Collection: Alps Prints

Even though Patscherkofel is neither a particularly high peak in its area, nor considered very beautiful, its location south of Innsbruck make it the home mountain of the city. The transmission tower “Sender Patscherkofel” on the top rises another 67 meters above the summit. Patscherkofel became known to an international audience during the Olympic Winter Games of 1964 and 1976 when the Alpine ski competitions took place on the slopes of the mountain.

The Peitlerkofel, or ”Sass de Pütia” in Ladin, is situated in the northern Dolomites. The two Summits, “Grosser Peitler” and the 60 meter lower subpeak “Kleiner Peitler”, rise up steeply between Val Badia and Villnöß valley. The Kleiner Peitler can be reached on a hike. In the south climbers find easy routes to the summit of the Grosser Peitler, which offers one of the greatest views in the Dolomites.

Pierra Menta is situated east of Albertville in the Beaufort region. The rougly 2700 meter high rock peak fascinates hikers and climbers alike, due to its characteristic shape. Pierra Menta is most of all known for the legendary skimountaineering race, which is named after the mountain and taking place in the area each year. It is one of the three most important races in the Alps in this sport.

The Pilatus is a massif of the Emmental Alps west of Lake Lucerne. It consists of a series of summits, the highest of them the Tomlishorn. Besides a cable car, the Pilatus railway also runs to the top; with a maximum gradient of 48 %, it is considered the steepest rack railway in the world.

The Piz Ault lies south of the Oberalpstock. Both mountains rise above the Vorderrhein valley and the town of Disentis. The ski lifts of the ski resort Disentis 3000 go up as high as 2800 meters, just below the summit of the Piz Ault. A popular stop in the summer and the winter is the hut of the Swiss Alpine Club Camona da Cavardiras west of the mountain, on the other side of the Brunni Glacier.

The name Badile means ‘shovel’ in Italian, because the mountain’s notorious north-east face really does resemble a shovel blade. Together with its neighbouring peaks, the Piz Badile is one of the most famous climbing mountains in the Alps. Its north face is considered extremely demanding.

Piz Bernina is the only four-thousander in the Eastern Alps and the most isolated mountain in Switzerland. The first ascent was made by Johann Coaz in 1850. His journal entries show his love for the Alps: “Serious thoughts took hold of us. Greedy eyes surveyed the land up to the distant horizon, and thousands and thousands of mountain peaks surrounded us, rising as rocks from the glittering sea of ice. We stared amazed and awe-struck across this magnificent mountain world.”

Between the Splügen Pass and Chur, the Piz Beverin rises in the eastern Adula Alps. The relatively free-standing summit offers an excellent view. Besides walking paths, climbing routes of varying difficulty lead up the Piz Beverin, and the mountain is a popular ski-touring destination. The Beverin nature park surrounds it: alongside the ibex, the heraldic animal of Grisons, a wolf pack lives here too.

Piz Buin is one of the most distinctive mountains of the Montafon, an Ill-valley in Vorarlberg. Being part of the Silvretta range the Austrian-Swiss border runs along the mountain summit. The Ill's headwaters are two glaciers on the Austrian side of the mountain. The ascent to the mountain becomes more difficult with the shrinking glaciers. During winter time however one can ski on beautiful trails all the way from the summit into the valley.

The highest mountain of the Grisons and the Albula Alps lies at the heart of Grisons. That central position makes the Piz Kesch a popular tour destination. As the highest point between the Silvretta and the Adula Alps, it offers one of the finest views in the region from its summit: in clear conditions it reaches as far as the Ötztal Alps, the Ortler and the Adamello, the Bernina group and the Valais Alps.

Piz Linard is the highest summit of the Silvretta group and is often named as one of the most beautifully shaped mountains in the Alps. It forms a symmetrical summit pyramid and looks striking from every direction. Piz Linard towers up to 2000 metres above its surroundings and is therefore visible from afar. Seen from Zernez in the Lower Engadin, it forms an impressive head of the valley and is often described as the landmark of the Lower Engadin.

Piz Medel is a peak in the Adula Alps, a part of the Lepontine Alps on the border between the Swiss cantons of Graubünden and Ticino. West of the summit is the Greina, an important Alpine pass between the two cantons, which was already used in ancient times. A number of huts are situated around the summit as starting points for tours around the mountain, among them the Medel Hut. As many other mountains in the area the Piz Medel is a worthwile destination for ski mountaineering.

The Piz Muraun rises on the southern side of the Grisons municipality of Disentis/Mustér. Opposite the summit, to the north, lie the Piz Ault and the Oberalpstock; to the south rises the Piz Medel, a good 300 metres higher. Although the climb to the summit of the Piz Muraun can be managed without any real climbing sections, it is still a demanding walking route. For the less athletic, a ride on the famous Glacier Express to Disentis is recommended, offering a spectacular view of the mountain.

Piz Palü is a well renowned mountain for cineasts. The movie “The White Hell of Pitz Palu” from 1929 portrays a mountaineer looking for the dead body of his wife who was hit by an avalanche. The name is probably derived from the Latin word “palus”, meaning “swamp”. The mountain than was named after the pasture Alpe Palü which lies four kilometers east of the summit.

The Piz Val Gronda lies in the Samnaun group, right on the border between Austria and Switzerland. On Swiss territory in the Fimba valley, south-west of the summit, stands the Heidelberger Hütte, the starting point for ski tours and the most important base for walking up the mountain. From here the summit can be reached without difficulty in about two hours.

Piz Vallatscha is a Three-thousander in the Sesvenna Alps, a mountain group in the border triangle between Tyrol in Austria, South Tyrol in Italy, and the Swiss canton Graubünden. North west of the summit is the higher Piz Tavrü. In the south east the lifts of the ski area Minschuns reach a height of 2700 meters. South of the Piz Vallatscha is the Fuorn Pass, an important and old part of the connection betwenn the valleys of Inn and Adige (Etsch).

The Pizol is a 2844 m high mountain in the Glarus Alps in the Swiss canton of St. Gallen. The Pizol hiking and skiing area on the north side of the mountain was accessible via Switzerland's oldest gondola lift, which has been replaced in 2007 with a modern lift. The Pizol is also a popular starting point for ski mountaineers.

Pizzo Coca is the highest mountain of the Bergamo Alps, a cliffy mountain range falling steeply down towards the north. It is one of the southernmost three-thousanders of the Italian Alps. From the summit you have a stunning view over northern Italy. To the north one can see Piz Bernina, the easternmost four-thousander of the Alps.

The Pizzo di Gino is the highest summit of the Lugano Prealps in Lombardy and is regarded as a border mountain between the Prealps and the High Alps. The peak resembles an even, three-sided pyramid of rock. The Cuccio mountain stream rises on its slopes, and the Valle Albano lies to the north-west of the Pizzo di Gino.

Presanella is the highest mountain of the Adamello-Presanella range in the Italian Alps. The first ascent was made by the British Douglas William Freshfield on 25th August 1864. Since the identity of his companions remains under dispute Freshfield is often named as the sole first climber of the mountain.

The Rax massif is located north of the Semmering Pass and is part of the Rax-Schneeberg group. The highest point of the mountain plateau is the Heukuppe. In 1894 Fritz Benesch developed the first grading system for alpine climbs at the Rax. In addition, after a disastrous avalanche the world's first mountain rescue service was founded here in 1896.

The Reisalpe is the highest mountain of the Gutenstein Alps. There is rock only on the south-west and north sides; otherwise the mountain is almost entirely covered by forest, meadows and grazed alpine pastures. The crumbling Hirschenmauer in the south-west drops away from the pasture land and forms a large scree slope, where there is a danger of falling and of rockfall. The Hirschenmauer probably gave the mountain its name: the friable rock ‘trickles’ – rieselt – from the alp down into the valley.

Lake Reschen is known above all for the church tower rising out of the water – a landmark of the submerged village of Alt-Graun. The artificial lake lies at around 1500 metres near the border with Austria and is now a popular destination for water sports, cycling and winter tourism.

The Rheinwaldhorn is the highest mountain of the Adula Alps. In Italian it is called Adula, a name that already appeared on historical maps of the Roman Empire. Other names for the mountain were Rheinwaldspitze, Schneehorn, Adulahorn and Moschelhorn. The Rheinwaldhorn is dominated by several glaciers that shape its flat summit plateau. The Hinterrhein, one of the two headwaters of the Rhine, rises on its flanks.

The Riedberger Horn is a striking grassy mountain in the Allgäu and the highest summit of the Hörner group north-west of Oberstdorf. The top is easy to reach and offers a beautiful view of the Allgäu High Alps with the Hochvogel and the Großer Krottenkopf. The area around the Riedberger Horn is considered ideal walking country for families and for people without previous experience; only the route over the north-east ridge is a little more challenging.

The Rigi is a mountain massif with the highest peak Rigi Kulm. It is located between Lake Lucerne, Lake Zug and Lake Lauerz and offers a spectacular view over large parts of the Swiss Alps. This is one of the reasons why the first mountain railway in Europe, the Vitznau-Rigi-Bahn, was build here in 1871. Rigi has attracted famous guests for centuries: Twain and Goethe visited the massif and Tolstoi even described the view as “the most beautiful in the world”.

Between Monte Rosa to the south and the Mischabel group to the north, the Rimpfischhorn rises as the highest point of the Allalin group. Its rocky ridge climbs slowly from the north to the highest summit in the south. Seen from the south the mountain therefore appears as a steeply rising triangle of stone, while from the west and east it shows its rocky spikes. The Rimpfischhorn is suited both to high alpine tours in summer and to ski tours in winter.

West of Chur the Ringelspitz rises above the Vorderrhein valley. The mountain, known in Romansh as Piz Barghis, is the highest summit in the canton of St Gallen and lies on the border with Grisons. The Ringelspitzhütte of the Swiss Alpine Club, south-east of the mountain, makes a good starting point for tours to the summit. The winter and spring months are particularly well suited to the ascent.

Risserkogel, the second highest summit of the Tegernsee Mountains, is situated south of the slightly lower Plankenstein whose distinctive peaks make it a popular destination for climbers. The ascent to the summit of Risserkogel can be achieved with a two to four hour hike, depending on the chosen path. This makes the mountain a popular destination, notably for the inhabitants of Munich and the surrounding area.

The rocky spires of the Rosengarten group rise to the east of Bolzano in the Dolomites. Its highest summit is the Kesselkogel. At sunset, the rock of this popular viewpoint glows in magnificent shades of red – a phenomenon known as alpenglow, or enrosadira in Ladin. Legend surrounds the mountain: the dwarf king Laurin is said to have cursed the Rosengarten after losing a battle for the king's daughter. The "Gartl" was to be visible neither by night nor by day, which is why today it appears only at dusk, during the alpenglow.

As one of the western summits of the Daumen Group the Rubihorn and its summit cross tower west of the Nebelhorn and north of the Schattenberg. The mountain is named after the town Rubi, which is situated north of Oberstdorf. The mountain top offers a stunning view over the Iller Valley and the surrounding summits. One of the most scenic routes to the summit leads from the east along the picturesque Gaisalpsee.

Situated in northeastern Switzerland Säntis is the highest mountain of the Alpstein massif with a height of 2501 m. It is the thirteenth most prominent mountain in the entire Alps. On the summit the borders of three Swiss cantons meet. On a clear day you can see six of the eight Alpine countries from there.

The Sassongher rises some 1000 metres as a mighty rock tower above the southern Val Badia and the village of Corvara. The striking mountain is part of the Puez-Odle Nature Park, in whose south-east it lies. Reaching the summit of the Sassongher is reserved for experienced climbers. The effort is rewarded with an impressive view from the top: the mountain is known for its splendid panoramas of other Dolomite peaks, from the Fanes group and the Sella massif to the Marmolada.

Located in the Ammergau Alps, on the German-Austrian border, Säuling is the landmark mountain of the town of Füssen, which is situated in the north west. The summit offers a spectacular view of the nearby lakes, and also of the two castles of Hohenschwangau and world-famous Neuschwanstein. Even though the Säuling's summit appears rather pyramid-shaped, its name is presumably derived from the German word “Säule” (pillar), since the mountain rises up steeply above the surrounding area.

The Schesaplana is rising close to the southern tripoint between Switzerland, Austria, and Liechtenstein. Situated in the center of the Alps and being the high point of the Rätikon the summit offers a view over hundreds of Alpine mountains up to the Pennine Alps, Ötztal Alps, the Zugspitze massif, and beyond. On the way to the mountain top different mountain huts can be passed, such as the Mannheimer Hütte in the north behind the Brandner Glacier, the Douglashütte at the Lünersee in the east, or the Schesaplanahütte in the south.

At 2563 m, the Schlern is one of the landmarks of South Tyrol and the Dolomites thanks to its distinctive shape. The mountain is celebrated, among other places, in the “Bozner Bergsteigerlied”, one of the unofficial anthems of South Tyrol. According to legend, the Schlern witches get up to mischief around the mountain, causing storms and other misfortune above all.