Ortler, 2014

Ortler (3905m), Normalweg (Tabarettagrat), 2014

The Ortler (Italian: Ortles) at 3,905 m is the highest peak in the Italian province of South Tyrol and the Tyrol region. The heavily glaciated mountain, largely composed of Hauptdolomit rock, is the main summit of the Ortler Alps, a mountain group of the Southern Eastern Alps. Its first ascent in 1804, ordered by Archduke Johann of Austria, ranks among the most significant alpinist achievements of that era. Until the separation of South Tyrol from Austria in 1919, the Ortler was the highest mountain in Austria-Hungary. During World War I, the Imperial and Royal Army established the highest-altitude military position of the war on the mountain, equipped with several artillery pieces. Today, the Ortler is considered one of the most important summit destinations in the Eastern Alps. All routes to the summit are demanding high-altitude tours, of which the normal route from the north is the most frequented. The north face of the mountain is also of great alpinist significance — considered the largest ice wall in the Eastern Alps, though increasingly more rock is becoming exposed.

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