Hocharn, Mountain summit in Salzburg, Austria

Hocharn is a summit in the Goldberg Group of the High Tauern range in Austria, reaching about 3,250 meters. Three glaciers sit on its eastern, western, and northern sides, keeping much of the terrain around the top covered in snow and ice year-round.

Hocharn was already climbed in the era of gold mining, when miners reached the summit from the Goldzechscharte. The first known ascent was made in 1827 by Dits and Joanelli during the cadastral survey. Its name appears variously as Hochnarr, Hoher Aar and Hochhorn in old maps, and Hocharn is now the common form.

The name appears in several forms: Hocharn and Hochnarr in the official Austrian map, Hoher Aar on the 1964 Alpine Club map, Hochnarrspitz in the Franziszeische cadastre and Hochhorn in the Josephinian survey. The mountain was already climbed in the gold-mining era via the Goldzechscharte; the first known ascent was in 1827 by Dits and Joanelli during the cadastral survey.

The ascent typically starts from the Rauris valley and involves a long gain in elevation, so only fit and experienced mountaineers should attempt the top. The window between June and September offers the most stable conditions, with less snow on the approaches.

Despite carrying three glaciers on a single peak, Hocharn draws far fewer visitors than many taller summits nearby, so the routes rarely feel crowded even at the height of summer. This relative solitude makes the climb feel more like a genuine mountain experience than a managed tourist ascent.