Aukopf

The Aukopf rises on the border between Bad Hofgastein and Großarl in Salzburg’s Hohe Tauern. Its summit stands between the Kreuzkogel to the north and the Laderdinger Gamskarspitz to the south. Two streams, the Aubach and the Harbach, begin on its slopes. A weathered memorial cross marks the mountain’s wartime losses. Eastern flanks drop toward the Bach hamlet, where alpine meadows and the Mandlhütte alpine hut lie below. The rocks of the Aukopf belong to the Tauern window’s Pennine series. Marble, phyllite and mica-schist form the bedrock across the peak and its ridges. These hard layers create the steep faces that guide climbers upward. The same geology feeds the mountain’s springs and seeps that feed the Aubach and Harbach. Visitors find marked paths that lead from Bach to the Aukopf’s eastern meadows. The Aigenalm and Mandlhütte offer rest and views over Großarl valley. From late spring the alpine rose blooms along the high eastern slopes. Winter brings a protected wildlife zone that closes the summit area from December to May.