Oberfresen (Brendlwald) - Großer Frauenkogel

Access to starting point:
We drive to the settlement Ivnik / Eibiswald in Steiermark or the neighboring settlement Aibl, which is located southwest of Ivnik, and from the roundabout we go onto the road towards Labot / Lavamünd; along this road, we drive to the settlement Sankt Oswald ob Eibiswald, where we turn right in the direction of the settlement Wiel. In the settlement Wiel St. Anna, we turn left in the direction of the waterfall Sulmwasserfall. Near the waterfall, we cross the stream Weiße Sulm, then diagonally ascend to the settlement Oberfresen, where we turn left and bypass the guesthouse Schmuckbauerwirt on the left side; after that, we drive mostly through the forest for another 2.2 km, or until the junction of the marked path towards Brendalm. We park at a suitable spot by the crossroad.

Path description:
From the starting point, we head along the path towards the cottage Brendlhütte and begin ascending on a rough macadam road. Higher up at a small crossroad, we continue straight, then soon veer slightly left onto a marked footpath, which crosses the macadam road twice more higher up. The path leads us briefly through the forest, and upon leaving the forest, we step onto the lower edge of the mountain pasture Brendlalm, then walk across the pasture to the cottage Brendlhütte, located on a scenic part of the pasture.
On the mountain pasture, several paths converge, and we follow the signs for Großer Speikkogel. Slightly above the cottages, we turn left, first crossing a grazing fence, then the path enters the forest, continuing gently uphill along a cart track. Later, an easy descent follows, and upon reaching a clearing on the right side of the path, we notice a stone chapel.
Behind the chapel, we cross a macadam road and then mostly ascend gently through sparse forest. A few minutes further, the path splits, and we choose the slightly right path, along which there are signs for Großer Speikkogel (to the left Glitzalm and also the peak Großer Speikkogel). A little further, we cross a grazing fence and step onto a wider cart track, which we follow to the right. The cart track then leads us with increasingly beautiful views and, in a gentle to moderate ascent, brings us to the route of a high-voltage power line, which we cross. The path ahead leads us along a gentle and wide ridge, then gradually shifts to the northern and northeastern slopes of the peak Glitzfelsen. Next follows some traversing, and then we begin moderately ascending again. Higher up, we approach the ridge again, and the path moves onto the slopes of the peak Kleiner Frauenkogel. We also bypass this peak on the right side, then lightly ascend to an indistinct saddle between the peak Kleiner Frauenkogel on the left and Großer Frauenkogel on the right. From here, we continue for a short time on the marked path, which begins ascending diagonally across the slopes of the peak Großer Frauenkogel. Then, we veer slightly right onto grassy pathless terrain, continuing to an interesting cairn at the summit, which we reach after a few minutes of further walking.
Starting point - Brendlalm 1:00, Brendlalm - Kramerin 0:25, Kramerin - Großer Frauenkogel 1:30.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in July 2024.

On the way: Schwanberger Brendlhütte (1566m), Die Kramerin (1634m)