Gepatschferner

Gepatsch Glacier (Gepatschferner), Tyrol, glacier in the Ötztal Alps, close to the Italian border (South Tyrol), second largest glacier of the Eastern Alps (after the Pasterze glacier). Culminates in the Weißseespitze peak (alt. 3,518 m), extends mainly towards the north and ends in the upper Kaunertal valley; to the south-west, almost exactly at the Italian border, a small portion breaks off over the Langtaufers ice walls, opposite of the Langtaufers glacier. The almost flat "Im Sumpf" plain lies between Weißseespitze peak and Fluchtkogel mountain (alt. 3,497 m). Mountain refuges: Gepatschhaus (alt. 1,925 m), Rauhekopfhütte (alt. 2,731 m), Brandenburger Haus (alt. 3,274 m). The Gepatsch glacier serves as water supply for one of the largest high Alpine artificial lakes of the Eastern Alps, the Gepatsch storage lake (alt. 1,772 m). The power station was opened 1965; the lake has a catchment area of 279 km² and working contents of 139 million m³. The "Maria im Schnee" chapel is situated at the southern end of the lake. An all-season toll road ("Kaunertaler Gletscherstraße") provides access to the skiing area on the Weißsee Glacier (Weißseeferner), with the highest bus stop in Austria (alt. 2,570 m).