Hintere Guslarspitze

The Hintere Guslarspitze stands in the Ötztal Alps of Tirol, a 3 147-metre summit surrounded by the Kesselwandferner and Guslarferner glaciers. It towers above its neighbours, the Vordere and Mittlere Guslarspitze, all three forming a short ridge that can be crossed in about two hours from the Vernagthütte. The mountain’s north-west flank still holds the remains of the Südliche Guslarferner, while the Kesselwandferner reaches almost to the top on the south-west side. The first ascent in 1848 was made by Hermann Schlagintweit and his brother Adolf, who had already published a study of the Ötztal glaciers the year before. Their scientific work covered geology, glaciology and botany across the Austrian Alps. Together with a third brother, Robert, they later explored the Himalaya and India, producing extensive reports on the regions they visited. A visitor reaches the summit along a high alpine route that crosses the ridge linking the three Guslarspitzen. The surrounding glaciers and steep rock faces give views deep into the Ötztal valley. Snowfields often linger near the top even in summer, and the air is thin at this height. The climb rewards with wide panoramas of the Central Alps and the distant peaks of the Stubai group.