Ötzi the iceman: hiking on the trails of the mummy

Ötzi the iceman was found not far from our Hotel Post in Vent. During your holiday with us you can participate in a guided hike leading to the very spot where the glacial mummy was found over 20 years ago. Ötzi the iceman of the Alps was found in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps. The 5,000 year old mummy from the Copper Age was discovered accidentally by hikers, together with a stone dagger, a copper axe, bow and arrow. This archaeological sensation is unique in history. Today, you can visit Ötzi the iceman in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano/Bozen.

Our father Luis Pirpamer was one of the first ones on site when Ötzi was discovered by Mr and Mrs Simon. He was just returning from the Wildspitze when his son Markus called him from the Similaun mountain hut and told him about the sensational find. Together they made their way to the site. Once they reached Ötzi, they realized right away that the mummy had been resting in the ice for quite a long time …

From the Similaun mountain hut, which is a partner of our resort in the Alps, you can easily hike to the spot where Ötzi the iceman was found. Pass the mountain hut and follow the marked trail towards northeast until you reach the site. On the way you enjoy a spectacular view to the northside of Mt. Fineilspitze and Similaun. If you wish, we take you there on a guided hike.

Beside this hike, leading to the place where Ötzi the iceman was found, there are also other routes on the trails of history. In Vent, for instance, you find the Hohle Stein at 2,050 metres. It is a hunter- and herder station from the Stone Age. This archaeological excavation site shows that the region has been a hunting terrain as early as 8,000 years b.C.

The Ötzi village in Umhausen is located about 40 minutes‘ drive from our hotel in Vent in Tyrol. Here you find an exhibition with artefacts from another era, taking you back to the past, namely to the Stone Age.

We recommend you an excursion over Passo del Rombo/Timmelsjoch (2,509 m) across the glacial world of the Ötztal valley. Continue and you will reach Val Passiria/Passeiertal near Merano/Meran in South Tyrol. From here it is only a stone’s throw to Bolzano/Bozen and the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, where you find the man from the ice.