1 - Overview
The
Rätikon Range is located in the border region between three of the smallest European countries:
Austria,
Switzerland and
Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein, in fact, is completely contained in the range. While generally qualified as belonging to the eastern central Alps from a geological point of view the
Rätikon mountains have much more in common with the northern limestone Alps, such as their northern neighbours in
Bregenzer Wald and
Lechquellengebirge. One specific type of limestone,
Sulzfluhkalk, has obtained its name from one of the most important mountains of the range. The range is the westernmost range of the eastern Alps (see below).
Basically,
Rätikon consists of a long and winding main ridge, which starts in the north-west of the group and end in its south-east. The border between
Liechtenstein and
Austria follows the ridge in the north while the border between
Switzerland and
Austria follows close in the south. Along this ridge you will find the main mountains of the Group,
Schsaplana,
Drusenfluh,
Sulzfluh,
Madrisa, all well below 3000m. To its side there are quite a number of side ridges, few in the south and many impressive ones in the north. Overall, the range gives the impression so typical of the Limestone Alps – smooth green meadows in the valleys out of which very impressive limestone towers rise.
Rätikon is bounded by three sides by profound valleys. To the west there is the young
Rhine River which separates the range from The
Glarn and
Appenzell Alps and which also serves as the geographical boundary between
Eastern Alps and
Western Alps. The southern boundary is
Prättigau, the valley of the
Landquart River, ending at
Klosters. The northern boundary is
Montafon and
Walgau, in other words the valley of the
Ill River which joins the
Rhine River near
Feldkirch. In the east
Schlappiner Joch is the ultimate boundary, a pass which connects the
Schlappintal Valley in the south with the
Gargellental Valley in the north. It also separates
Rätikon from the
Silvretta Group.
As a hiking ground the range stands in the shadow of its taller neighbours, especially
Silvretta in the south east. There is a 9 day trekking trail, the
Rätikon Tour and there is one via Ferrata (Klettersteig). Then, there is beautiful
Lünersee, a large lake right underneath the central mountains of the group, as beautiful a lookout spot as you may wish.
However, in terms of climbing there are only few alpine groups which match its importance. The highest mountain of
Rätikon, 2965m high
Schesaplana, was already climbed back in the early 17th century by
David Pappus,
Christa Barball and
Claus Manall, all of them from the eastern Vorarlberg (Austrian) side of the range. The other important peaks followed suit so that around 1875 the last of them had been climbed.
In the 20th century, notably in the late 20s and 30s, modern climbing started in the
Drusenfluh area when the south face of the mountain and two of the south-eastern towers –
Drusentürme (Drei Türme) were climbed. In the 50s more routes followed on the towers, on
Sulzfluh and on neighbouring
Schijenfluh. But all these routes where laid to rest after the first routes were established on the south-west faces of the seven
Kirchlispitzen.
The
Kirchlispitzen, seven peaks, following very close to each other on the ridge between
Schesaplana and
Drusenfluh, offer profound south faces with superb slab climbing.
Vital Eggenberger and
U. Hew established the first route on any of the
Kirchlispitzen in 1974 and from then on one ultra-difficult route followed another. Protagonists were
Martin Scheel and
Beat Kammerlander. The routes that they established read like a who-is-who of routes:
Amarcord (9-),
Accacia (9+),
Unendliche Geschichte (10+),
Silbergeier (10+),
WoGü (11-). Apart from these ultra-hard routes a lot of shorter and/or easier ones exist, most of them on
Schweizereck (a rock on the other side of the Schweizer Tor Pass from
7. Kirchlispitze) and
Drusenfluh. In the External Links section of this page you will be directed to several climbing sites of the area.
2 - Rätikon on SP
Interactive Overview Map of the Rätikon Range |
- Drei-Schwestern-Chain
- Naafkopf-Falknis-Chain
- Galina-Group
- Fundelkopf-Group
- Schesaplana-Group and Zalimkamm
- Girenspitz-Sassauna-Ridge
- Zimba-Group and Vandanser-Wand
- Kirchlispitzen-Group
- Golmer Grat and Zerneuer Grat
- Drusenfluh-Group
- Sulzfluh-Group
- Schafberg-Group
- Gweil-Sarotla-Crest
- Madrisa-Group
3 - Drei-Schwestern-Chain
The
Drei-Schwestern-Chain is the north-westernmost group of
Rätikon. It is a single ridge, located between the
Rhine River Valley to the west and
Saminatal Valley to the east. One third of the
Liechtenstein border with
Austria runs across this chain, which culminates in
Garsellakopf (2105m) in its centre. The chain received its name from the three-headed peak of
Drei Schwestern, which is widely visible, especially from the west.
- Frastanzer Sand (1634m)
- Sarojahöhe (1559m)
- Drei Schwestern (2053m)
- Garsellakopf (2105m)
- Garsellatürme (1848m)
- Kuegrat (2123m)
- Gafleispitz (2000m)
- Alpspitz (1942m)
- Chemi (1937m)
- Helwangspitz (2000m)
4 - Naafkopf-Falknis-Chain
The
Naafkopf-Falknis-Chain constitutes the southern and eastern border of
Liechtenstein. The subgroup – which is the largest one of
Rätikon in terms of area – encompasses several other ridges, mainly in the north of the main ridge. At
Naafkopf the borders of the three countries
Liechtenstein,
Switzerland and
Austria join. In the west the subrgroup is bounded by the
Rhine River, in the south by the
Landquart River. The eastern boundary is at
Barthümeljoch, where the
Trieserbach Valley from the south joins the
Gamperdona Valley from the north. The northern boundary is at
Sareiserjoch, where the
Malbrun Valley joins the
Gamperdona Valley.
4.1 - Main Ridge
- Guschner Gir (1581m)
- Wörnerhorn (1713m)
- Mittagspitz (1857m)
- Mittlerspitz (1899m)
- Rotspitz (2127m)
- Mazorahöhi (2045m)
- Falknishorn (2451m)
- Falknis (2562m)
- Vorder Grauspitz (2566m)
- Hinter Grauspitz (2599m)
- Naafkopf (2571m)
- Augstenberg (2359m)
- Spitz (2186m)
4.2 - North-Western Side Ridge
- Plasteikopf (2356m)
- Rappastein (2222m)
- Koraspitz (1927m)
- Goldlochspitz (2110m)
- Kolme (1993m)
- Heubüal (1936m)
- Chrüppel (1707m)
4.3 - North-Eastern Side Ridge
- Silberhorn (2150m)
- Tälihöhi (2056m)
- Nospitz (2091m)
- Kirchlespitz (1819m)
4.4 - South Ridges
- Tannkopf (1864m)
- Mazorakopf (2164m)
- Schwarzhorn (2346m)
- Glegghorn (2447m)
- Vilan (2375m)
- Larnoz (1717m)
5 - Galina-Group
Named after ist highest summit,
Galinakopf, this group is a jumble of several (mostly) short ridges. It is located between
Gamperdonatal Valley to the east and the
Saminatal Valley to the west. Up north both valleys join the broad
Montafon Valley, where most of the habitation (and accommodation) can be found. The southern border is formed by the Rätikon Main Ridge. The border between Liechtenstein and Austria follows this ridge. To the south-west of the group, the only Liechtennstein village of the group can be found:
Malbrun.
5.1 - Main Ridge
- Gamsgrat (2246m)
- Ochsenkopf (2286m)
- Scheienkopf (2159m)
- Wurmtalkopf (2008m)
- Galinakopf (2198m)
- Hohe Köpfe (2066m)
- Haarkopf (1638m)
- Goppaschrofen (1791m)
- Gurtisspitze (1778m)
5.2 – Schönberg Group
- Stachlerkopf (2084m)
- Schönberg (2104m)
5.3 - Älpele Ridge
- Innerer Älpelekopf (2122m)
- Äußerer Älpelekopf (2063m)
- Jochgrat (1937m)
- Eckskopf (1563m)
5.4 - Hachlakamm Ridge
- Zigerbergkopf (2051m)
- Hachlaköpfe (1731m)
- Söllerseck (1198m)
5.5 - Lohnspitz Ridge
- Lohnspitz (1758m)
- Gampberg (1708m)
- Brandlekopf (1481m)
6 - Fundelkopf-Group
The
Fundelkopf Group, also named after its highest summit, is one of the smaller groups of
Rätikon. It is located between
Gamperdonatal Valley,
Brandner Tal (west and east) and
Montafon to the north. Its southern boundary is
Oberzalimscharte, which separates it from the Montafon main ridge. In terms of tourism, the
Fundelkopf Group is one of the hotspots of the range as Brand and the neighbouring villages developed quite a number of ski runs here. Especially the lower mountains in the east and north are affected.
6.1 - Main Ridge
- Fundelkopf (2401m)
- Kleiner Fundel (2104m)
- Tuklar (2318m)
- Alpilakopf (2150m)
- Zwölferkopf (1644m)
- Spießeck (1614m)
- Schillerkopf (2006m)
- Mondspitze (1967m)
- Klamperschrofen (1755m)
- Schwarzkopf (1753m)
6.1 - Loischkopf Ridge
- Taleu (1748m)
- Loischkopf (1805m)
- Mottakopf (1221m)
7 - Schesaplana-Group and Zalimkamm
Schesaplana is the highest mountain of
Rätikon and consequently the surrounding subgroup is among the most important ones of the range. It is a small group, however, consisting of a short part of the Rätikon main ridge with several short side ridges. The eastern and western boundaries are two saddles,
Gafalljoch and
Barthümeljoch. The group contains Rätikon’s sole remaining glacier:
Brandner Gletscher. The border between Austria and Switzerland runs across the main ridge here.
7.1 - Main Ridge
- Augstenberg (Tschingel, 2541m)
- Hornspitze (2537m)
- Saruelkopf (2841m)
- Schesaplana (2965m)
- Totalpköpfe (2587m, 2556m)
- Kanzelköpfe (2437m)
- Lüneregg (2297m)
7.2 - Zalimkamm
- Rote Wand (2050m)
- Zalimwände (1950m)
- Strahleck (2068m)
- Galamant (1730m)
- Planüeler Kopf (2859m)
- Pfannenknechtle (2234m)
- Otterkirchle (1964m)
- Kämmerlischrofen (2132m)
- Blankuskopf (2334m)
- Windeggerspitze (2331m)
7.3 - Wildbergkamm
- Wildberg (2788m)
- Mottakopf (2176m)
- Mittelberg (1493m)
7.4 - Zirmenkopf Kamm
- Felsenkopf (2835m)
- Zirmenkopf (2806m)
- Seekopf (2698m)
8 - Girenspitz-Sassauna-Ridge
Similar to the
Fundelkopf Group, the
Girenspitz / Sasauna Group does not touch the Rätikon main ridge. It is located on Swiss ground completely between
Schindsbachtal Valley in the west and
Schraubachtal Valley in the east. To the south the boundary is
Prättigau and the
Landquart River, while to the north
Golrosa Saddle separates the group from the main ridge.
Girenspitz and
Sasauna are the only two important summits of the group, which also sports a few ski lifts in its southernmost area.
8.1 - Büelkamm
- Schafbüel (2027m)
- Girenspitz (2394m)
- Drosbüel (2002m)
- Waldbüel (1901m)
8.2 - Sassaunakamm
- Tüff Sagettis (2273m)
- Lägend Sagettis (2169m)
- Picardichöpf (2076m)
- Pfärvi (2306m)
- Glattberg (1820m)
- Sassauna (2308m)
9 - Zimba Group and Vandanser-Wand
Zimba easily is the most impressive and outstanding mountain of
Rätikon. Dubbed the "Rätikon Matterhorn" thanks to its steep pyramid-like form it dominates the ridges between
Brand and
Vandans. This Group is located between
Brandner Tal Valley and
Vandanser Tal Valley with
Montafon as the northern boundary. The southern boundary is
Saulajoch Saddle, which separates it from the
Kirchlispitzen Group.
9.1 - Main Ridge
- Saulakopf (2517m)
- Brandner Mittagspitze (2557m)
- Zimba (2643m)
- Steintälikopf (2443m)
- Großer Valkastiel (2449m)
- Kleiner Valkastiel (2233m)
- Mittagspitze (2107m)
- Gulmkopf (1781m)
- Rosskopf (2080m)
- Steinwandeck (1996m)
9.2 - Northern Ridges
- Gottvaterspitze (2438m)
- Schafgufel (Dreispitz) (2351m)
- Zwölferkopf (2271m)
- Kannerberg (2099m)
- Valbonakopf (174m)
- Tantermauses (1821m)
- Matätschrüfi (1580m)
9.3 - Southern Ridge
- Wildberg (2372m)
- Sarotlahörner (2192m)
- Wasenspitze (2009m)
10 - Kirchlispitzen-Group
Easily the smallest subgroup of
Rätikon the seven summits of
Kirchlispitzen are among the most important climbing walls of the Alps. They stretch on the Rätikon main ridge (on the Swiss - Austrian border) between
Gafalljoch and
Schweizer Tor. A popular hiking trail circles the group, starting at
Lünersee, a large mountain lake to the north-west of the group. Northern and southern boundaries are
Saulajoch Saddle and
Golrosa Saddle respectively.
- Kirchlispitzen (2551m)
- Rossberg (2452m)
- Zalundakopf (2487m)
- Freschluakopf (2314m)
- Schafgafall (2414m)
- Gipsköpfle (1975m)
11 - Golmer Grat and Zerneuer Grat
Another very small group (not in terms of area but in terms of summits) is located to the north-east of
Kirchlispitzen between
Vandanser Tal Valley and
Gauertal Valley. It is separated by
Öfapass Saddle and
Schweizer Tor from the Rätikon main ridge and consists of a handfull of mountains. It is quite popular among hikers, tank to the short access routes.
Golmer Joch is the ski mountain of Vandans and thus nut the most beautiful of destinations.
- Vandans (2345m)
- Kreuzspitze (2353m)
- Geißspitze (2334m)
- Wilder Man (2291m)
- Latschätzkopf (2219m)
- Golmer Joch (2124m)
12 - Drusenfluh-Group
Back to the main ridge and tot he border between Switzerland and Austria. Between
Schweizer Tor and
Drusentor, two saddles on the ridge, you can find some of the most important mountains of the range. Again, the group consists only of half a dozen named summits but
Drusenfluh and
Drei Türme are among the best known mountains of the whole range.
Öfapass is the saddle which sparates the group from
Zerneuer Grat.
- Schweizereck
- Drusenfluh (2827m)
- Eisjöchle (2638m)
- Drei Türme
- Kleiner Drusenturm (2754m)
- Mittlerer Drusenturm (2782m)
- Großer Drusenturm (2830m)
- Sporaturm (2489m)
- Gamsfreiheit (2445m)
13 - Sulzfluh-Group
To the east of the
Drusenfluh Group, the next important mountain of Rätikon waits for description:
Sulzfluh. Its group is part of the Rätikon Main Ridge, which runs a loop here. In addition the
Schwarzhorn Ridge to the north of
Sulzfluh is also considered as belonging to the group. The western limit is
Drusentor Saddle, the eastern one
Plaseggenpass. To the north the group ends with
Tschagunser Mittagspitze, high above the upper
Montafon Valley.
13.1 - Main Ridge
- Kleine Sulzfluh (2708m)
- Sulzfluh (2818m, 2812m)
- Weißplatte (2630m)
- Schijenfluh (2627m)
13.2 - Schwarzhorn Ridge
- Schwarzhorn (2460m)
- Tschaggunser Mittagspitze (2188m)
14 - Schafberg-Group
South of
Sulzfluh there is a large group in terms of area but small in terms of mountains. Five smaller summits make out the
Schafberg Group, which lies above the villages
St. Antönien and
Partnun. It is bounded by
Schraubbachtal Valley in the west and
Schanielatal Valley to the east. Southern boundary is
Prättigau the northern boundary the
Carschinafurgga Saddle.
- Schafberg (2456m)
- Girenspitz (2369m)
- Chüenihorn (2412m)
- Chrüx (2196m)
- Alpbühel (2021m)
15 - Gweil-Sarotla-Crest
The Ridge between
Gweilspitze in the north and
Schollberg in the south, which in its southern part belongs to the
Rätikon Main Ridge, is the easternmost subgroup of
Rätikon. Its north ridge is separated from the main ridge and forms the backdrop of the village of
St. Gallenkirch. The southern part of the group joins the main ridge at
Plasseggenpass and ends at
St. Antönier Joch (saddle). The most important summits are the
Sarotlaspitzen.
15.2 - North Ridge
- Sarotlaspitzen (2563m, 2545m)
- Innerplatinak (2505m)
- Außerplatinak (2416m)
- Rutihorn (2348m)
- Tilsuna Seehorn (2342m)
- Außergweilkopf (2406m)
- Gweilspitze (2187m)
- Alpilakopf (2255m)
- Motadenser Kopf (2041m)
15.1 - South Ridge
- Röbispitzen (2466m)
- Borstkopf (2304m)
- Rotspitze (2517m)
- Rongspitze (2534m)
- Riedkopf (2552m)
- Schollberg (2570m)
16 - Madrisa-Group
The southernmost subgroup of
Rätikon is the
Madrisa Group. Beyond
Madrisa, its highest summit, the Rätikon main ridge comes to an end at
Schlappiner Joch, the saddle which separates
Rätikon from
Silvretta. In general the group is part of said main ridge (south of
St. Antöönier Joch) but it also contains a jumble of side ridges, forming a large cirque on the southern (Swiss) side of the mountain. There are two summits, named Madrisa, one on the Austrian side (2770m), one on the Swiss side of the border (2826m).
16.1 - Main Ridge
- Gämpiflue (2390m)
- Gargellener Köpfe (2482m, 2506m, 2482m, 2320m)
- Frygebirg (2741)
- Madrisa (Au, 2770m)
- Gandataler Köpfe (2732m, 2653m, 2497m)
- Madrisahorn (2809m)
- Madrisa (Ch, 2826m)
- Sant Juggem (2542m)
- Barnett (2378m)
16.2 - North-Western Ridge
- Plattenflue (2648m)
- Hasenflüeli (2341m)
- Geistschuggen (2295m)
- Ammaflue (2217m)
- Eggberg (2202m)
16.3 - South-Western Ridge
- Rätschenhorn (2703m)
- Nollenchöpf (2285m)
- Jägglisch Horn (2290m)
- Saaser Calanda (2556m)
- Bockhorn (2351m)
- Geisshorn (2270m)
17 - Getting There
Access to the group is a not difficult but rather remote. The following itineraries are from the closest international airports at Innsbruck, Stuttgart and Zürich.
- From Innsbruck
Simply take motorway A12/E60 west until you reach the exits Bludenz or Feldkirch. For the eastern part of the group follow the Ill Valley southwards from Bludenz, for the western and southern parts leave at Feldkirch and take B191 to Liechtenstein or A13 southward to Bad Ragaz.
- From Stuttgart
Take Motorway A8 east until you reach Ulm. There turn onto A7 south. At Memmingen leave A7 for A96, direction Bregenz. In Austria the motorway is called A14 and leads to Feldkirch. Here either cross over to Liechtenstein for the western and southern parts of Rätikon or stay on A14 until you reach Bludenz for the eastern part.
- From Zürich
From Zürich take motorway A1 east to Bregenz where you cross the border into Austria. Take A14 south, which will lead you to Feldkirch and Bludenz.
18 - Red Tape
There are two Natural preserves, one in the Austrian part, one in the Swiss part of the range. The Austrian preserve is
Naturschutzgebiet Gamperdonatal while the Swis one is
Naturschutzgebiet Plasseggen-Schijenflue. Here the usual restrictions apply.
19 - Mountain Huts and Refuges
20 - Accommodation
Each of the towns and villages of the area has a homepage with the possibility to book hotel rooms and apartments. Follow one of the links below.
20.1 –Bodensee – Vorarlberg Region
20.2 – Bludenz Region
20.3 – Montafon
20.4 – Graubünden
20.5 – Liechtenstein
21 - Weather Conditions
In addition to the weather information on the sites you find under accommodation you can look up these sites:
22 - Maps & Books
22.1 – Maps
- Digital Maps
- Regular Maps
- Feldkirch-Vaduz
Kompass Map WK 21
1:50.000
ISBN: 3-85491-023-1
- Bludenz-Schruns-Klostertal
Kompass Map WK 32
1:50.000
ISBN: 3-85491-035-5
22.2 – Books
- Bündner Alpen, Bd.7, Rätikon
Paul Meinherz
Rother Verlag
ISBN: 3-8590-2099-4
- Bodensee bis Rätikon
Herbert Mayr
Rother Verlag
ISBN: 3-7633-4197-8
- Rätikon
Alpenvereinsführer
Günther Flaig, Walther Flaig
Rother Verlag
ISBN: 3-7633-1236-6
Out of Print
- Kletterführer Rätikon Süd
Mario Luginbühl, Achim Pasold
Panico Alpinverlag
ISBN-10: 3-9268-0738-5
- Kletterführer Rätikon
Vital Eggenberger
SAC-Verlag Schweizer Alpen-Club
# ISBN-10: 3-8590-2086-2
23 - External Links