Ruderhofspitze

At the Ruderhofspitze is the fourth highest mountain in the Stubai Alps in Austria. It is part of the Alpein Mountains (Alpeiner Berge) and lies in the Austrian state of Tyrol. As a result of its topographic isolation and good all-round views it is one of the most visited mountains in the Stubai. An almost two-kilometre-long arête, the Grawawand, runs away from the summit to the east. Less prominent ridges run south and northwestwards from the Ruderhofspitze. The peak was first ascended on 30 August 1864 by Karl Baedeker (the son of Karl Baedeker), Anton von Ruthner and mountain guides Pankraz Gleinser and Alois Tanzer.Location and surrounding areaThe Ruderhofspitze lies a good six kilometres as the crow flies west of Ranalt in the Stubai valley and about ten kilometres east of Gries, a village in the municipality of Längenfeld in the Sulztal valley. The mountain is surrounded by glaciers. To the southeast, below the Grawawand is the Grawawandferner glacier, to the south the Ruderhofferner, to the west the expansive Alpeiner Ferner and to the north the Hochmoosferner runs right up to just under the summit cross on the Ruderhofspitze. Its neighbouring peaks are: to the north and separated by the Hochmoosscharte notch (3,231 m), the Westliche Seespitze (3,355 m) and along the Grawawand, separated by the crossing of Grawagrubennieder (2,880 m), the Nockwand (3,091 m). To the south, down to the Mutterbergalm in the Stubai valley there are no summits. To the west, separated by the Alpeiner Ferner glacier, is the mightiest mountain of the group, the 3,496-metre-high Schrankogel.