From the Pfaffensattel, we head via the Spitaler Alpe to the Stuhleck summit and to the ruins of the Nansenhütte located just below.
To do this, we start at the 1,372m high Pfaffensattel, which can be reached from Spital and Steinhaus am Semmering via an easily passable mountain road. We start (in winter with snowshoes or touring skis, in summer with appropriate hiking equipment) vis a vis the old saddle inn (P, unbew.) on a well-marked hiking trail uphill until we reach a junction with the Stuhleck - toll road, which is open to cars in summer.
Across the Spitaler Alpe to the hut ruins
We cross this gravel road and continue along the hiking trail, first through an increasingly sparse forest, then across the open space of the Spitaler Alpe to the already visible Alois Günther Haus at the Stuhleck summit (Tel.: +43 3853 300).
But shortly before reaching the summit, we branch off to the right and walk in a few minutes to the remains of the former Nansenhütte, marked with an information board. On the one hand, we have an impressive view down into the Fröschnitz and Kaltenbach valleys, and on the other hand, the panorama extends over the entire Vienna Hausberge all the way to the Vienna Basin and Lake Neusiedl.
After a rest in the nearby Güntherhaus, we return to the Pfaffensattel along the ascent path or via the toll road.