Kruckelkopf

The Kruckelkopf is a 3 181-metre summit in the Schobergruppe range of the Austrian Alps. It stands on the border between the Kärnten municipalities of Großkirchheim and Mörtschach, with Osttirol only 800 metres away to the south-west. The rounded top offers wide views across the surrounding peaks and glaciers. It lies between the higher Petzeck to the north-east and the Östlicher Perschitzkopf to the south-west. Two high passes, the Petzeckscharte and the Perschitzscharte, mark the cols on either side of its long south-west ridge. The first ascent was made on 5 August 1870 by the Austrian mountaineer Carl Gussenbauer. Most climbers now start from the Wangenitzseehütte to the south, reached through the Debanttal or up the Wangenitzbach valley from the Mölltal. The normal route climbs scree and boulder fields to the Perschitzscharte, then tackles short rock steps before a straightforward ridge to the summit. Other options include the south-east ridge from the Petzeckscharte or a more technical line on the north face. Visitors who reach the top find a broad, rounded dome of grey limestone with a small summit cross. To the north-west the Gradenkees glacier and the deep blue Gradensee lie below the Adolf-Noßberger-Hütte. Southwards the Wangenitzseehütte overlooks the Kreuzsee and the larger Wangenitzsee, whose waters feed the Wangenitzbach. The surrounding peaks of the Schobergruppe stretch away in every direction, offering long, open panoramas across Kärnten and Osttirol.