Großer Bärenkopf, Mountain summit in the Glockner Group, High Tauern, Austria.
Großer Bärenkopf is a mountain summit in the Glockner Group with two peaks separated by about 300 meters. The northeast side is covered with firn, while the other faces are rocky and steep.
The first recorded climb took place on September 18, 1869, when Karl Hofmann, Johann Stüdl, Thomas Groder, and Josef Schnell reached the summit. This ascent was part of the intensive mountain exploration happening in the Alps during that period.
The mountain is part of High Tauern National Park and forms the natural border between the Austrian states of Carinthia and Salzburg. Climbers experience this boundary firsthand as they ascend between two distinct alpine regions.
Climbers access the summit from Oberwalder Hut at 2,973 meters or Heinrich Schwaiger Haus at 2,802 meters. Glacier equipment and mountaineering experience are needed for the ascent.
The 1869 first ascent party believed they had climbed the Großer Bärenkopf, but they actually stood on an unnamed peak first mapped as the Glockerin in 1891. Only when the Alpine Club map appeared did it become clear that they had made three first ascents that day.
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