Page Type Page Type: Area/Range
Location Lat/Lon: 47.18411°N / 11.30768°E
Activities Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering, Trad Climbing, Scrambling, Via Ferrata, Skiing
Seasons Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Additional Information Elevation: 9199 ft / 2804 m
Sign the Climber's Log

1 - Overview

Kalkkögel The Kalkkögel Group by wuedesau

The Kalkkögel Group is probably the smallest subgroup of the Stubai Alps. It is located to the south-west of Innsbruck and is the north-easternmost part of the whole range. When seen from the right angle the mountains appear like a chain of towers, needles and spires, very wild and seemingly inaccessible. “Kalk” means limestone and sure enough this is the material that the range is made up from. Rock quality is questionable, like with most of the limestone sub-ranges of the Stubai Alps so that you won’t find any famous climbs here.

On the other hand, the Kalkkögel Group is embedded in a web of hiking and climbing trails. Many of its more important mountains can be reached by Klettersteig (ferrata), some of which, like “Lustige Bergler Steig”, have become outright famous. Access to the group is easy from the north, east and south and only the western boundary, upper Senderstal Valley can be considered remote. Speaking of boundaries: The group is bounded by the Inntal Valley to the north, the Wipptal and Stubaital Valleys to the east and south and Senderstal to the west. At 2518m Seejöchl Saddle separates Kalkkögel from the neighbouring southern Sellrain Group.

Thanks to the proximity of Innsbruck, the short access from Axams, Götzens, Fulpmes and Neustift, thanks to the many cable-cars and chairlifts, the hiking trails around the group are very popular. The slopes of the mountains are crowded on any weekend, fine or not, and the ascent routes to the summits can be very crowded. This is even more true for the highest mountains of the Group, Schlicker Seespitze, Große Ochsenwand and Marchreisenspitze, which can be reached by ferrata. The tedious and slow task of clipping and unclipping into the cables can easily result in traffic jams along the routes. Rockfall is a serious issue in the group so be sure to wear a helmet when heading for the summits.

The backside of the proximity to Innsbruck is the ski development which has taken place mainly in the north of the Group. The slopes of Pfriemesköpfl, Birgitzköpfl and Axamer Lizum are veritably covered with lifts and ski runs. Consequently, there are several hotels on the latter summit, to which four roads lead. On the west slopes there is even a railway – Olympiabahn, dating back to the 1974 winter games. In the south-west of the group, in Stubaital Valley, there also are ski slopes, the situation is not as extreme, however. On the upside, the lifts facilitate access into the heart of the group, which is devoid of any construction. The Kalkkögel have been declared “Ruhegebiet” and thus are protected from any further development.

2 – Kalkkögel Group on SP

Kalkkoegel rangeKalkkögel Group as seen from Kreuzjoch by Mathias Zehring

3 - The Summits


Schematic map of the Habicht-Serles Group

  1. Pfriemesköpfl (1801m)
  2. Pfriemeswand (2103m)
  3. Saile (Nockspitze, 2403m)
  4. Jochkreuz (2045m)
  5. Nederjoch (2142m)
  6. Ampferstein (2556m)
  7. Kehlbachlspitzen (2530m)
  8. Marchreisenspitze (2620m)
  9. Axamer Kögele (2097m)
  10. Pleisen (2236m)
  11. Hoadl (2340m)
  12. Malgrubenspitze (2571m)
  13. Widdersberg (2327m)
  14. Hochtennspitze (2549m)
  15. Steingrubenwand (2578m)
  16. Schlicker Türme (2590m, 2550m, 2600m)
  17. Steingrubenkogel (2633m)
  18. Kleine Ochsenwand (2553m)
  19. Große Ochsenwand (2700m)
  20. Riepenwand (2774m)
  21. Schlicker Seespitze (2804m)
  22. Hoher Burgstall (2611m)
  23. Kleiner Burgstall (2436m)

4 - Getting There

Kalkkögel seen across Stubaital by (by wuedesau)

The Kalkkögel Group is located in the ultimate vicinity of Innsbruck and thus is very easily accessible. The northern slopes are located directly above the city and are served by numerous cable-cars and chairlifts. Villages at the base are Götzens and Axams. The latter also serves as base for hikes through Senderstal Valley, the western boundary of the group. The southern part is most easily accessed from the lower Stubaital Valley.
  • Take Brenner Motorway E45 from Innsbruck or Bozen / Bolzano.
  • At Schönberg turn off onto B183 into Stubaital. Telfes, Fulpmes and Neustift are the best starting points for the exploration of the group.

5 - Accommodation


As for mountain huts, you can find the complete list on the Stubai Alps main page

6 - Red Tape

While the northern and south-eastern slopes of the Group have been developed as ski runs with numerous cable-cars and ski lifts the central part has been declared “Ruhegebiel Kalkkögel”, a nature preserve, in which any type of construction is not permitted. In any case trails may not be left and the usual restrictions apply.

7 - Weather Conditions



8 - Maps & Books

8.1 - Maps


Kompass has some very good overview maps, scaled 1:50000 which show all the necessary trails but don't go into too much detail:
  • Stubaier Alpen
    Kompass Map WK83
    1:50000
    ISBN: 3-85491-092-4
  • Innsbruck, Brenner
    Kompass Map WK36
    1:50000
    ISBN: 3-85491-040-1

Better are the maps by the German Alpine Club, available for the nothern (Austrian) part of the Stubai Alps. They are scaled 1:25000 and can be obtained by The DAV-Shop (look under "Zentralalpen"). Both hiking and ski-touring trails are marked on these maps.
  • 31/3 Stubaier Alpen, Brennerberge

8.2 - Maps Online



8.3 - Books


  • Stubaier Alpen
    W. Klier
    Alpenvereinsführer
    Rother Verlag
    ISBN: 3-7633-1271-4
  • Stubai - Wipptal
    W. Klier
    Rother Verlag
    ISBN: 3-7633-4172-2


Children

Children

Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. For example, the Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' The Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children.

Parents 

Parents

Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports.

Stubai AlpsAreas & Ranges