With its 3,905 m of altitude, the Ortles overtowers all the mountains of Tyrol and is for this reason also called “King Ortles”
Mt. Ortles, the main peak of the Ortles Alps, has got three ridges: the North Ridge, the South Ridge and the East Ridge. Located in the south-west of South Tyrol in the Upper Val Venosta, Mt. Ortles is the highest mountain of South Tyrol. The giant mainly consists of Main Dolomite, a considerably solid type of rock tending to form deep crevices, and is heavily glaciated. The Ortles North Face is considered to be the largest ice face of the Eastern Alps. In 2004, King Ortles celebrated its 200 years' anniversary of the first ascent: In September 1804, Archduke John of Austria ordered to explore it. It was Josef Pichler from the Val Passiria valley to be the first alpinist on the peak.
He climbed Mt. Ortles via the difficult north west flank, the "Hintere Wandeln", starting from Trafoi. Today this ascent is considered to be one of the most remarkable successes in alpinism in the opening of the Eastern Alps. Numerous routes snake to the top of the Ortles, several of which, however, have not been repeated after their first ascend. The normal trail begins at the Payer Mountain Hut at 3,029 m a.s.l. and follows the North Ridge. Gorgeous views and some glacial air offers also the less challenging hike to the Forcella dell’Orso at the Ortles. Museums such as the MMM Ortles and the Museum of the Ortles Region tell about the "King". His name is omnipresent also in other occasions, e.g. at the Ortler Bike Marathon or in the Ortler Skiarena ski carousel.
