of the mountain. To the northwest the Alperschonjoch at 2,303 metres separates the Samspitze from the Vorderseespitze, while to the northeast the mountain falls steeply to the Flarschjoch at 2,464 metres. Climbers usually set out from the Ansbacher Hütte, a refuge perched on a shoulder of the Samspitze’s south-eastern flank. The route from the hut to the summit takes about forty-five minutes along a marked path. Another track climbs from the Alperschonjoch, and together these two routes allow a full traverse of the ridge. Walkers often continue the journey onward to the Kaiserjochhaus or in the opposite direction, while the north-east ridge from the Flarschjoch presents a harder climb graded UIAA II. The Ansbacher Hütte itself offers basic overnight accommodation and meals. From its terrace the eye follows the Stanzer valley southward and the high peaks of the Lechtaler chain to the north. The air is thin at this altitude, and the silence is broken only by the occasional rumble of rockfall or the cry of a golden eagle circling above the ridge.