Kitzbühel Alps

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The Kitzbühel Alps are a mountain range in the eastern Alps and part of the western slate zone ( greywacke zone ). They are located in the Austrian provinces of Tyrol and Salzburg, the Tyrol's share accounts for about two-thirds. The east-west extent is about 80 km, the width of 25-35 km. The highest peak is the Kreuzjoch in the southwest with 2558 m above sea level. A. To the east the summit plain lowers to 2300 up to 2000 m.

The Kitzbühel Alps are ideal for hiking and skiing. Rugged mountain shapes are largely absent. Both in Tyrol and Salzburg in part, there are some larger ski resorts. A geologically related sequel to the east are the Dientener mountains. Through both mountains runs in east-west direction of the Pinzgauer mountain path, through the Kitzbühel Alps numerous ski trails and the Saalachtaler trail.

Adjacent Mountain Ranges

The Kitzbühel Alps border the following other mountain groups in the Alps:

Location

The Kitzbühel Alps occupy the area between the Zillertal in the west and Lake Zell in the east. To the south of the Kitzbühel Alps are separated by the Gerlos Pass and the subsequent Salzach Valley of the Venediger. The boundary follows the Salzach to Bruck, where they spent over Zell am See to the north and proceeds with the Saalachstrasse to Saalfelden. The northern boundary runs east to west from Saalfelden basin of the valley of the Leogang Ache to pass Grießen, from there via Pillerseetal, Leukental and Sölllandl up to Wörgl and Kufstein. The north western boundary is formed by the Inn Valley between Wörgl and Jenbach.

By the Kitzbühel Ache of the Kitzbühel Alps in the Glemmtaler Alps in the east (Salzburg) and the Kelchsauer Alps are divided in the West.

Important peaks are Western Salzachgeier ( 2469 m), the Kröndlhorn ( 2444 m), the Great Rettenstein ( 2366 m), the Geißstein ( 2363 m), the Wildseeloder ( 2118 m), the Great Axe ( 2309 m), the Great Galt mountain ( 2425 m), the Hohe Salve (1828 m), the Hahnenkamm (1712 m) and the height Schmitt (1965 m). Popular excursion mountains on the edge of the Inn valley are the Pölven ( 1595 m) and the Gratlspitz (1899 m).

The area of ​​the Kitzbühel Alps is composed of the regions of St. Johann in Tirol, Kitzbühel and surroundings, Pillerseetal, Brixental, Wildschönau and Alpbach.

The tourism region of the Kitzbühel Alps comprises only a part of the geographic Kitzbühel Alps.

Geology

The Kitzbühel Alps are part of the greywacke zone and are mostly composed of slate and phyllite. The mountain forms and Kare are predominantly gently by a highland region, the most green slopes have numerous alpine meadows on ( grass Tyrolean mountains). But there are also rock formations by limestones and dolomites, such as the Great Rettenstein.

In the western part of the Kitzbühel Alps, however, run most of valleys in north-south direction in the eastern part mainly east-west. The alpine geological reason for this is the striking by the River Salzach. This so-called Tauern northern edge disorder has played an essential role in the folding of the Alps and marked to this day a striking landforms and rock border to the three peaks of the Hohe Tauern.

The western border of the mountain is petrographic less clear, because there is the transition to the Innsbruck Quarzphylliten fluently. In the north- west and north ( Inn valley near Schwaz, Brixental and Steinernes sea ), however, skips the difference in the soft folded shale to limestone and dolomite rocks of the Limestone Alps in the eye.

The main rocks of the Kitzbühel Alps are divided into two age- groups, of which the older believed to date from the Ordovician. So the deeper complex of Wildschönauer slate is little differentiation and has no fossils, volcanic deposits on. In addition there are up to 600 m thick, weakly metamorphosed volcanic rocks of quartz porphyry and tuff, mainly in the west ( Hohe Salve, cockscomb and Wildseeloder ).

About the Porphyroid are different from the Silurian shale horizons that are often clayey- sandy upwards. In the surroundings of Kitzbühel and Silurian limestones are found, as well as west of the gray, coarse-grained Schwaz dolomite, which merges into the Spielberg - dolomite east to about Leogang. Represented is also the post- Variszikum with Transgressionsgesteinen, red shales of the Permian and fluvial sandstones from the Permoskyth. All these layer sequences of greywacke zone were probably - together with those of the Northern Limestone Alps - pushed over during the period of Alpine folding of a disposal area located far to the south to the northern edge of the Alps.

The highest mountains

The highest mountains in the Kitzbühel Alps are mostly located in the southwest corner and reach a more modest height of about 2500 m; the highest peak is 2558 m above Kreuzjoch with the Adriatic. Approximately in the middle of the mountain is the famous ski resort of Kitzbühel.

The highest mountains of the mountain range are:

  • Kreuzjoch, 2558 m
  • Torhelm, 2494 m
  • Salzachgeier, 2469 m
  • Schafsiedel 2447 m
  • Kröndlhorn, 2444 m
  • Great Galt mountain, 2424 m
  • Gaißstein, 2363 m
  • Big Rettenstein, 2362 m
  • Big Hatchet, 2309 m
  • Sonnenjoch 2287 m
  • Wildkogelbahn, 2224 m
  • Small Rettenstein, 2216 m
  • Steinberg, 2215 m
  • Gamshag, 2178 m
  • Wiedersbergerhornbahn, 2127 m
  • Wildseeloder, 2119 m
  • Schatt mountain, 2097 m
  • Hen, 2078 m
  • Schellenberg, 2048, m
  • Spielberghorn, 2044 m
  • Sintersbach height, 2027 m
  • Kitzbühel Horn, 1996 m
  • Schmitt height, 1965 m
  • Wildkarspitze 1961 m
  • Gratlspitz 1899 m
  • Resterhöhe, 1894 m
  • Hohe Salve, 1828 m
  • Rosskopf, 1731 m
  • Cockscomb, 1712 m
  • Pölven 1595 m

Mountain Refuge

The Kitzbühel Alps are intensively used for tourism. In addition to a myriad of mountain huts and inns, there are also a large number of shelters of the Alpine Club and private operators:

  • Alpenrosenhütte ( 1534m )
  • New Bamberger Hütte (1756 m)
  • Bochum hut ( 1432 m)
  • Brechhornhaus (1660 m) ( private)
  • Bürglhütte (1699 m) ( private)
  • Erich Sulke hut ( 1100 m)
  • Erlahütte ( 1220 m) ( private)
  • Fritz Hintermayr hut ( 1320 m ) (private)
  • Hochhörndler -H. (1809 m) ( priv - Winter only )
  • Deer hut ( 1557 m)
  • Kobingerhütte (1501 m) ( private)
  • Oberlandhütte (1014 m)
  • Wildkogelhaus (2007 m) ( private)
  • Wildseeloderhaus (1854 m)
  • Selva House (2019 m)

Photos

View from Salzachgeier on the Kelchsauer Alps

Kitzbühel Horn

Spielberghorn from east

Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps Lofer Mountains Glockner Group Granatspitze Group Venediger Group Gerlospass Leoganger Ache Gratlspitze Dolostone Side valley Rotliegend Kleiner Rettenstein Steinbergstein Wiedersberger Horn Schattberg (Saalbach-Hinterglemm) Ankogel Group Goldberg Group Gurktal Alps Kreuzeck group Lavanttal Alps Rieserferner Group Samnaun Alps Sarntal Alps Schober group Silvretta Alps Stubai Alps
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