High alpine tour over the Gepatschferner to the Rauhekopfhütte in the Ötztal Alps

Ötztal Alps, Kaunergrat: Gepatschferner and Rauhekopfhütte The Gepatschferner is the largest glacier in Austria by area and will probably soon replace the Pasterze as the longest, although it is also one of the fastest shrinking. When ascending over the old moraine, impressive views of the ice loss arise, then it goes up the glacier with crampons, but without real crevasse danger, and finally over a path that has to be newly found in the lower part of the moraine every year to the hut. The hut is an example of “small is beautiful,” with DAV environmental seal, outdoor solar shower, candlelight in the dining room, and volunteer operation – and also suffers from glacier retreat, which increasingly hampers the water supply.