Spitzkofel, Mountain peak in Leisach, Austria

Spitzkofel is a 2,717-metre peak in the Lienz Dolomites of East Tyrol and the most rugged summit of the range, rising above the village of Leisach. The normal route starts at the Klammbrückl car park, climbs through the Kerschbaumertal to the Kerschbaumeralm Schutzhaus, crosses the Hallebachtörl into the Hallebachtal and reaches the summit from the south. The final stretch runs over a secured path of UIAA grade I via the Linderhütte, gaining about 1,600 metres of height.

The first documented ascent occurred in 1798, marking the start of mountaineering activities in this part of the Austrian Alps. Since then, the peak has become a destination for experienced alpine climbers.

The Kerschbaumeralm Schutzhaus, reached on the normal route through the Kerschbaumertal, is where climbers usually spend the night in summer before continuing over the Hallebachtörl. The summit itself was long visited by locals before the botanist David Heinrich Hoppe is thought to have made the first tourist ascent on 1 August 1798.

You will need complete via ferrata equipment and should begin at the Klammbrückl car park where marked trails start. Expect rough terrain and exposed sections that require careful footing throughout the climb.

The summit is not reached by a marked hiking trail alone: the final stretch runs over a secured path graded I on the UIAA scale, past the Linderhütte, to the top. The normal route climbs about 1,600 metres from the Klammbrückl car park via the Kerschbaumertal valley and the Kerschbaumeralm Schutzhaus.