The Babylonische Turm (literally: "Babylonian Tower") is a 2,060-metre-high rock needle on the eastern

arête An arête ( ; ) is a narrow ridge of rock that separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequ ...

of the Kellenspitze (2,238 m), the highest summit in the

Tannheim Mountains The Tannheim Mountains Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n state of

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

. Seen from the south the pinnacle looks like an independent peak. It is important to Alpine climbers because it has numerous

climbing route A climbing route () is a path by which a Climbing, climber reaches the top of a mountain, a rock face or an ice-covered obstacle. The details of a climbing route are recorded in a climbing guidebook and/or in an online climbing-route database. De ...

Climbing routes

The easiest ascent, the so-called

normal route A normal route or normal way (; ) is the most frequently used climbing route for ascending and descending a given mountain peak; it is usually the easiest and often the most straightforward route. Other generic names include the ''Tourism, tourist ...

, runs up the South Gully and is rated as

UIAA grade Many climbing routes have grades for the technical difficulty, and in some cases for the risks, of the route. The first ascensionist can suggest a grade but it will be amended for the ''consensus view'' of subsequent ascents. While many cou ...

I to III and was first climbed in 1904. The Southwest

Arête An arête ( ; ) is a narrow ridge of rock that separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequ ...

, first ascended in 1921, is classed as UIAA grade IV+. The route up the West Face of the tower (opened in 1959) requires

free climbing Free climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the climber can only use climbing equipment for climbing protection but not as an artificial aid to help them in ascending the route. Free climbing, therefore, cannot use any of the tools that ...

to grade UIAA VI+ , or

technical climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in guidebooks, and ...

at grade A 3. In the mid-1980s, short routes at grades V+ and IV+/A 0 were opened up the Southeast Arête and up the crumbly Southeast Face.

References

Literature and maps

*Dieter Seibert: ''Allgäuer Alpen Alpin'', Alpine Club Guide. Munich, Bergverlag Rudolf Rother, 2004. {{ISBN, 3-7633-1126-2 *Freytag und Berndt: walking map 1:50,000, Sheet WK 352, ''Ehrwald, Lermoos, Reutte, Tannheimer Tal'' Two-thousanders of Austria Mountains of Tyrol (federal state) Mountains of the Alps Allgäu Alps