Wertatscha

Wertatscha (Vrtača)
The Wertatscha from the north from the Bodental
Highest point
Elevation 2,180 m (AA) (7,150 ft) (2,181 m)
Prominence 2,180-1,840 m ↓ Bielschitza Saddle
Isolation 2.8 km → Hochstuhl
Coordinates 46°26′23″N 14°12′45″E / 46.43972°N 14.21250°E / 46.43972; 14.21250Coordinates: 46°26′23″N 14°12′45″E / 46.43972°N 14.21250°E / 46.43972; 14.21250 
Geography
Wertatscha (Vrtača)
Parent range Karavanks
Geology
Type of rock Dachstein limestone

The Wertatscha (also Vertatscha, Slovene: Vrtača) is a mountain, 2,180 m above sea level (AA), in the Karavanks on the border between Austria and Slovenia. In the old German Alpine dialect it was also called the Deutscher Berg ("German Mountain", Slovenian Nemška gora) or Zinnenwand. Other names are the Meniška gora (Mönchsberg) and Rtača.

Location and surrounding area

The Wertatscha lies on the main chain of the Karavanks, which marks the border here between Austria (municipality of Ferlach) and Slovenia (municipality of Žirovnica). To the north the mountain drops in steep, up to 600-metre-high, rock faces into the valley of Bodental above Windisch Bleiberg; the southern side is gentler. To the west the massif of the Wertascha is bounded by the Bleischitz Saddle (1,840 m); below which is the Klagenfurter Hut an important base for an ascent of the mountain. To the northeast the chain continues over the col of Pautzscharte (1,950 m) to the Pautz (Slovenian: Zelenjak, 2,024 m) and the 2,025 -high Template:Höhe/unknown reference Selenitza. To the east the Wertascha drops down a rock face to the cirque of Suho ruševje. To the southeast lies the mountain hut of Dom na Zelenici, another important starting point, at 1,536 -high Template:Höhe/unknown reference on the Selenitza Saddle.

Routes to the summit

From the Bielschitza Saddle a discernible path leads to the top in about 2 hours passing across the schrofen covered southwest slopes. The rather longer climb from the Selenitza Saddle over the southern mountainside is partially waymarked. A ravine from the northwest from the Suho-ruševje cirque, climbing grade II, the southeast arête (also II) and the crumbly western arête from the Bielschitza Saddle (III) are much more difficult.

The north face of the Vertatscha has special significance for alpinism. In 1902 Eduard Pichl succeeded in making the first ascent of this face which has a climbing grade of IV. Today there are many other climbing routes, many at grades IV and V. Historically important was the first ascent of the northwest pinnacle by Kurt Maix in 1925. This was the first time that a grade V climb was achieved in the Karavanks. The east face offer several shorter climbing routes, which were opened in the late 20th century.

Incidents

On 21 September 2016 there were rockfalls in the Vertatscha cirque. The dust cloud reached as far as the Klagenfurter Hut and hiking trails were closed as a precaution.[1]

References and footnotes

  1. ↑ Gefährliche Felsstürze: Sperrgebiet. kleinezeitung.at, Print, 24 September 2016, p.14.

Literature

  • Hans M. Tuschar (1990), Österreichischer Alpenverein, ed. (in German), [Google Books Alpine Club Guide Karawanken], München: Bergverlag Rother, pp. 227–237, ISBN 9783763312627, Google Books. Retrieved 2009-10-24 
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.