Hochwanner, Mountain peak in Wetterstein range, Germany
Hochwanner is a 2,744-metre summit on the German-Austrian border between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Leutasch, the highest peak of the Wetterstein main ridge. Its north face drops over 1,400 metres into the Reintal, one of the highest rock walls in the Northern Limestone Alps, while the south side falls toward the Gaistal.
Hermann von Barth made the first recorded ascent of the Hochwanner in 1870. The mountain was long called Kothbachspitze. Its north face, dropping over 1,400 metres, was first climbed as part of the first complete traverse of the great north faces of the Alps.
The summit cross was donated by a family from Leutasch, the Tyrolean municipality whose highest point the Hochwanner is at 2,744 m. The mountain is also known by its older name Kothbachspitze, after the Kotbach stream that drains its southern flank into the Leutascher Ache.
The ascent demands solid footwear and sure-footedness on rocky terrain with exposed sections. Summer months from June to September offer the most reliable conditions when snow has melted and the paths are fully accessible.
The Hochwanner's summit cross was donated by a family from Leutasch. Because the peak lies exactly on the state border, its 2,744 metres also make it the highest point of the Tyrolean municipality of Leutasch, and the more famous but lower Watzmann is often wrongly named Germany's second-highest mountain.
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