Bärenköpfe

The Bärenköpfe is a twin-peaked mountain massif in the Granatspitz range of the Hohe Tauern in northern East Tyrol. It sits on the main Tauern ridge, marking the border between Tyrol and Salzburg. The peaks rise above steep scree slopes and narrow cols, with the North Summit reaching 2 863 metres and the South Summit 2 835 metres. Between them lies the Schoppmanntörl col at 2 611 metres, while to the west three small lakes feed the Messelingbach stream. The massif is flanked by the Hochgasser to the north and the Riegelturm to the south-east. Climbers first reached the North Summit around 1923, probably by R. Majewski and companions, while the South Summit was climbed on 29 July 1930 by R. Klose and F. Liederer via the south-east ridge. Routes from the Schoppmanntörl include a moderate scramble up the south flank to the North Summit and a harder climb on the South-East Ridge graded UIAA I and III- respectively. The connecting ridge between the two summits and the link to the Hochgasser both reach UIAA III difficulty. Visitors who reach the Schoppmanntörl find themselves on a narrow col with views into deep valleys on either side. The path then ascends broken rock and grass before the final ridge to the North Summit. On the South Summit the ridge narrows and drops steeply, giving a sense of exposure. From both peaks the Tauern main ridge stretches away in long lines of rock and snow, while below the three coloured lakes catch the light in calm weather.