The Wetterstein mountains ( German : Wettersteingebirge ), colloquially called Wetterstein , is a mountain group in the Northern Limestone Alps within the Eastern Alps , crossing the Austria–Germany border . It is a comparatively compact range located between Garmisch-Partenkirchen , Mittenwald , Seefeld in Tirol and Ehrwald along the border between Germany ( Bavaria ) and Austria ( Tyrol ). Zugspitze , the highest peak is at the same time the highest mountain in Germany.
19-832: The Höllentalspitzen are three peaks in the Wetterstein Mountains near Garmisch-Partenkirchen in southern Germany . They rise from the ridge of Blassenkamm which runs eastwards from Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze , and separate the Hölle Valley to the north from the Reintal Valley to the south. The summit nearest to the Zugspitze is the Inner Höllentalspitze ( Innere Höllentalspitze ), 2,741 metres (8,993 ft) high; this
38-561: Is followed by the main summit Middle Höllentalspitze ( Mittlere Höllentalspitze ), 2,743 metres (8,999 ft) high; and the Outer Höllentalspitze ( Äußeren Höllentalspitze ) at 2,720 metres (8,920 ft). The summits can only be climbed by experienced mountaineers. As a rule they are tackled by negotiating the ridge of the Jubiläumsgrat ("Jubilee Arête"). The Jubigrat , as it is known in mountaineering circles
57-779: Is the climbing route from the Zugspitze over the Höllentalspitzen and the Vollkarspitze to the Grießkarscharte and on to the Alpspitze , and requires firm mastery of the third grade of difficulty on the UIAA scale. This long crossing can only be interrupted by the equally difficult Brunntalgrat ridge, which branches off to the south near the summit of the Inner Höllentalspitze, and descends to
76-543: Is very frequently climbed using various routes and the Alpspitze summit, too, is a popular destination that can be reached on several different routes. The ridge of Jubiläumsgrat is a high alpine climbing route that links these two summits. The climbing along the Blassenkamm ridge over the tops of the Innere, Mittlere and Äußere Höllentalspitze has sections that are classified as UIAA grade III-. The region around
95-740: The Austrian Tourist Club ) offer food, refuge and accommodation for mountaineers and hikers. The Munich Branch of the German Alpine Club has rented the Waxenstein Hut (also Alpl Hut or Aiple Hut) since 1920 and operates it as self-catered accommodation. In the Oberreintalkar lies the Oberreintal Hut , which is the meeting point for Wetterstein climbers (a self-catering hut although drinks are sold by
114-728: The Knorr Hut in the Reintal Valley. Between the Middle and Outer Höllentalspitze is the mountain hut known as the Höllentalgrat Hut , a small, unmanaged bothy for emergencies. Wetterstein Mountains The Wetterstein mountains are an ideal region for mountaineers and climbers . Mountain walkers sometimes need to allow for significant differences in elevation. The proximity of the range to
133-663: The Oberreintal Hut and the south side of the Schüsselkarspitze and Scharnitzspitze are well known for alpine climbing routes of all levels up the solid, limestone slabs. The south side above the Gaistal is markedly quieter than the north side. For climbers, the mountains north of Leutasch are very interesting, especially the Oberreintal-Schrofen, the Scharnitzspitze and the Schüsselkarspitze. On
152-1012: The Drahnbach stream to Seestadeln. To the south the boundary extends from Ehrwald along the Gaisbach stream and over the Ehrwalder Alm to the Gaistal valley ( Leutascher Ache ) and continues via Leutasch -Oberweidach and past the Simmelberg to the north to the Drahnbach. The saddle between the Kankerbach and the Kranzbach (the Loisach – Isar watershed) links the Wetterstein with the Bavarian Prealps. The saddle near
171-811: The Eastern Alps , the Wetterstein and the Mieming range are classed as a single group. The River Loisach forms the boundary of the range to the west and north, from the Ehrwald Basin to Garmisch-Partenkirchen . To the northeast the boundary runs from Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Mittenwald along the Kankerbach and Kranzbach streams and the Isar river. To the east the Isar forms the boundary from Mittenwald to Scharnitz . South of Scharnitz it continues along
190-483: The Ehrwalder Alm is the link between the Wetterstein and Mieming Chain. SOIUSA officially divides the Wettersteingebirge into two groups and eight subgroups: The Alpine Club Guide divides the range based on access: The 10 highest summits of the Wetterstein are: There are over 150 named summits in the Wetterstein with spot heights . Amongst the best known are (in order of height): The Zugspitze
209-800: The Ehrwalder Almbahn. Those not interested in a climbing tour or multi-day summit tour, can hike the Partnach Gorge , the Leutasch Gorge or the Höllental Gorge in a day. For many years there were discussions about a project to build a railway tunnel between the Tyrolean village of Telfs and the Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen . The tunnel would have had a total length of 22 kilometres and would have enabled
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#1732779950097228-664: The Hoher Saddle to Leutasch-Ahrn both variations are combined. In Ahrn the long-distance path forks into a high alpine and an easier variant. The high alpine variant runs via the Meiler Hut into the Reintal valley and continues to the summit of the Zugspitze. From there it descends to Ehrwald. The easier variant runs through the Leutascher Achental valley via the Ehrwalder Alm and also ends at Ehrwald. There are
247-814: The Wetterstein mountains with overnight accommodation: the Münchner Haus (2,962 m), the Meiler Hut (2,366 m), the Knorr Hut (2,052 m), the Kreuzeckhaus (also: Adolf Zoeppritz Haus, 1,652 m), the Höllentalanger Hut (1,379 m) and the Reintalanger Hut (1,366 m). In addition, are the privately run Schachenhaus (1,866 m) and the Wiener Neustädter Hut (2,209 m, maintained by
266-746: The following Klettersteigs (sometimes abbreviated Steig ) in the Wetterstein: Several large cable cars and lifts link to the summit regions and high skiing areas: The Bavarian Zugspitze Railway (a metre gauge rack railway from Garmisch to the Zugspitzplatt), the Eibsee Cable Car (from the Eibsee to the Zugspitzplatt), the Tyrolean Zugspitze Cable Car (from Ehrwald to the Zugspitzplatt) and
285-450: The journey time of trunk services between Munich Central Station and Innsbruck Central Station to be cut to 90 minutes. The project was assessed in 2013 to cost €2.2 billion to build. A tunnel through the Wetterstein would save trains one hour in travelling between Munich and Landeck or Vorarlberg and relieve both the line from Munich via Rosenheim to Innsbruck and the route from Munich to Lindau. By bypassing Garmisch and moving
304-679: The proprietor). In winter the Stuiben Hut is used as a self-catering hut for ski tourers and snowshoe trekkers. In addition there are several privately owned huts in the Wetterstein mountains. Of these, the Kreuzjochhaus stands out because of its idyllic setting, which offers one of the best panoramas in the Bavarian Alps in the summer and is located in the middle of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen ski region in
323-572: The south German centres of population, the scenic landscape and its good network of cable cars and lifts mean that the mountains are heavily frequented by tourists for most of the year. There are, however, places in the Wetterstein that are rarely or never visited by people. The Wetterstein borders on the following other mountain ranges of the Alps: In the AVE , the Alpine Club classification of
342-629: The south faces of these three border mountains are alpine climbing routes aplenty. In recent years several alpine classics were renovated by Heinz Zak. This has attracted ever more climbers to the region. The combination of alms and rugged rocky terrain is not only unique in the German Alpine region, but also offers habitats for several species of animal, such as chamois , Alpine marmots , Alpine choughs , Alpine salamanders , adders , golden eagles and many species of marten . The German Alpine Club maintains six managed Alpine Club huts in
361-574: The winter. The Via Alpina , a cross-border long-distance path with five stages through the whole of the Alps, also runs through the Wetterstein. The Red Way of the Via Alpina ( Rote Weg der Via Alpina ) runs through the Wetterstein in three stages: Stage 15 of the North Alpine long-distance path 01 (Limestone Alp Way) runs through the Wetterstein in two route variations. From Scharnitz over
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