Kreuzkarspitze

The Kreuzkarspitze is a 2,587-metre mountain in the Hornbach chain of the Allgäu Alps. It stands on the border between the Tyrolean villages of Elbigenalp to the south and Hinterhornbach to the north. The peak rises above two deep valleys: the Lech valley to the south and the Hornbach valley to the north. Between the Kreuzkarspitze and its neighbour the Noppenspitze lies the Noppenkar, a high cirque of rock and ice. To the west the Balschtekar cirque holds a small unnamed glacier, while to the north the Kreuzkar cirque cradles the alpine lake Kreuzkarsee at 1,983 metres. The mountain’s name comes from the northern cirque, Kreuzkar, which may refer to a cross once placed near the Schöneggerscharte col. Farmers from the Lech valley crossed this col to reach summer pastures in the Hornbach valley, and the cross marked a place of safety. The first recorded ascent was made in 1892 by Chr. Wolff along what is now the normal route. Later climbers opened harder lines: the North Face in 1899, the South Arête in 1900, and the East and West Arêtes the same year. The peak is built of brittle main dolomite, which shapes its steep ridges and faces. A visitor usually starts from the Hermann von Barth Hut at 2,129 metres. From there the Enzensperger Way climbs east into the Balschtekar cirque before turning north to the notch between the Kreuzkarspitze and the Northern Söllerkopf. The final ridge follows the South Arête, where a ledge rated UIAA grade I must be crossed. The route demands a head for heights and sure-footedness, especially on the exposed western subpeak. Views stretch across the Lech and Hornbach valleys to the peaks of the Allgäu Alps. The summit itself offers a narrow but airy perch above the surrounding cirques and ridges.