Description of the attraction
The Mittelberg Glacier is the second largest glacier in Tyrol, located in the Ötztal Alps, at the end of the Pitztal valley. The glacier can be found on the northern edge of the main Alpine ridge northeast of Tyrol's highest mountain, the Wildspitze. Its area is 9, 9 square kilometers.
Water from this glacier flows into a 10-kilometer tunnel, created in 1964, and powers the local power plant. The inhabitants of the Pitztal Valley watched closely the changes in the glaciers and feared the destruction that could be caused by their melting. Moreover, the Mittelberg Glacier has been the subject of superstitious fear of the local peasants for centuries. In the middle of the 19th century, in the thickness of the ice of the glacier, some craftsmen carved an altar, to which a chain of pilgrims reached. Many farmers have set up cooling chambers in the glacier to store cattle meat.
In 1983, the Mittelberg Glacier, it suddenly became popular with skiers. At this time, a lift was built here leading to the glacier. From the mountain station Pitztaler Gletcherbahn at an altitude of 2860 meters, one could climb on five lifts to the highest point of Brunnerkogel (3440 m).
As a place for skiing, the glacier is considered to be quite quiet and practically deserted. Crowds of tourists flock to the more popular Austrian resorts. The most famous local ski resort of St. Leonard is visited by people who are not interested in trendy sports equipment shops and Michelin-starred restaurants. They are looking for a comfortable, calm skiing area. And they find her on the Mittelberg glacier. In the summer, the cable car continues to operate. Mainly climbers climb the glacier.
