Hoher Riffler

The Hoher Riffler stands at the eastern edge of the Verwall range in the Austrian Alps. It rises sharply above its surroundings, making it a landmark visible from many valleys. The mountain offers wide views across the Verwall group, the Allgäu and Lechtal Alps, and even as far as the Bernese and Glarner Alps on very clear days. A marked trail leads to the southern summit, where a summit book is kept. The southern summit is a straightforward three-thousand-metre climb, while the higher northern summit, crowned by a cross, requires climbing and is reserved for experienced mountaineers. The mountain has long attracted walkers and climbers. In 1864 Josef Anton Specht and guide Franz Pöll reached the summit from Pettneu through the Malfontal and a side valley. Their route passed the Blankahorn and crossed the former Pettneu glacier. Today the Edmund-Graf-Hütte at 2,375 metres serves as the main base for the normal route. The hut lies above Pettneu in the Stanzer valley and can be reached in about three hours. From the hut the southern summit is reached in just over two hours under good conditions. The surrounding landscape includes the Flirscher Ferner glacier at the mountain’s eastern foot and the Scheibenkopf above the Gampernunalpe. These form part of the Mösli protected landscape area, which extends along the ridges toward the Gauderkopf. The Gauderkopf, at 2,991 metres, now hosts a weather station built by the Austrian Federal Railways in 2013 to safeguard the Arlberg railway below. Ski mountaineers also favour the Riffler, especially in late winter and spring, usually stopping at the lower southern summit.