Ochsenkopf

The Ochsenkopf is a 3 057-metre summit in the Silvretta range of the Eastern Alps. It stands on the border between the Austrian provinces of Vorarlberg and Tyrol, about twelve kilometres south of Galtür. Three ridges radiate from the top: one to the north, one to the south and a short western spur that ends at the Vermuntkopf. Around the peak lie three glaciers—the Tiroler Gletscher, the Jamtalferner and the Vermuntgletscher—each feeding meltwater into the valleys below. The first ascent was made on 9 September 1896 by L. Pezzendorfer from Stuttgart with mountain guide Ignaz Lorenz I from Galtür, who set out from the Jamtalhütte and climbed the northern flank. The normal route today starts from the Wiesbadener Hütte and takes roughly two hours to reach the summit. Walkers follow a marked path to the Radsattel, then leave the trail at Hohes Rad and cross the Tiroler Gletscher on faint, crevasse-free snow to the Tiroler Scharte. From the col a steep scree slope leads to the east summit, and the main peak is reached by a short ridge with a couple of easy climbing moves. At the top a broad panorama unfolds across the Silvretta’s highest ridges and the deep valleys of the Montafon and Paznaun. The western spur offers a quieter descent over loose rock and scree to a col, from which a steep snow slope drops back to the Tiroler Gletscher. The contrast between the glaciers and the surrounding limestone peaks gives the Ochsenkopf a stark, dramatic presence in the high alpine landscape.