Collection: Alps

The Nebelhorn is a summit in the Daumen Group of the Allgäu Alps, rising east of Oberstdorf. The aerial lift Nebelhornbahn brings passengers almost directly onto the summit, making it the highest aerial lift of the Allgäu. Even the Nebelhorn Trophy, a yearly international figure skating competition at Oberstdorf is named after the mountain.

The Fellhorn is known as the flower mountain of the Allgäu Alps, especially due to the large fields of alpenroses on its slopes. As part of the Schafalp-group in previous times the mountain was also known under the name “Schlappolder Spitz”. From the Stillachtal valley the aerial lift Fellhornbahn takes visitors to a height of about 70 meters below the summit.

The pyramid-shaped summit of Svinjak rises in the Triglav national park. Because of its striking shape it is also called the ‘Matterhorn of Bovec’, having become the landmark of the village at its foot. Despite its comparatively modest height, Svinjak is a popular viewpoint: from the summit you can see the Bovec basin, the Soča valley and Slovenia’s highest peak, Triglav.

The summit of the Cimon della Pala is a striking rock pyramid, which is why the mountain is also known as the ‘Matterhorn of the Dolomites’. There is a particularly fine view of the summit and the surrounding peaks of the Pala group from the Passo Rolle at almost 2000 metres. The normal route to the top follows the east ridge, but was not climbed for the first time until 1989. The first ascent of the mountain in 1870, by contrast, took the line up the north face.

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 Großer Krottenkopf is situated in Tyrol, south of the Bavarian town Oberstdorf. It is the highest point of the Hornbach Chain and the highest summit of the entire Allgäu Alps. The normal route to the Krottenkopf leads from the Alpine club hut Kemptner Hütte via the col Krottenkopfscharte, about 300 meters below the summit on the southern ridge of the mountain.

The Trettachspitze is the highest mountain of the Allgäu Alps to lie entirely in Bavaria. Because of its appearance, the striking summit is also called the ‘Matterhorn of the Allgäu’. The ascent of the Trettachspitze is reserved for experienced climbers; the easiest line is the route over the north-west ridge. Various routes on the mountain’s west face are climbed particularly often.

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.

The Mythen are the iconic landmarks of Schwyz and are located east of the capital of the canton with the same name. The highest summit is the Grosser Mythen in the south. In the north the lower Kleiner Mythen rises and even further north is its sub-peak Haggenspitz. While hiking trails lead up to the Grosser Mythen the two lower summits can only be reached via climbing passages.

The Tegelberg rises in the Allgäu near Füssen. The highest summit of the massif is the Branderschrofen. The Tegelberghaus lies about 150 meters below the summit and can be accessed with the cable car Tegelbergbahn. Close to the mountain station is a popular starting point for paragliders who appear in large numbers during the warm season. On the western foot of the mountain is Hohenschwangau with the world famous Neuschwanstein Castle.

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.

Lying close to many four-thousand-metre peaks of the Valais Alps, the Almagellerhorn is not the most conspicuous summit in the region. Yet the shapely mountain, which appears as a perfect rock pyramid from Saas-Fee, deserves all the attention. The ascent, which is not overly difficult, is worth it too: from the summit of the Almagellerhorn you have a splendid view of the surrounding peaks and ranges such as Weissmies to the north, Stellihorn to the south and, of course, the peaks of the Mischabel group and Monte Rosa to the west.

South of the Chiemsee lake the Kampenwand rises with its distinctive rock mountain top, resembling of a rooster's comb (German: Kamm). This makes the mountain easy to spot, even from greater distances. Not on the main summit, but on the four meters lower east summit is the highest summit cross in the Bavarian Alps with a height of 12 meters. In winter the Kampenwand Cable Car transports skiers into the winter resort Kampenwand–Aschau on the northeastern slopes. Ascending the main summit, about 200 meters above the mountain station, is possible by hiking with only short climbing passages. But Kampenwand has much more to offer for climbers, mountainbikers, and freeriders.

The Nordkette, also known as Northern Chain or Inn Valley Chain, is the southernmost mountain chain in the Karwendel. Its highest summit is Kleiner Solstein, which is nearly 100 meters higher than neighbouring Großer Solstein. The via ferrata Innsbrucker Klettersteig leads over seven summits of the chain, from Seegrubenspitze via Langer Sattel to the summit named Frau Hitt.

Marmolada is known as the Queen of the Dolomites and the highest mountain of the range. The Ghiacciaio della Marmolada on the north face is the last major glacier of the Dolomites. The area is especially popular for hiking. The so-called “Dream Path” from Munich to Venice is one of the famous routes running around the mountain.

The highest summit of the Austrian state Salzburg lies on the border to Tyrol and is the high point of the Venediger Group, the westernmost mountain range of the High Tauern. The Großvenediger's characteristic summit is determined by its glaciers and the prominent ridges, running along towards all four cardinal points of the compass.

Monte Resegone is one of the most famous mountains of Lombardy. Although not being a tall mountain in height it still appears impressive with about a dozen different peaks stretching over a length of roughly three kilometers. The highest point of the mountain is Punta Cermenati. Monte Resegone rises about 1500 meters over the town of Lecco at Lake Como in the west. On clear days the summit area is visible from as far as Milan.

At 3476 metres, the Olperer is the third-highest summit of the Zillertal Alps in Tyrol and the highest point of the Tux ridge. Seen from the east, the peak appears as an almost perfect rock pyramid. The ascent by the normal route from the south-east can be managed with easy climbing sections. More demanding is the way from the Geraer Hütte over the Olpererferner, the Wildlahnerscharte and finally the mountain’s north ridge.

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 Zwölferkofel or Zwölfer (Twelver) is one of five mountains which together form the Sexten Sundial. Seen from Moos near the town of Sexten, at noon (solar time) the sun is roughly over the Zwölferkofel's summit. Accordingly the neighbouring summits are named with numbers from nine to one (in German: Neuner, Zehner, Elfer, and Einser). As many Dolomite peaks, for climbers the Zwölferkofel is a popular and challenging destination.

The snow-covered summit of the Weissmies looks as if it were covered in white moss. The mountain owes its name to this: in the local dialect, ‘Mies’ means ‘moss’. Situated in the Valais Alps, the Weissmies is the highest summit of the Weissmies group and gives it its name. It was first climbed in 1855 and is considered one of the easier four-thousand-metre peaks to ascend. From the summit the view sweeps across the neighbouring peaks of the group and the Mischabel range to Monte Rosa, and down into the Saas valley to Saas-Fee in the west and the Simplon valley in the east.

The Vesulspitze is located east of Ischgl in Tyrol and is part of the Samnaun Alps. Apart from the Piz Rots on the Swiss-Austrian border it is the highest peak of the mountain range on the Austrian side. When standing on top of the Vesulspitze one can not only admire the mighty wooden summit cross. As a relatively free-standing Three-thousander it also offers a great panorama of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Seen from the north the Ehrwalder Sonnenspitze rises as a distinctive stone pyramid in front of the other summits of the Mieming Range. East of the summit is the beautiful lake Seebensee, which offers a great view onto the Zugspitze in the Wetterstein mountains. The Alpine hut Coburger Hütte at the Drachensee in the south is a popular starting point for summit attempts of the Sonnenspitze.

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.

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 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.

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 Aletsch Glacier in the Swiss canton of Wallis is the best-known as well as the longest and biggest glacier in the entire Alps. Starting at a height of about 3800 meters in the Jungfrau-region of the Bernese Alps the glacier reaches over 22 kilometers towards the Massa river, which itself flows into the Rhône. The Aletsch Glacier as well as the adjacent Aletsch Forest make up the biggest part of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch.

At 2764 metres, the Col de l’Iseran is the highest paved Alpine pass in Europe and one of the most legendary challenges in the French high mountains. It is of great importance for cycling and has been part of the Tour de France several times. Its difficulty comes not only from the amount of climbing and the length of the ascent but also from the thin air and the often extreme weather conditions. Even in high summer, cold and storms can dominate the pass – in 2019 the Tour de France even had to be abandoned here because of snow and landslides.

The Maloja Pass is an impressive mountain pass in the Swiss Alps at an altitude of 1812 metres. It connects the Engadin in the canton of Grisons with the Italian Valtellina and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain landscape. The Maloja Pass is not only an important transport link but also a popular destination for tourists wanting to explore the beauty of the Alpine region.

The Timmelsjoch, also called the Timmel, is a 2474-metre border pass between Austria and Italy that separates the Ötztal Alps from the Stubai Alps and connects the Ötztal with the Passeier valley. The pass, whose name derives from the Romansh word "tömbl" for hill, has been used since the earliest times and was an important trade route, including for the Fugger and Welser merchant families. The border between Italy and Austria has run across the pass since 1920, and in 2010 the Timmelsjoch Museum opened – built exactly on the border and highlighting the history and significance of the pass.

At 2642 m, the Col du Galibier is the fifth-highest paved road pass in the Alps. This pass in the Western Alps is one of the absolute classics on the Tour de France programme, and it has a great deal to offer scenically as well. Much of the route runs through high Alpine terrain resembling a lunar landscape. The Galibier also forms a climatic boundary between the wetter northern Alpine climate and the dry Mediterranean climate on its southern side.

Alpe d'Huez is a winter sports resort in the French Alps, internationally known as a summit finish of the Tour de France.Alpe d'Huez – these are probably the 21 most famous hairpin bends in the world. The winding climb up to the French resort is also called the "Woodstock of cycling". When the Tour de France stops here, hundreds of thousands make the pilgrimage to the roadside and throw one big party.

Mont Ventoux is a 1909-metre massif in the French Provence. Also known as the "Giant of Provence", it holds great significance for cycling. Although the mountain is considerably lower than the best-known Alpine passes, it is comparable in difficulty – not only because of the many vertical metres, but often also because of the heat of Provence and a merciless headwind over the final kilometres.

The Splügen Pass connects Switzerland with Italy and impresses with its many tight hairpin bends, historic tunnels and protective stone galleries that cling spectacularly to the rock. The winding pass road is particularly thrilling, turned into an unforgettable experience by these unique structures and the imposing Alpine landscape.

At 2304 metres, the Col de la Loze is one of the highest rideable passes in the French Alps and a legend of modern cycling. The summit between Méribel and Courchevel has only been accessible since 2019, via a paved cycle path closed to cars. Its difficulty lies less in its length than in its erratic profile: constantly changing gradients with ramps of over 20 per cent make any kind of pacing impossible. Part of the Tour de France since 2020, the climb is considered one of the toughest of the race – in 2023 it was here that Tadej Pogačar finally lost the Tour to Jonas Vingegaard.