Schüttnerkogel, the alternative on the side of the Bruderkogel

The tour in numbers

Level of difficulty medium

Route 13,8 km

Time 3:44 h

Uphill 948 hm

Downhill 952 hm

Highest point 2167 m

Once the forest terrain has been well negotiated on paths, a beautiful cirque opens up above the tree line. Scattered stone pines and mountain pines leave enough space for the descent.

The ski tour to the Schüttnerkogel, 2,170m, is a good alternative to the often blown-off slopes of the Bruderkogel. You cross the forest belt on paths and roads. Once in the cirque, you follow the trail on flat terrain. Cross the hilly terrain to the foot of the Schüttnerkogel. The last section is steep and certainly more than 30°.

From the parking lot, take the forest road into the Pölsen. The lower part of the tour leads through the forest belt, at the beginning the summer ascent to the Bruderkogel is used. The route leads through sparse forest to the Lackneralm. You then follow another narrow cart track that leads into a wide cirque. The route is flat along the cirque floor. We climb comfortably higher and higher in the hilly terrain. The Bruderkogel accompanies us on the left-hand side. We keep to the right into the hollow at the foot of the Schüttnerkogel. We reach the summit via a short steep step.

Best season

January

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

More information

From Vienna (approx. 3 hours):

Take the A2 towards Graz.
At 161-St. Michael junction, switch to the S36 towards Judenburg.
Exit at Judenburg-Ost.
Continue on the B114 towards Trieben/Hohentauern.
In St. Johann am Tauern, follow the signs to Pölsen.
Right at the entrance to Pölsen, there is a designated parking area (starting point for hikes).

From Graz (approx. 1.5–2 hours):

Take the A9 towards Linz/Salzburg.
At 161-St. Michael junction, change to the S36 towards Judenburg.
Exit at Judenburg-Ost.
Continue on the B114 towards Trieben/Hohentauern.
At St. Johann am Tauern, turn towards Pölsen.
The parking area is located right at the entrance to Pölsen.

From Salzburg (approx. 3 hours):

Take the A10 towards Villach.
At exit 63-Altenmarkt, change to the B320 towards Radstadt/Schladming.
Continue via Schladming to Liezen.
Join the A9 towards Graz.
Exit at 100-Trieben.
Drive on the B114 towards Judenburg up to St. Johann am Tauern.
From there, turn towards Pölsen.
The parking area is located directly at the entrance to Pölsen.

Parking lot entrance Pölsen

The car is parked in the parking lot, which is already visible from the B114 main road. Driving is prohibited from here. Now follow the forest road, which initially leads slightly downhill. Sometimes it is better to carry your skis here. Passing a few houses on the left-hand side, take the left-hand road at the fork, which leads over the bridge. It is advisable to put your skis on now if the forest road is not open. After about 600 m on the forest road, follow the summer path, which points SW (left). After crossing the small stream, follow it further along the left bank in the direction of the ascent until you reach a forest road again at about 1440m. Follow this in the direction of Lackneralm (hut). Leave the alpine pasture on the right and follow the forest path that begins south of the alpine pasture and after about 150 m, with a striking right-hand bend, leads south of the Lackneralm stream in a fairly flat westerly direction. At around 1600 m, you climb a few meters in altitude over a clearing, not very steeply in a southerly direction and soon afterwards ascend again in a westerly direction and thus to the wide cirque (also known as Lackneralm). In this area, the gullies and hollows that you have to cross up to the cirque must be observed with regard to the risk of avalanches. Once in the cirque of the Lackneralm, continue on flat terrain until you reach the cirque, with the slopes of the Bruderkogel on the left.

Our route leads more to the W and NW over short, moderately steep slopes to the foot of the Schüttnerkogel. The last slope is steeper and has a gradient of well over 30°. We ascend to the summit in a few hairpin bends. In this area, watch out for drift snow and possibly for sliding snow avalanches!

The descent takes place in the area of the ascent track.

Equipment for Ski Touring

Touring skis with skins, bindings, and compatible ski touring boots
Crampons (ski crampons) for icy sections
Adjustable ski poles with winter baskets
Backpack with ski attachment system
Layering system: functional underwear, mid-layer, insulating jacket, wind- & waterproof shell
Touring pants, gaiters if needed
Helmet (recommended for descents and rocky terrain)
Gloves (spare pair recommended), hat, headband, buff
Ski goggles, sunglasses, and sun protection
Water bottle or thermos, high-energy snacks
First aid kit, bivy sack, personal medication
Headlamp, mobile phone with emergency numbers, map or GPS

Essential safety gear in alpine terrain:
For ski touring, an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel are mandatory. Equally important are proper training in their use and up-to-date information on weather and avalanche conditions.

For ski touring, up-to-date weather and avalanche information is vital:

Mountain weather Styria (including Murtal): wetter.ORF – Bergwetter Steiermark
Avalanche bulletin Austria: lawine.at
Emergency numbers: Mountain Rescue 140 | EU Emergency Number 112

In good snow conditions, the Bruderkogel is also worth a ski tour.

Unfortunately, this tour cannot be reached by public transport.