Goldkappl

Goldkappl is a 2,793-metre peak in the Stubai Alps on the border between Austria and Italy. It belongs to the Tribulaun ridge, part of the main Alpine chain that separates the Gschnitztal valley in the north from the Pflerschtal valley in the south. The mountain drops away steeply on both sides, with walls up to 400 metres high. Three striking rock towers—Mühlsteiger, Jud and Fleckinger—stand on the east ridge leading to Sandesjoch. The mountain is famous among climbers for its South Face, once considered an unsolved problem in the 1930s. Matthias Rebitsch and Hans Frenademetz made the first ascent in 1936 after Rebitsch survived a long fall. Later, Walter Spitzenstätter and Robert Trojer completed the first free climb in 1963. More routes were opened, including the 1983 Veitstanz (VII) by Hans Kammerlander and Hanspeter Eisendle. The North Wall offers a grade IV–V climb, while the West and East ridges are graded III. Two huts serve climbers: the Italian Tribulaun hut at 2,368 metres by Sandes Lake and the Austrian Tribulaun hut at 2,064 metres. The rock is mainly main dolomite from the Triassic period, resting on older gneiss, amphibolite and phyllitic schist. The views from the summit stretch across the Stubai Alps and into South Tyrol.