Hintere Schwärze

Rear blackness, seen from Similaun

Rear blackness North Face

The Rear blackness ( Italian: Cima Nera ) is with 3624 meters, the fourth highest summits of the Oetztal Alps. It is located in Schnalskamm exactly on the border between Austria, Tyrol and Italy, Autonomous Province of Bolzano -Alto Adige. The Rear blackness is partially glaciated and sends to the north, east and south-west of distinctive ridges. Due to their height and geographical dominance a view from the top is theoretically limited only by the curvature of the earth.

Location

The blackness is located about 10 kilometers in a straight line south of Vent in the Ötztal and 8 kilometers north of Karthaus Senales. Adjacent peaks are in the north, separated by the Rear - Black -Joch ( 3390 m), the Mutmalspitze with 3528 meters of altitude, in the east, separated by the Roßbergjoch (3400 m) over the course of the main ridge, the 2875 meter high Rötenspitze. In the southwest along the main ridge of the Marzellspitzen are up to 3555 meters. The Rear blackness is almost completely surrounded by glaciers. To the northeast lies the Schalfferner, south of the heavily dwindling by the Global Warming Rossberg Further and in the northwest of Marzellferner.

First ascents

First, the mountain was committed on September 10, 1867 by Ernst Pfeiffer from Vienna with the mountain guides Benedict Klotz and Josef Scheiber. From Vent from one went south through Niedertal, over the Marzellferner and reached via the brittle southwest ridge after nine hours of walking to the summit. 1868 climbed Franz Senn and Cyprian Granbichler the blackness over the Schalfferner and the East Ridge. Today's normal route (easiest rise) was committed on September 30, 1870 by the Viennese physician Moritz von Statzer and the guides Alois Ennemoser and Gabriel Spechtenhauser first. 1877 climbed Heinrich Hess and Ludwig Purtscheller the first time the north ridge.

Base and Normal

The Rear blackness can only be achieved through partly crevassed glacier as high alpine tour with proper equipment and experience. As a starting point for an ascent the Martin- Busch-Hütte is at 2501 meters altitude. The normal route, the easiest ascent, to the summit leads initially in a southerly direction over the Marzellferner for Eastern Marzelljoch ( 3535 meters), then left on the north-east summit ridge. Duration of the tour, according to the literature, about 4 ½ hours.

Sources and maps

• Walter Klier, Alpine Club leaders Ötztal Alps, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-7633-1123-8
• Alpine Club map 1:25,000, sheet 30/1 Ötztal Alps, Gurgl