Ostspitze

Ostspitze
The Ostspitze, lying between the Grenzgipfel and the Dufourspitze (seen from Nordend)
Elevation	4,632 m (15,197 ft)
Prominence	15 m (49 ft)
Parent peak	Monte Rosa
Location
Ostspitze Location in Switzerland
Location	Valais,  Switzerland
Range	Pennine Alps
Coordinates	45°56′13″N 7°52′04″E / 45.93694°N 7.86778°E / 45.93694; 7.86778Coordinates: 45°56′13″N 7°52′04″E / 45.93694°N 7.86778°E / 45.93694; 7.86778
Climbing
First ascent	1 September 1854 by Christopher Smyth, Edmund Smyth and James G. Smyth
Easiest route	West ridge from the Sattel or south-east ridge via the Grenzgipfel.

The Ostspitze (4,632 m) is a peak of the Monte Rosa Massif in the Pennine Alps in Switzerland. It is the second highest peak of the massif, after the Dufourspitze (4,634 m), and the second highest (minor) summit in Switzerland.

The first ascent was by the brothers Christopher, Edmund and James G. Smyth on September 1, 1854. At the time it was unclear which was the higher summit — the Ostspitze or the neighbouring Westspitze of the so-called "Gornerhorn" or "Höchste Spitze" (in 1863 renamed Dufourspitze). The brothers Smith were convinced they had climbed the highest peak.

The first traverse of the entire summit ridge (Grenzgipfel (4,618 m) – Ostspitze (4,632 m) – Dufourspitze (4,632 m)) was by Ferdinand Imseng, Gabriel Spechtenhauser, Giovanni Oberto, Richard Pendlebury, William Pendlebury and Charles Taylor, on July 23, 1872. This party had made the first ascent, earlier in the day, of the Macugnaga face.

References

• Dumler, Helmut and Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps, London: Diadem, 1994
• Collomb, Robin G., (ed.), Pennine Alps Central, London: Alpine Club, 1975
• Kugy, Julius , Im göttlichen Lächeln des Monte Rosa, Graz: Leykam-Verlag, 1940

External links

• The Monte Rosa group on SummitPost