Kitzsteinhorn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kitzsteinhorn | |
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| Elevation | 3,203 metres (10,508 feet) |
| Location | Salzburg, Austria |
| Range | Hohe Tauern |
| Prominence | 439 m |
| Coordinates | |
| First ascent | 1828 by Johann Entacher |
The Kitzsteinhorn is a mountain in the main chain of the Alps in the district of Kaprun, Salzburg, Austria. The Kitzsteinhorn is part of the Hohe Tauern range in the eastern Alps and reaches a height of 3203 m above sea level. It was first climbed in 1828 by Johann Entacher.
The summit can be reached using the Kaprun Gletscherbahnen (Glacier Railways), from the valley station at 911 m. For a long time, this was the highest cablecar pylon in the world, being 113.6 m tall with a diameter of 2.2 m. There is a viewing platform on the roof of the station, at 3035 m above sea level.
The cablecar was opened in 1965, and opened up the Schmiedingerkees and Maurerkees glaciers, making it Austria's first glacier ski slope. An underground funicular railway was opened in 1974, after two and a half years of building works to create the 3295 m-long tunnel, to run in parallel with the cablecar, for greater capacity.
This funicular was the location of the Kaprun disaster in which 155 people died on 11 November 2000. To replace the funicular, GletscherjetI (Glacier Jet I), a 24-person funitel, was brought into service on 23 December 2001. GletscherjetII, a gondola, followed in the next year, opening on 19 October 2002.
