Linker Fernerkogel, Alpine summit in Ötztal Alps, Austria

Linker Fernerkogel is a 3,277 m summit in the Ötztal Alps at the head of the Pitztal in Tyrol. Its peak stands on the western edge of the cirque of the Hangender Ferner, with steep rock walls falling away to the north, south and west; the Mittelbergferner lies between it and the Rechter Fernerkogel (3,300 m).

The first recorded ascent of Linker Fernerkogel was on 30 August 1892. The peak is one of a pair flanking the Mittelbergferner; its neighbour, the Rechte Fernerkogel, reaches 3,300 m. Since the 2010s the mountain has been at the centre of a dispute over plans to link the Pitztal and Ötztal ski areas, with lifts, a reservoir and a road around the summit. In summer 2022 a referendum in St. Leonhard rejected the merger and the operators abandoned the project.

The mountain is used only for alpine ascents, and at its foot on the Karlesferner and Hangender Ferner courses regularly teach and practise basic glacier travel and companion rescue. The first ascent was made on 30 August 1892. Since May 2019 an environmental impact assessment ran for a project linking the Pitztal and Ötztal ski areas around the peak, with three cable cars, a concrete reservoir, four kilometres of forest road and a 40-metre lowering of a ridge; in summer 2022 a narrow majority in St. Leonhard im Pitztal rejected the merger in a referendum and the lift operators abandoned it.

The usual route starts at Braunschweiger Hütte and crosses the middle of the Hangender Ferner, a steep direct glacier ascent of about two hours that requires basic glacier-travel skills. The hut sits roughly 1,700 metres below the 3,277-metre summit. Courses in crevasse rescue and glacier walking are often held on the Karlesferner and Hangender Ferner at the foot of the mountain.

The first recorded ascent was on 30 August 1892. The peak is flanked by the Mittelbergferner between it and the Rechter Fernerkogel, while the Karlesferner lies to its north, fed by the Hangender Ferner. Climbers on the Hangender Ferner often practise crevasse rescue and glacier travel here.