Mountaineering village of Vent
The cradle of alpinism
A little hidden and all the more sheltered: in the uppermost corner of Ötztal at 1,900 m, the village of Vent nestles amidst high alpine mountains. Less than 150 people live here. When you set up your basecamp in Vent, you will feel the originality and alpine tradition of this unique mountaineering village from the first minute. Even if time seems to stand still here, you should not do the same. Follow in the footsteps of pioneers and the famous glacier mummy “Ötzi”.
A retreat to set get away from it all
Less is more: Vent lives gentle tourism, the quiet and genuine type. If you are looking for a sustainable and original retreat, but at the same time full of energy, Vent is your perfect high alpine homebase.
In summer, easy hikes as well as challenging mountain tours to classics such as Wildspitze, Similaun or Weisskugel are waiting for you. 12 of Austria’s 20 highest mountains as well as 7 refuge huts run by the high alpine club can be found around Vent.
In the cold season you will experience a winter like back then - whether on the slopes in the cozy, snow-sure ski area, on the toboggan or with snowshoes under your feet. Above all, Vent is a place of longing for ski mountaineers - some of the most legendary “Hautes Routes” in the Eastern Alps start and end in the mountaineering village.
Rich in history and tradition
The official history of Vent begins with a document dating back to the year 1241. The first settlers were shepherds who migrated north from what is now South Tyrol.
An important chapter was opened by glacier priest Franz Senn (1831-1884). As a curate in Vent and co-founder of the German Alpine Association (1869), he promoted alpinism by laying out paths and trails and building mountain huts.
On 19 September 1991, mountaineers discovered an approximately 5,300-year-old man in the ice while descending from Fineilspitze down to Tisenjoch saddleback. The sensational discovery of “Ötzi – The Iceman” revealed that hunters, shepherds and traders have been crossing the main alpine ridges since time immemorial.
Mountaineering village
Thanks to the pioneering work of Franz Senn, Vent is one of the birthplaces of alpine tourism. Therefore it is no wonder that the village can count itself among the illustrious circle of mountaineering villages of the Austrian Alpine Club. The initiative brings together mountain villages that have distinguished themselves as mountaineering pioneers and still uphold the harmony between inhabitants and nature to this day. Here you will find out more about the mountaineering villages and what sets them apart.
