The Frau Hitt is a peak in the Nordkette, the southernmost mountain chain of the Karwendel in Austria. In appearance it resembles a woman on a horse, hence the name. According to legendthe peak is a petrified giant queen, called Frau Hitt, who was known for her avarice and self-infatuation. The legend has various versions. One widespread story is that Frau Hitt only offered a beggar woman a stone to eat. The beggar woman was so incensed by this mockery that she cursed the giantess and her horse, which were then turned into stone as an eternal punishment. The prominent rock needle, high above Innsbruck, used to be a tourist symbol for the city. A plan to create a spectacular wrapping over Frau Hitt by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude finally failed through lack of funds. Frau Hitt was probably first climbed in 1580 by Johann Georg Ernstinger. It was conquered several times during the 19th century by unknown mountaineers. Frau Hitt is usually climbed via the west shoulder. To reach this shoulder there is a route from the east and a rather more difficult one from the west. The Frau Hitt Saddle lies west of Frau Hitt, where a crossing from the Inn Valley to the Gleirschtalvalley is possible. Neighbouring crossings are: in the west the Erl Saddle near the Solsteinhaus, in the east the Hafelekartop station. Frau Hitt Saddle is the crossing point of the following hiking trails and climbing routes:
SE descent on the Schmidhubersteig, then either to the Seegrube or descent via the Höttinger Alm to Innsbruck
Hut tour from the Solsteinhaus via the Gipfelstürmerweg north of the western Nordkette to the Frau Hitt Saddle, from there continuing to the Seegrube and up to the Hafelekarspitze, from the Hafelekarspitze on the Goethe Way to the Pfeis Hut
NW descent through the Frau Hitt Cirque, Kleinkristental, Gleirschtal and the western Hinterau valley to Scharnitz
