The Granatspitze () is the mountain giving its name to the
Granatspitze Group
The Granatspitze Group (), sometimes also the Granatspitz Group, is a sub-group of the Central Alps within the Eastern Alps. Together with the Ankogel Group, the Goldberg Group, the Glockner Group, the Schober Group, the Kreuzeck Group, the Ven ...
in the
High Tauern
The High Tauern (plural, pl.; , ) are a mountain range on the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Central Eastern Alps, comprising the highest peaks east of the Brenner Pass. The crest forms the southern border of the Austrian states of Salz ...
, the Alpine backbone of Austria. This, despite the fact that several peaks in this group are actually higher, for example the
Stubacher Sonnblick which is less than a kilometre to the north and two metres higher. But, unlike, its oft-climbed neighbour, the Granatspitze is more rarely frequented due to the level of difficulty of the ascent. The steep summit block of this striking peak is made of
granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
.
Ascent
The easiest ascent runs from initially westwards towards the notch of the ''Granatscharte'', turning south in front of it to continue along the East Ridge (''Ostgrat'') to the summit. This route takes about 3 hours and has a
climbing 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 ...
of II-. Another option is offered by the North Ridge (''Nordgrat'') with its several pinnacles or rock towers (''Grattürme''), but this is more difficult, albeit still II-. The South Ridge is also an option, especially from the East Tyrolean side. This can be reached from the Karl Fürst Hut, an emergency shelter west of the Stubacher Sonnblick, crossing the ''Prägratkees'' glacier, which has several difficult
crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack that forms in a glacier or ice sheet. Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the shear stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rate ...
s at the notch of ''Untere Keeswinkelscharte'' (
II-).
Climate
Granatspitze has a
tundra climate
The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''ET'').
References
Sources and maps
*Geord Zlöbl: ''Die Dreitausender Osttirols im Nationalpark Hohe Tauern.'' Verlag Grafik Zloebl, Lienz-Tristach 2005, .
*Alpine Club map sheet 39, 1:25.000, ''Granatspitzgruppe''. Österreichischer Alpenverein, 2002, .
{{Authority control
Mountains of the Alps
Mountains of Tyrol (federal state)
Mountains of Salzburg (federal state)
Alpine three-thousanders
Geography of East Tyrol
Granatspitze Group