Kaskarspitze

The Kaskarspitze is a mountain rising to 2,580 metres in the Karwendel range of the Austrian Alps. It stands north of the valley head of the Samer valley, in the Gleirsch-Halltal chain. A sharp ridge runs south, splitting the Praxmarerkar on the west from the Kaskar basin on the east. To the north, sheer cliffs drop six hundred metres to the Grubachreisen above the Hinterautal, where the Isar river begins.

The first ascent was made by Hermann von Barth on 1 August 1870, following the route now known as the normal way. He climbed the Kaskarspitze and the nearby Sonntagkarspitze on the same day. In the days before he had also reached the Jägerkarspitzen and the Praxmarerkarspitzen, and the next day he climbed the Hoher Gleirsch before descending to Scharnitz.

The normal route starts from the Pfeishütte at 1,922 metres and takes about three hours. It crosses the Kaskar basin, ascends the main ridge, and reaches the summit via a grade II (UIAA) section. The connecting ridge to the Praxmarerkarspitze is harder, graded III, offering scramblers a short but exposed alternative.