Urbeleskarspitze
# Urbeleskarspitze

The Urbeleskarspitze is a 2,632-metre-high mountain peak in the Allgäu Alps. It lies within Austria in the state of Tyrol and is the fifth-highest summit in the Allgäu Alps and the second-highest peak in the Hornbach chain. Its neighbours in the Hornbach chain are the Bretterspitze to the southwest and the Zwölfer Spitze to the northeast.

## Rock and structure

Like most of the high mountains in the Allgäu Alps the Urbeleskarspitze consists of main dolomite. Its summit has a striking bell-shaped appearance and is easily identified from the north and south from nearby and more distant summits.

## First ascent

Who first climbed the Urbeleskarspitze cannt be precisely determined. Candidates include unknown locals or a "Dr. Gümbel" in 1854. It was certainly ascended in 1869 by Hermann von Barth.

## Bases

The main starting point for ascents is the village of Hinterhornbach in a side valley of the Tyrolean Lechtal. From there it is roughly 2½ hours to the Kaufbeurer Haus, a self-service hut belonging to the DAV. The hut is regularly manned at weekends from Pentecost to early October but is otherwise only open to members of the Alpine Club with a key.

## Ascent

There is no simple way leading to the summit of the Urbeleskarspitze. The two usable routes from the Kaufbeurer Haus require sure-footedness, a head for heights and Alpine experience and climbing preparedness.

The only partially marked normal route is graded as UIAA II+ and takes just under 2 hours through steep schrofen terrain over the northwest flank to reach the top.

An alternative climb existed over the north arête. It was a UIAA grade II and ran through broken rock, also taking 2 hours to reach the summit of the Urbeleskarspitze.

