At , the Treffauer is the third highest mountain in the

Kaisergebirge The Kaiser Mountains (, meaning ''Emperor Mountains'') are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps and Eastern Alps. Its main ridges – are the Zahmer Kaiser and south of it the Wilder Kaiser. The mountains are situated in the Austri ...

range of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. BEV 1:5000
www.austrianmap.at
/ref> It lies in the Austrian 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 ...

Location

The Treffauer rises south of the main ridge and is therefore the most striking mountain in the Wilder Kaiser. Somewhat separated to the north of the Treffauer the long main ridge runs from west to east between the Scheffauer,

Sonneck The Sonneck is a mountain in the Kaisergebirge range of the Northern Limestone Alps in Austria. On its broad peak stands a solid summit cross, the panorama is comprehensive and there are particularly good views of the Ellmauer Halt, the highest ...

and Zentralkaiser around the

Ellmauer Halt The Ellmauer Halt (2,344 m) is the highest peak in the mountain massif of the ''Wilder Kaiser'' in the Kaiser Mountains, Kaiser range (Northern Limestone Alps) in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol. To the east is the summit of the ' ...

. In front of it to the south is the

Tuxeck The Tuxeck (or Tuxegg) is a Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen, BEV 1:50000 high mountain in the Kaisergebirge range in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol. It lies south of the Treffauer and is also called the ''Ellmauer Hochkaise ...

().

Routes

Amongst mountaineers the Treffauer is considered an arduous, but nevertheless worthwhile and not especially difficult tour. However, Alpine experience, good fitness, dry conditions,

sure-footedness Sure-footedness is the ability, especially when hiking or mountain climbing, to navigate difficult or rough terrain safely. Such situations place demands on a person's coordination and reserves of strength as well as requiring sufficient appreciati ...

and a

head for heights To have a head for heights means that one has no acrophobia (irrational fear of heights), and is also not particularly prone to fear of falling or suffering from vertigo (the spinning sensation that can be triggered, for example, by looking down ...

are necessary. The designated normal route to the Treffauer begins in Scheffau and runs via the Jägerwirt, the Alpine meadow of the Kaiser Hochalm, the Snow Cirque (''Schneekar'') and the shaded western flank taking around 4 hours to reach the

summit cross A summit cross is a Christian cross on the summit of a mountain or hill that marks the top. Often there will be a summit register (''Gipfelbuch'') at the cross, either in a container or other weatherproof case. The practice originated in the Ge ...

. This route is the easiest by far and, unlike the neighbouring

, less challenging. Popular, but not to be underestimated is the crossing to the Tuxeck with its succeeding descent to the

Grutten Hut The Grutten Hut () is an Alpine club hut situated at a height of 1620 metres in the Kaisergebirge in Tyrol, Austria. Reynolds, Kev (2009). ''Walking in Austria'', 1st ed., Cicerone, Milnthorpe, p. 265, . It is owned by the Turner Alps Kränzchen ...

. This requires difficult and unsecured climbing sections of up to

UIAA The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, commonly known by its French name Union internationale des associations d'alpinisme (UIAA; ), was founded in August 1932 in Chamonix, France when 20 mountaineering associations met for ...

grade III to be overcome; in addition there is a high risk of rock falls in the confusing terrain. The Treffauer is one of the few summits in the Wilder Kaiser that does not attract climbers.

References

External links

tourd description
{{in lang, de Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Tyrol (federal state) Two-thousanders of Austria Kaiser Mountains