Grosser Greiner

The Great Greiner is a 3,201-metre peak in the Zillertal Alps of Tirol. It stands south-east of the Schlegeis reservoir between the Schlegeis and Zemm valleys. The mountain is almost free of glaciers now and surrounded by steep hollows called karen. Below the rocky summit, the slopes are wooded, and to the north lies the Little Greiner, while the Greiner Wall drops steeply towards the Zamser valley. The first ascent was made in 1873 by Karl Zöppritz, though earlier attempts were made in 1784 by the naturalists Karl Maria Ehrenbert Ritter von Moll and Belsazar Hacquet. The mountain was once famous for its mineral deposits. A long tunnel runs beneath the Great Greiner, carrying water from the Zemmbach to the reservoir as part of the Zemm-Ziller hydro-electric scheme. There are no marked or built paths to the top. Both the Great and Little Greiner are climbed very rarely and the route is described as steep and unpleasant. Walkers usually start from the Schlegeis reservoir and follow the valley to the Furtschaglhaus. From the hut the climb goes into the Reischbergkar and then up the west face to the ridge, where stone markers guide the final ascent to the summit.