THE MYTHICAL GROSSGLOCKNER Austria's Highest Mountain Through the Ages

At 3,798 metres, the Grossglockner is Austria's highest mountain. It will soon be 225 years since it was first climbed, and the mountain is now the focus of scientists examining the impact of climate change on mountainous regions. The Grossglockner will, before long, be the site of a vast dead-ice moraine, which occurs when ice ceases to flow. The rising temperatures are not merely changing the Alpine paths and climbing routes, they are also having a significant impact on the local flora and fauna. The film explores the breath-taking diversity of the mountain and examines how plant and animal species are adapting to a new reality. It shows how some animals benefit from the warming climate, while others – like the rock ptarmigan – are forced to move higher and higher up the mountain to survive.

On the Grossglockner, everything is in flux. What does this latest transformation mean for the mountain itself, the Alps – and the wider world?

A co-production of Interspot Film, ORF, ZDF/arte, funded by Austrian Television Fund, Cine Tirol, Land Kärnten Kultur, VAM, in association with and distributed by ORF Enterprise.