Schlieferspitze

The Schlieferspitze is a 3,290-metre peak in the Venediger Group of the Austrian Central Alps. It stands on the Krimmler Kamm ridge in the High Tauern, within the federal state of Salzburg. The summit is the highest on its ridge and is regarded as one of the most striking mountains in the group. From the Krimmler Achental valley to the southwest and the Obersulzbachtal valley to the northeast it rises as a dominant form. Four long arêtes radiate from the top, each about two kilometres in length. Eduard Richter, professor of geography at the University of Graz, and Johann Stüdl, a merchant from Prague, made the first ascent on 22 August 1871. The mountain’s north, east and west sides are bordered by glaciers that reach above 3,100 metres. To the north lies the Hinterjaidbachkees, to the east the Östliche Sonntagkees, and to the west the Westliche Jaidbachkees. Neighbouring peaks include the Jaidbachspitze, the Unlaßkarkopf, the Schliefertürme and the Hohe Sonntagskopf. A common route starts from the Warnsdorfer Hut at 2,336 metres in the upper Krimmler Achental. Climbers head north to the southwest arête and follow a grade II- climb to the summit cross in about three and a half hours. The original 1871 route passed the Johannis Hut, crossed the Obersulzbachtörl and skirted the Obersulzbachferner glacier before ascending the southeastern arête. The mountain’s steep faces and flanks once attracted climbers, but rockfall risk has led to these routes being abandoned.