Küchlspitze

Küchlspitze
View of the Malfont valley in the Verwall with the Küchlspitze (annotated) in the far distance.
Highest point
Elevation	3,147 m (AA) (10,325 ft)
Coordinates	47°02′29″N 10°13′57″E / 47.04139°N 10.2325°E / 47.04139; 10.2325Coordinates: 47°02′29″N 10°13′57″E / 47.04139°N 10.2325°E / 47.04139; 10.2325
Geography
Küchlspitze Tyrol, Austria
Parent range	Kuchenspitze Group in the Verwall Group, Central Eastern Alps
Climbing
First ascent	Survey engineers around 1860[1]

The Küchlspitze (also: Küchelspitze) is a three-thousander (3,147 m above sea level (AA)) in the Verwall between the valley of and Paznaun in the western North Tyrol in Austria.

Location and landscape[]

The mountain rises between St. Anton am Arlberg in the Stanzer valley and Ischgl in the Paznaun to the southeast. Northeast of the summit is the .^[1]

The Küchlspitze (which means "little Kuchenspitze") is the third highest peak in the range after the Hoher Riffler and 1 metre higher Kuchenspitze immediately to the north. It is a striking, three-sided pyramid. On the main ridge the eastern arête descends to the  (2,757 m above sea level (AA)) and Rautekopf (2,849 m above sea level (AA)), the southwestern arête to the  (2,757 m above sea level (AA)) and twin peaks of the (northern 2,243 m above sea level (AA), southern 2,920 m above sea level (AA)), and the northern arête runs in an S-shape to the Kuchenspitze. The mountain is glaciated; in the north cirque (Nordkar) of the Kuchenspitze lies the Großer Küchlferner glacier. The Kleine Küchlferner on the western flank is only a glacial remnant.

The Große Küchlferner drains into the Kartellspeicher reservoir and the Moosbach into the Rosanna, the west flank, with a tarn at 2,530 m above sea level (AA) into the Fasulbach, which empties into the upper Rosanna. The to the southeast, which also has several tarns, drains via the Madleinbach into the Trisannna.

Development and ascents[]

The first ascents of the summit were made by survey engineers accompanied by a local chamois hunter as part of the Third k.u.k. State Survey around 1860, in the course of which the main chain of the Verwall was negotiated.^[1]

The mountain is rarely visited today. It may be ascended, for example, from St. Anton from the Schönverwall near the directly or via the Kuchenjöchl saddle, or via the Moosbach valley (Kartellspeicher), and from the south from across the , or from via the . The Darmstädter Hut is usually used as the base. Ascents of the summit are then difficult at the very least (east arête UIAA grad II/SACSAC ZS-), in places challenging climbing (e.g. over the Küchlspitze and the south ridge IV+).^[1][2][3]

References[]