Kellerspitzen

The twin peaks of the Kellerspitzen (Italian: Creta delle Chianevate) form the second highest mountain (2,774 m above sea level (AA)) in the Carnic Alps, a mountain range in the Southern Limestone Alps. The two summits rise in the middle of the east-west oriented Kellerwandgrat, an arête that forms the main chain of the Carnic Alps here. The border between the Austrian state of Carinthia and the Italian Province of Udine runs along this ridge. The West Top (Westgipfel), also called the Grohmannspitze, is 2,718 m; the East or Main Top (Ostgipfel or Hauptgipfel) is 2,774 m. The mountain offers a wide panoramic view in all directions which, along with its numerous climbing routes, makes it a popular destination for mountaineers.

History

Since the 1860s there were different views among Austrian, German and Italian alpinists as to whether the Kellerspitzen or the Hohe Warte (Monte Coglians) was the highest mountain in the Carnic Alps. Paul Grohmann, the geologist and palaeontologist Fritz Frech from Breslau and Georg Geyer from Vienna claimed the Kellerspitzen, shown on the Austrian map with a height of 2,813 metres, was the highest summit; the Italians Giovanni Marinelli and Arturo Ferrucci from the Italian Alpine Club, by contrast, favoured the Hohe Warte, which was marked on the Tavolette 1:50,000, Prato Carnico map with a height of 2,782. Today it is believed that the Hohe Warte, at 2,780 metres, is the highest mountain in the region, beating the Kellerspitzen by around 6 metres.