Birnhorn

Birnhorn from the foundry in Passau

Birnhorn south face of the Ullachtal

Summit area of Nordenbdep2

Pd5

The Birnhorn is with a height of 2634 m above sea level. A. the highest mountain in the Leogang Stone Mountains in Salzburg's Pinzgau region and one of the 30 most prominent mountain in the Alps. Its about 1400 m high, mostly consisting of dolomite south wall above Leogang is one of the highest cliffs in the eastern Alps and is often compared to the watzmann - east wall. It was first climbed on October 1, 1900 by Josef Oberlader and Karl Mayrhofer. His pyramid summit structure of thick gebanktem Dachstein limestone gives the Birnhorn a characteristic appearance.

Location and construction

The Birnhorn summit rises in the central area of the main ridge of the Leogang Steinberger in the municipality of Weissbach bei Lofer and Leogang. The south wall drops to Leoganger valley at its foot is the karst spring located Birnbach hole ( 1,270 m). The base of Birnhorns consists of throwing lineup, alpine red sandstone and Val Gardena lineup. A narrow strip of good stone formation forms the transition to massive Ramsau, which builds the bottom half of Birnhorn south face. In the upper part of this goes into the main dolomite and finally in dickbankigem Dachstein Limestone. To the north the Birnhorn sends a distinctive comb on the Einschartung Kuchelnieder ( 2437 m ) over the Kuchelhorn ( 2507 m) to the Dürrkarhorn ( 2286 m) occupies and the large karstic plateaus Ebersbergkar in the west and high Grub separates the east. In the eastern ridge of the Birnhorns located with the milker hole a large, striking rock arch. The ridge merges into the top of Hochzint ( 2246 m) and then descends to Mittagsscharte (around 2020 m ) with the Passau hut.

Touristic development

1825 built surveying assistants a trigonometric signal on the previously visited only by locals summit of Birnhorns. As the first tourist Peter Karl Thurwieser climbed on 2 September 1831 the leader Bartholomew Stachelberger the mountain. The rise led first by the Niedergrubalm to Kuchelhorn which they tried in vain to climb over the eastern ridge and the north ridge. After bypassing the Kuchelhorns reached both the Kuchelnieder, of which they now came directly to the top of Birnhorns. In his second ascent of the summit Birnhorn Peter Karl Thurwieser was accompanied in 1834 by Friedrich zu Schwarzenberg. Special merits in the development of tourism gained the head of the local nickel mining and painter Michael Hofer ( 1834-1916 ). He reached the summit Birnhorn as the first tourist of Mittagsscharte via the milker hole and the belt system of the upper south wall. Hofer published in 1877 a report on this regularly committed by him rise in the journal of the German and Austrian Alpine Club and was partially make a riser at its own expense. 1880 presented the Section Pinzgau the marked trail and today's most committed RISING on the Birnhorn done.

On October 1, 1900 the Leoganger Josef Oberlader, vulgo priest Egger, and the long-time warden of the Passau hut Karl Mayrhofer succeeded in nine hours climbing the first ascent of the south face Birnhorn. Their route ran in the range of the high board trench and is rated today with III . Already in 1901 by Oberlader and Erich King, and in 1907 by Albin Knight's new, more challenging climbs were opened by the south wall. By the south wall now perform a series of challenging climbing routes. Fully secured with bolts is the 2012 erstbegangene " Pinzgawurm " (VI , A0), with 45 pitches one of the longest climbing route in the northern Alps.

Increases

As a starting point for an ascent of Birnhorns there is the Passau hut on the edge of the high Grub. From here, the trail through the milker Hofer hole and tapes through the uppermost part of the south wall, and the other via the normal route Kuchelnieder in two hours runs to the summit. Both ways require absolute sure-footedness and freedom. They are marked and partially with accession aid. In the field of Kuchelnieder also a couple of ropes are to tense. Below the Kuchelnieder is now a via ferrata (difficulty B ) is created, which now offers the best backups on a slightly shifted to the north Lead. The paths themselves still demand easy climbing (I). The climb through the Ebersberg Kar for Kuchelnieder is a popular ski tour in snowy winters.