Reither Spitze

The Reither Spitze is a mountain in the Karwendel in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol that, thanks to its location at the southwestern end of the Erlspitze Group, is particularly well known for its great views of the surrounding area from its summit. Its name is derived the village of Reith bei Seefeld, which lies at its southwestern foot.

Reither Spitze
View of the Reither Spitze and Nördlinger Hut from the south
Highest point
Elevation2,374 m (AA) (7,789 ft)
Prominence2,374-2,096 m ↓ Ursprungsattel
Isolation3.7 km → Erlspitze
Coordinates47°19′23″N 11°14′10″E
Geography
Reither Spitze is located in Austria
Reither Spitze
Reither Spitze
Parent rangeErlspitze Group, Karwendel
Geology
Type of rockDolomite
Climbing
Normal routeFrom the Nördlinger Hut

The Schlossbach, a tributary of the River Inn, rises on the mountainside.

Ascent

The summit of the Reither Spitze may be reached in a 20-minute climb from the Nördlinger Hut to the south.[1] The Nördlinger Hut is an hour's walk from the top station of the cable car on the Härmelekopf; from the Härmelekopf one can also ascend the Reither Spitze directly via the Reither Joch (sure-footedness required). An ascent from Reith bei Seefeld or Seefeld takes about three hours. From the Seefelder Spitze, the Reither Spitze may be reached on an easy path (sure-footedness required) or directly along the connecting arête, a routed graded at UIAA level III difficulty.[2]

  • Reither Spitze in winter
    Reither Spitze in winter
  • The Reither Spitze from Seefeld
    The Reither Spitze from Seefeld
  • The Härmelekopf and Reither Spitze in winter
    The Härmelekopf and Reither Spitze in winter
  • View from the foot of the Hohe Munde
    View from the foot of the Hohe Munde

Geology

The summit of the Reither Spitze and the arête of the Seefelder Spitze (2,221 m (AA)) are made of main dolomite rock. This zone of the upper main dolomite is surrounded by a ring-shaped zone of oil-bearing and partly fossil-bearing Seefeld beds. As a result of fish fossils, the oil-bearing slate from this region is also called Ichthyol Slate after the Old Greek word for fish, ichthys (ἰχθύς). These rocks were quarried in various places around the Reither Spitze for the extraction of Ichthyol. The main quarry area was at the foot of the Reither Spitze southeast of Seefeld in the area of the Reither Jochalm.[3][4]

The Seefelder Joch, Seefelder Spitze, Härmelekopf, Reither Spitze and Rauenkopf. Foreground: Seefeld
Panorama of the Austrian mountain peaks Härmelekopf and Reither Spitze. View from Wildsee, Seefeld, Tirol.

References
  1. Heinrich Klier, Fritz März: Alpenvereinsführer Karwendelgebirge, Verlag Rudolf Rother, 12th edn., Munich, 1984, ISBN 3-7633-1200-5, p. 136.
  2. Heinrich Klier, Fritz März: Alpenvereinsführer Karwendelgebirge, Verlag Rudolf Rother, 11th edn., Munich, 1978, ISBN 3-7633-1208-0, p. 131.
  3. Kartierungsbericht der Geologischen Bundesanstalt, as at 14 March 2009 (pdf; 243 kB)
  4. Geologische Karte der Republik Österreich 1:50,000, Sheet 117 Zirl, Geologische Bundesanstalt, Vienna, 1992.
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