Kreuzspitze is one of the highest peaks in the Eastern Alps that can still be reached on foot without crossing a glacier. Standing at 3455 m, it towers over the Kreuzkamm ridge, which takes its name from this very summit, deep in the Ötztal Alps.

Its position between the main ridge and the Weißkamm gives the summit an outstanding panoramic view over the vast glaciers of the Ötztal Alps. A weather station operated by the Tyrolean avalanche warning service sits right on the peak, underlining its role as a key observation point. The approach winds through classic high-alpine terrain, passing the ruins of an old hut and a mountain lake along the way, making the hike as scenic as the summit view itself.

How to reach the summit

• Vent → Martin-Busch-Hütte (2501 m) → summit — around 3 hours from the hut, 946 m of ascent, a demanding but ungla­ciated route
• Roughly halfway up, the trail passes the ruins of the Brizzihütte near the Samoarsee lake

Good to know

• The standard route starts at the Martin-Busch-Hütte (2501 m)
• A weather station of the Lawinenwarndienst Tirol is installed at the summit
• The climb requires no glacier crossing, unusual for a peak of this altitude in the Eastern Alps

The first ascent was made by Franz Senn and Cyprian Granbichler in early October 1865, and just a few years later the summit became the site of some of the earliest detailed mountain panoramas, documenting the glacier extents of the Little Ice Age.