Hainzenspitze

The Hainzenspitze rises in the Lasörling group of the Venediger range in East Tyrol. It stands at 2,930 metres above sea level, its summit offering a sharp crest between the West, East and South ridges. The mountain lies south of Prägraten on the border with St Jakob in Defereggen, where the village of Ströden sits at the northern foot of the range. The first climber to reach the top was Ludwig Purtscheller on 15 July 1896, descending the East ridge that day before continuing to the nearby Kesselpater. The West ridge drops four hundred metres to the Neue Reichenberger Hut and the Bödensee lake, while the South ridge leads down to the Trojeralm in the Trojeralmtal. Between the Hainzenspitze and the Kesselpater lies the Hainzenscharte at 2,875 metres, a narrow col that links the two peaks. Walkers usually start from the Neue Reichenberger Hut, itself reached from Ströden through the Dabertal or Großbachtal valleys. From the hut the route follows the West ridge to the summit, graded one on the UIAA scale. An alternative line uses the East ridge, climbing first through the Finsterkar to the Hainzenscharte before ascending the final crest to the top.