Maierangerkogel

The tour in numbers

Level of difficulty medium

Route 13,4 km

Time 3:45 h

Uphill 1216 hm

Downhill 1211 hm

Highest point 2353 m

Great and lonely ski tour in the Voritzgraben in the Seckauer Tauern. One of the tours that you usually have to yourself. Which is surprising, because the tour is beautiful.

The relatively long forest trail ascent is rewarded on the Maierangerkogel with beautiful south-east slopes in the summit area. What's more, the tour is one of the loneliest tours in the region. It is rare not to have the tour to yourself.

Best season

January

February

March

April

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June

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November

December

More information

From Vienna (approx. 2.5–3 hours):

Take the A2 towards Graz.
At St. Michael junction (161), switch to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.
Exit at Knittelfeld-West.
Drive through Knittelfeld and continue towards Bischoffeld/Gaal.
Follow the road into the Gaal valley (Gaalgraben).
Turn into the Vorwitzgraben.
At the end of the drivable road, you’ll find a small parking area at the barrier of the forest road (limited spaces).

From Graz (approx. 1.5 hours):

Take the A9 towards Linz/Salzburg.
At St. Michael junction (161), change to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.
Exit at Knittelfeld-West.
Continue via Bischoffeld into the Gaal valley.
Turn into the Vorwitzgraben.
The small parking area is located at the barrier of the forest road.

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.
At St. Michael junction (161), switch to the S36 towards Judenburg/Knittelfeld.
Exit at Knittelfeld-West.
Drive through Knittelfeld towards Bischoffeld/Gaal.
Enter the Gaal valley (Gaalgraben) and turn into the Vorwitzgraben.
The small parking area is located right at the barrier of the forest road.

There is a small parking lot in front of the barrier in Vorwitzgraben.

Ascent: From the starting point, follow the forest road into the Vorwitzgraben, past the Balduinhütte (H 1425m) to the bend in the road after the hut. From there, continue into the valley, no longer following the road. After crossing a forest road, you soon reach open terrain, which you follow approximately along the course of the stream to the upswing of the Vorwitzsattel. The upswing is best climbed in the middle (ridge) and continue very flat to the summit slope, which is usually climbed centrally to the summit, depending on the conditions.

Descent: Either ski down the summit slope in the same way as the ascent or ski down briefly along the SW ridge to the first, pronounced SE gully and follow this to the ascent track. Continue as for the ascent.

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