Der Kotzen

The Kotzen is a grassy-topped mountain standing at 1 773 metres in the Vorkarwendel range above Eben am Achensee in Tirol. It forms the western end of a horseshoe-shaped ridge that also includes the Montscheinspitze and the Mantschen, enclosing the high Montscheinkar and the lower Kotzenalm pasture. The summit itself is broad and rounded, covered in alpine meadow rather than cliffs or crags. The mountain is best known for its solitary approach via the Kotzenalm, a quiet upland meadow reached after a steady climb. From the alm the path winds through dwarf pine and bilberry heath before opening on to the open summit slopes. No cable cars or lifts disturb the silence; the only sounds are wind, grasshoppers and distant cowbells from the alm below. At the top walkers find a simple summit cross and wide views across the Achensee to the Karwendel main chain. To the east the Montscheinspitze rises above its cirque, while to the west the Inn valley stretches away towards Bavaria. The ridge walk south to the Mantschen is gentler than the ascent, making a short circuit possible for fit hikers.