Alpine route

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Sign on the alpine route at Piz Uccello, Switzerland Markierung Alpiner Wanderweg.jpg
Sign on the alpine route at Piz Uccello, Switzerland
Swiss signs: hiking trails in yellow,
mountain path in white-red-white,
Alpine Route in white-blue-white BergAlpinWegweiser.jpg
Swiss signs: hiking trails in yellow,
mountain path in white-red-white,
Alpine Route in white-blue-white

An alpine route (German : Alpine Routen) or high alpine route (German : Hochalpine Routen) is a trail or climbing route through difficult terrain in high mountains such as the Alps, sometimes with no obvious path. In the Alps, the various alpine clubs define and mark an alpine route, also called alpinweg or alpinwanderweg (alpine hiking trail). More generally, the term is used for routes of crossing the Alps, such as Roman crossings and Napoleon crossing the Alps. It is also used to describe routes (trails, roads, and railroads) in other mountains with alpine conditions.

Contents

Description

Alpine routes are typically neither built nor maintained. They grew from being used traditionally over years or decades. Occasionally, dangerous and exposed sections may be equipped with protection such as wire cables, chains, abseiling points, and bolts. This is kept to a minimum ("die absolute Ausnahme", the absolute exception), for both the preservation of the environment and to prevent liability issues for those who install the devices. [1] Climber Paul Preuss argued in 1911 about the use of aids such as pitons on alpine routes in his essay "Artificial Aids on Alpine Routes". [2]

Warning marking of Alpine routes by the Alpine clubs Alpine Route.jpg
Warning marking of Alpine routes by the Alpine clubs

In the Alps, the Alpine clubs mark their designated "Alpine Routes" in blue and white. In Austria and Germany the signs are blue-white-blue, [1] in Switzerland the signs for the so-called "Alpinwanderwege" are marked white-blue-white signs. [3] Sometimes the routes have no signs, only cairns ("Steinmandl", little stone man) or poles marking the way. Some routes require climbing skills of minor levels of difficulty (I and II according to UIAA). [1]

Cairn on the Treffauer Steinmandl am Treffauer.jpg
Cairn on the Treffauer

To hike Alpine routes, climbers need physical fitness and good equipment, sure-footedness, and on some routes also a head for heights. They also need a good sense of direction, and know how to use maps and a compass. [1] [3] If they don't have alpine experience, they should use a mountain guide. Clothing has to be weatherproof. Some routes require climbing equipment such as ropes and ice axes, some even need crampons. It is of prime importance to check weather and route conditions beforehand. [1] [3]

Alpine routes are graded according to different systems. In Switzerland, an Alpinwanderweg is a marked hiking trail of the highest grade in difficulty according to the Swiss Alpine Club's hiking grades. [3]

History

Bonaparte Crossing the Alps Paul Delaroche - Napoleon Crossing the Alps - Google Art Project 2.jpg
Bonaparte Crossing the Alps

The first Roman road connecting Italy with today's Germany was the Via Claudia Augusta, completed in 46–47 AD, from Verona to the Reschen Pass, the Inn valley and the Fern Pass to Augusta Vindelicorum, today Augsburg. The most ancient pass of the Western Alps is the Great St Bernard Pass, used as far back as the Bronze Age and showing traces of a Roman road. [4] Napoleon crossed the Alps here in May 1800, depicted in an idealized view by Jacques-Louis David in Napoleon Crossing the Alps and, less idealized, by Hyppolyte Delaroche in Bonaparte Crossing the Alps .

Notable examples

Related Research Articles

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The Alps are the highest and most extensive mountain range that is entirely in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 km (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries : Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenner Pass</span> Mountain pass through the Alps; border between Italy and Austria

The Brenner Pass is a mountain pass over the Alps which forms the border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has the lowest altitude among Alpine passes of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrambling</span> Walk up steep terrain involving the use of ones hands

Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance. It is also used to describe terrain that falls between hiking and rock climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matterhorn</span> Mountain in the Swiss and Italian Alps

The Matterhorn is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) high, making it one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points and are split by the Hörnli, Furggen, Leone/Lion, and Zmutt ridges. The mountain overlooks the Swiss town of Zermatt, in the canton of Valais, to the northeast; and the Italian town of Breuil-Cervinia in the Aosta Valley to the south. Just east of the Matterhorn is Theodul Pass, the main passage between the two valleys on its north and south sides, which has been a trade route since the Roman Era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great St Bernard Pass</span> Road pass in Switzerland

The Great St Bernard Pass is the third highest road pass in Switzerland, at an elevation of 2,469 m (8,100 ft). It connects Martigny in the canton of Valais in Switzerland with Aosta in the region Aosta Valley in Italy. It is the lowest pass lying on the ridge between the two highest mountains of the Alps, Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa. It is located on the main watershed that separates the basin of the Rhône from that of the Po.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eiger</span> Mountain in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland

The Eiger is a 3,967-metre (13,015 ft) mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158 m (13,642 ft), constituting one of the most emblematic sights of the Swiss Alps. While the northern side of the mountain rises more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above the two valleys of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, the southern side faces the large glaciers of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area, the most glaciated region in the Alps. The most notable feature of the Eiger is its nearly 1,800-metre-high (5,900 ft) north face of rock and ice, named Eiger-Nordwand, Eigerwand or just Nordwand, which is the biggest north face in the Alps. This huge face towers over the resort of Kleine Scheidegg at its base, on the eponymous pass connecting the two valleys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain hut</span> Building in the mountains with food and shelter

A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organization dedicated to hiking or mountain recreation. They are known by many names, including alpine hut, mountain shelter, mountain refuge, mountain lodge, and mountain hostel. It may also be called a refuge hut, although these occur in lowland areas too.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trail blazing</span> Practice of marking footpaths by leaving signs that indicate the route

Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol Peak (Colorado)</span> 14,137-foot mountain in Colorado, United States

Capitol Peak is a high and prominent mountain summit in the Elk Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. It is the 52nd highest mountain in North America. The 14,137-foot (4,309 m) fourteener is located in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of White River National Forest, 8.7 miles (14.0 km) east by south of the community of Redstone in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dom (mountain)</span> Mountain in the Pennine Alps, Switzerland

The Dom is a mountain of the Pennine Alps, located between Randa and Saas-Fee in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. With a height of 4,545 m (14,911 ft), it is the seventh highest summit in the Alps, overall. Based on prominence, it can be regarded as the third highest mountain in the Alps, and the second highest in Switzerland, after Monte Rosa. The Dom is the main summit of the Mischabel group, which is the highest massif lying entirely in Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Via ferrata</span> Protected alpine climbing route

A via ferrata is a protected climbing route found in the Alps and certain other Alpine locations. The protection includes steel fixtures such as cables and railings to arrest the effect of any fall, which the climber can either hold onto or clip into using climbing protection. Some via ferrata can also include steel fixtures that provide aid in overcoming the obstacles encountered, including steel ladders and steel steps. The term "via ferrata" is used in most countries and languages except notably in German-speaking regions, which use Klettersteig—"climbing path".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engstligenalp</span> Plateau of the western Swiss Alps

The Engstligenalp is a plateau of the western Swiss Alps. It lies south of Adelboden at 1,900–2,000 metres (6,200–6,600 ft) above sea level. Since 1996 it has belonged to the Swiss culture landscapes of national importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Preuss (climber)</span> Austrian mountaineer (1886–1913)

Paul Preuss was an Austrian alpinist who achieved recognition for his bold solo ascents and for his advocacy of an ethically "pure" alpinism. He is an important figure in the history of rock climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbot Pass hut</span> Historic building in Alberta, Canada

The Abbot Pass hut was an alpine hut located at an altitude of 2,925 metres (9,596 ft) in Abbot Pass in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. It was nestled between Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy, straddling the Great Divide, which, in this region, defines the boundary between Banff National Park in Alberta and Yoho National Park in British Columbia. While close to the border, the hut lay entirely in Banff National Park, and was the second-highest permanently habitable structure in Canada. The hut was maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Via Claudia Augusta</span> Roman road

The Via Claudia Augusta is an ancient Roman road, which linked the valley of the Po River with Rhaetia across the Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hausstock</span> Mountain in Switzerland

The Hausstock is a mountain in the Glarus Alps, at an elevation of 3,158 m (10,361 ft) on the border between the cantons of Glarus and Graubünden. It overlooks the valleys of Linth and Sernf rivers in Glarus, and the valley of the Vorderrhein river in Graubünden. The Hausstock was the site of the 1799 withdrawal of the Russian army under General Alexander Suvorov. A well-known destination already in the nineteenth century with British and American climbers, the mountain remains popular with mountain climbers and skiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetterstein</span>

The Wetterstein mountains, colloquially called Wetterstein, is a mountain group in the Northern Limestone Alps within the Eastern Alps. It is a comparatively compact range located between Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Seefeld in Tirol and Ehrwald along the border between Germany (Bavaria) and Austria (Tyrol). Zugspitze, the highest peak is at the same time the highest mountain in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hochvogel</span>

The Hochvogel is a 2,592-metre-high (8,504 ft) mountain in the Allgäu Alps. The national border between Germany and Austria runs over the summit. Although only the thirteenth highest summit in the Allgäu Alps, the Hochvogel dominates other parts of Allgäu Alps and the other ranges in the immediate neighbourhood. This is due to the fact that the majority of the higher peaks are concentrated in the central and western part of the Allgäu Alps. The Hochvogel stands on its own in the eastern part of the mountain group; the nearest neighbouring summits are 200 to 300 metres lower. Experienced climbers can ascend the summit on two marked routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennen Mountains</span>

The Tennen Mountains is a small, but rugged, mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps, which lies in front of the Eastern Alps for its entire length. It is a very heavily karstified high plateau, about 60 km² in area, with many caves. The range is located in Austria in the district of Salzburg near Bischofshofen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foo Pass</span> Mountain pass in the Glarus Alps, Switzerland

The Foo Pass is a mountain pass of the Glarus Alps, located on the border between the Swiss cantons of St. Gallen and Glarus, at an elevation of 2,223 m (7,293 ft). It crosses the col between the peaks of Foostock and Piz Sardona.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Wander- und Bergwegekonzept des Landes Tirol / Tiroler Bergwege-Gütesiegel" (PDF) (in German). Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung, Abteilung Sport. 2008. pp. 9–10. Retrieved 30 March 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. Messner, Reinhold (1996). Paul Preuss. Munich: Verlag J. Berg bei Bruckmann. pp. 24, 43, 58. ISBN   978-3-7654-2855-5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Hiking in Switzerland". Swiss-Switzerland. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  4. Hyde, Walter Woodburn (1935). Roman Alpine Routes. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 353–354.