The Hintertuxer Gletscher is the tourist name for the glaciers of the Gefrorene-Wand-Kees, also called the Tuxer Ferner, and the nearby Riepenkees at the top of the Tuxertal, a side valley of the Zillertal in the Austrian state of Tyrol. At its highest point the ski region reaches a height of 3,250 m (10,660 ft) in the saddle between the peaks of the Gefrorene-Wand-Spitzen. Hintertux glacier is one of the most popular glaciers in Austria. It is open all year round with skiing in the winter, and hiking activities in the summer.
The ice of the Hintertux Glacier is up to 120 metres (390 ft) thick at its deepest point. It has a length of about 4 km (2.5 mi), but this varies annually by up to 40 metres (130 ft). As a result, the lifts have to be moved several times a year so that the masts remain vertical. The glacier contains up to about 190 million cubic metres of ice.
To capture this panoramic view of the Hintertux Glacier from Gefrorene Wand, we took the cable car to the highest point the lift could take us to, where we left our skis. We continued climbing with our ski boots, which was neither pleasant nor comfortable at all. For the same reason, I left my camera in my backpack and continued with just the small pocket camera that fit in my hand. When we reached the saddle between the two highest peaks, an unforgettable view of the other three-thousanders opened up in front of us. Unfortunately, the extremely low temperatures did not allow the pocket camera to open the aperture blades and I had to warm the camera under my jacket until I could wake it up, so I could still take 2–3 shots before the gorgeous fog dissipated.
