The Salzachgeier () is a rugged peak on the edge of the
Kitzbühel Alps on the border of the Austrian states of
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
and
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
. In the
cirque
A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landf ...
s and
high alpine meadows (''Hochalmen'') of its eastern slopes and the two neighbouring peaks of ''Fünfmandling'' (2,401 m) and ''Schwebenkopf'' (2,354 m) are the headstreams of the
Salzach, the largest river north of the Salzburg
Central Alps.
The Salzachgeier has a
double summit where five sharp ridges run together. The eastern summit is only three metres lower and towers immediately above the two aforementioned source regions (the Salzachboden and Schwebenalm).
Whilst the southern slopes of the three peaks descend towards the
Gerlos Pass, the watershed to the north (the
Salzachjoch 1,983 m) is only a kilometre from the eastern cirques. Here on the state border, high over the ''Roßwildalm'', is a mountain chapel, the ''Markkirchl'' (St. Mark's Chapel) and somewhat lower down is the
New Bamberg Hut run by the
German Alpine Club (DAV). To the west the slopes are just as steep, but less rocky, and drain into the
Frommbach stream in the direction of
Kitzbühel.
The Salzachgeier is part of the touring area for the
Bamberg Hut and is a popular ski tour in winter.
External links
Salzachgeier Skitour{{in lang, de
Mountains of the Alps
Mountains of Tyrol (state)
Mountains of Salzburg (state)
Two-thousanders of Austria
Kitzbühel Alps
Kitzbühel District
Wald im Pinzgau