Everyone with a thirst for adventure has a list of things they’re determined to do. The dilemma is this: the more you experience, the longer the list gets – it never gets any shorter.
With so many options in the Loferer & Leogang Rocky Mountains, narrowing down the choices isn’t exactly easy. Adi Stocker knows almost all of the roughly 1,100 climbing routes that have now been established on the Steinplatte and in the Loferer & Leogang Rocky Mountains – he knows which ones you simply must try. And you’ll also regularly spot names like the Huberbuam, Chris Sharma or Markus Bendler on the crags here. We’ve compiled their recommendations and sorted them by ability level.
A visit to this region is a must: the ‘Schuasta Gangl’ on the Steinplatte near Waidring. This C/D-rated Via Ferrata/Iron Way has a distance of 150 metres and leads from just below the Top station directly to the summit of the Steinplatte, offering sweeping views across the Pillerseetal valley. If you’d rather not take the Uphill Facilities, take the toll road into the hiking and climbing area and walk for around one and a half hours via the Stallenalm and Grünwaldalm to the start of the route.
In the Loferer Steinberge, one multi-pitch route stands out for connoisseurs: ‘Oh Taxbam’ on the south face of the 2,300-metre-high Traunspitzl. The access leads from the Grieseltal snack bar in St. Ulrich am Pillersee along a forest track and an unmarked path to the Hirschbadsattel – also accessible from the Schmidt-Zabierow Mountain Lodge/Hut via the Rotschartl. From the saddle, it’s a 20-minute walk eastwards across a grassy slope to the start of the route. Six pitches later, you stand on the exposed summit of the Giftzahn.
One of the best Via Ferratas/Iron Ways in the region is the ‘Leoganger Süd’: a consistently very steep face leading to the summit of the Westliche Mitterspitze (2,160 m), difficulty C to D, a full 360 metres in length. It’s only a 15-minute walk from the Passauer Mountain Lodge to the start of the route – depending on your Starting Point, which is Leogang, Saalfelden or Weißbach, it takes at least three hours to reach the Mountain Lodge itself. The descent follows the slightly easier, but still challenging, ‘Leoganger Nord’ route, which features vertical rock steps. Those looking for a bit more of a challenge can opt for the more difficult variant via the Teufelsjoch in the upper third of the route.
The best-known and most frequently climbed route in the Loferer Steinberge is the “EndeNie” – one of the longest alpine sport climbing routes in the Eastern Alps. The Starting Point is the Strub Valley between Waidring and Lofer, or the Schmidt-Zabierow Mountain Lodge/Hut. The route runs along the NNE face of the 2,413-metre-high Breithorn and comprises 38 pitches over 1,500 metres. You should be confident in your grade 6 climbing skills to tackle it.
The Steinberge are also popular with professionals. The ultimate challenge is to be found above all on the walls of the Steinplatte, which rise to a height of up to 150 metres: there are around 100 multi-pitch routes ranging from grade 4 to 10. A prime example is the ‘Ironmouse’, with seven pitches up to grade 6c in the central section of the seven-kilometre-long rock ridge. It can be reached via the path from the Steinplatte Top station or via Mautstraße, Stallenalm and Grünwaldalm.
In the Loferer Steinberge, it is the ‘Gelee Royale’ on the south-west pillars of the Großes Ochsenhorn that really puts climbers to the test: 18 pitches up to 7a/7b, requiring not only technique but also stamina. The ideal Starting Point is once again the Schmidt-Zabierow Mountain Lodge/Hut, from which the start of the route can be reached in around an hour.
The following applies to all six routes: check conditions and access routes in advance with the tourist board or at the Mountain Lodge/Hut – conditions can change quickly, especially in the high mountains.
Tips & Safety
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