The Kitzsteinhorn is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

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 ...

range of the

Central Eastern Alps The Central Eastern Alps (), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps () or just Central Alps, comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent regions of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slovenia. South of them is ...

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 ...

. It is part of the

Glockner Group The Glockner GroupKev Reynolds, Reynolds, Kev (2005). ''Walking in the Alps'', 2nd ed., Cicerone, Singapore, p.409, . () is a sub-group of the Austrian Central Alps in the Eastern Alps, and is located in the centre section of the High Tauern on ...

and reaches a height of AA. The Kitzsteinhorn

Glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s are a popular

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

Geography

The mountain is located north of the Alpine crest within the municipal area of

Kaprun Kaprun () is a municipality in the Zell am See District in the province of Salzburg (state), Salzburg in Austria. Together with the neighboring city of Zell am See the town presents itself as the tourist destination and skiing area "Zell am See-K ...

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

. It was first climbed in 1828 by local mountaineer Johann Entacher. Today the summit can be easily reached using the Glacier Aerial Tramway from the valley station at , including the highest

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift *** ...

pylon in the world, being tall with a diameter of . There is a restaurant and a panoramic terrace on the roof of the upper station, at above sea level.

Climate change

Since the first comprehensive studies of the glacier in the 1960s, some scientists have measured a reduction of glacier surface area by more than two-thirds in 2022.

Ski area

Skiing on Mt Kitzsteinhorn already began in the early 20th century, when the

German and Austrian Alpine Club The German and Austrian Alpine Club (, DuÖAV) was a merger of the German, Austrian and German Bohemian Alpine Club that existed from 1873 to 1938. History In 1862 the ''Sektion Austria'' was founded in Vienna by the academics Paul Grohmann, Fr ...

erected a

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located at high elevation, in mountainous terrain, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineering, mountaineers, climbing, climbers and Hiking, hikers. Mountain huts are us ...

(''Krefelder Hütte'') in 1907-09. The first cable car was put into operation in December 1965, and opened up the ''Schmiedingerkees'' and ''Maurerkees'' glaciers, making it the first glacier ski slope in the

Austrian Alps The Central Eastern Alps (), also referred to as Austrian Central Alps () or just Central Alps, comprise the Main chain of the Alps, main chain of the Eastern Alps in Austria and the adjacent regions of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slov ...

. Nevertheless, the resort has to deal with environmental impacts and the global

retreat of glaciers since 1850 The retreat of glaciers since 1850 is a well-documented effects of climate change, effect of climate change. The retreat of Mountain glacier, mountain glaciers provides evidence for the Instrumental temperature record, rise in global temperatures ...

. An underground

funicular railway A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite ends ...

was opened in 1974, after two and a half years of building works to create the long tunnel, to run in parallel with the cable car, for greater capacity. This funicular was the location of the

Kaprun disaster On 11 November 2000, a fire in the tunnel of Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2 funicular in Kaprun, Austria, killed 155 people. The cause was traced to a faulty fan heater. Most of the victims were skiers on their way to the Kitzsteinhorn glacier. To da ...

in which 155 people died on 11 November 2000. To replace the funicular, ''Gletscherjet I'' (Glacier Jet I), a 24-person

funitel A funitel is a type of cableway, generally used to transport skiers, although at least one is used to transport finished cars between different areas of a factory. It differs from a standard gondola lift through the use of two arms attached to ...

, was brought into service on 23 December 2001. ''Gletscherjet II'', a

gondola lift A gondola lift is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel wire rope that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate suppo ...

, followed in the next year, opening on 19 October 2002. Kitzsteinhorn 01

Notes and references

External links

Gletscherbahnen Kaprun AG
{{Authority control Glaciers of Austria Landforms of Salzburg (federal state) Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Salzburg (federal state) Ski areas and resorts in Austria Glaciers of the Alps Glockner Group Pyramidal peaks