Stage 01 From Glacier to Wine North Route Dachstein Gondola - Guttenberghaus

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

The tour in numbers

Level of difficulty challenging

Route 7,8 km

Time 3:30 h

Uphill 213 hm

Downhill 762 hm

Highest point 2688 m

The Dachstein with its mighty, sunny southern-facing walls is one of the most impressive mountain formations in the Alpine region. The almost vertical rock walls tower almost 1,000 metres above the deep-green alpine pastures of Ramsau am Dachstein and attract not only hikers and mountaineers but also numerous artists who are inspired by this unique landscape. The crossing of the Dachstein Glacier to the Guttenberghaus with wonderful panoramic views as far as the northern and southern borders of Austria is one of the finest tours in the Eastern Alps.

This tour leads us through two impressive landscapes that could hardly be more different. The route first crosses the Schladminger Glacier overlooking the vast expanses and ridges of the “Am Stein” plateau”, a karst landscape covering around 20 km², which at first glance consists of dry rocky outcrops and barren hollows with a few scattered grass patches and mountain pines.

Along the trail, fossilised Dachstein mussels and deep sinkholes line the way. Yet, as so often, a closer look at this seemingly barren stone landscape reveals something extraordinary. Year after year, as soon as the snow melts, an astonishing alpine flora emerges between the razor-sharp karst rocks and hollows: alpine bushes, gentians, orchids, and anemones transform the Dachstein into a landscape of vibrant wildflower meadows.

Best season

January

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More information

The Route to the Valley Station of the Dachstein Glacier Cable Car

After taking the Dachstein Gondola from Ramsau am Dachstein (Tourist Information Tel. +43 3687 818338) to the easternmost glacier in the Alps the tour begins directly at the mountain station, heading north across the glacier (weather hotline: +43 3687 22042 555).
Please note: To manage the high number of visitors during the summer months, a reservation system for the gondola ride has been introduced. Simply click here to reserve your ascent in advance.”

Before you start, you should take some time to enjoy the views from the ‘Sky Walk’ and the suspension bridge. The panorama stretches from the Großglockner across the Karawanken to the Styrian-Slovenian mountain range in the south and, the wine regions in the east.

Follow the path to Guttenberghaus, towards Gjaidstein and stay to the left of the drag lift. Snow poles, coloured trail markings on the rocks, and cairns provide reliable orientation along the route. To your right are the steep rock walls of the Koppenkarstein, while to your left stands the Gjaidstein. In the distance, the impressive peaks of the Totes Gebirge and the Grimming dominate the horizon.Passing the summits of Landfriedstein and Eselstein, you eventually reach the Feistererscharte, where the paths diverge.

Trail no. 616 leads across the high-alpine karst landscape of "Am Stein" towards Krippenstein in the northern part of the Dachstein plateau, while trail no. 618 continues west towards the Stoderzinken, the destination of Stage 2 on the North Route of the “From Glacier to Wine” hiking trail. The route to the already visible Guttenberghaus (Tel. +43 664 3022956) descends towards alpine pastures and meadows around 1,000 metres below the hut. Here, excellent Styrian cuisine and magnificent views of the Schladminger Tauern await.

Now you have to decide which direction you will take on stage 2: Stage 2 – North Route or Stage 2 – South Route

Be careful: Do not combine Stage 1 and 2 on one day. The total length of 20 km may be misleading as the windy and rocky terrain with its ascents and descents make this path too strenuous to complete on a single day!

It is recommended to arrive a few days earlier and stay for at least two nights at an accommodation in the Schladming-Dachstein region that is also a Schladming-Dachstein Card partner property. By staying overnight and getting into the spirit of the hiking tour, guests receive the Schladming-Dachstein Card, which includes free use of all hiking buses as well as the ascent with the Dachstein Panorama Gondola. Please note: Due to high demand, the gondola ride can only be guaranteed with a fixed-seat reservation. The booking fee is € 2.90 per person.

Accessible by train and bus: detailed information about arriving by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) can be found at www.oebb.at or on the Verbundlinie Steiermark website www.busbahnbim.at

With Verbundlinie’s BusBahnBim route planner app, planning your journey has never been easier: simply enter towns and/or addresses, stop names or points of interest to check all bus, train and tram connections in Austria. The app is available free of charge for smartphones – on Google Play and in the App Store

At the Ramsau am Dachstein Event Centre, numerous parking spaces are available. From there, a hiking bus takes you to the valley station of the Dachstein Glacier Cable Car, which brings you to the starting point of the tour.

Steiermark Tourismus, Tel. +43 316 4003
www.steiermark.com

Wanderkarte Schladming-Dachstein, 1:50.000 www.schladming-dachstein.at

Kompass WK293 Dachsteingruppe, Schladminger Tauern www.kompass.at

Freytag & Berndt WK281 Dachstein · Ausseer Land · Filzmoos · Ramsau www.freytagberndt.at