Parkirišče Erichhütte - Hochkönig (path 432)
Starting point: Parkirišče Erichhütte (1339 m)
| Latitude/Longitude: | 47,39164°N 13,04879°E |
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Route name: path 432
Walking time: 5 h 20 min
Difficulty: very difficult marked way
Elevation gain: 1602 m
Elevation difference along the route: 1700 m
Map:
Recommended equipment (summer): helmet, self belay set
Recommended equipment (winter): helmet, self belay set, ice axe, crampons
Views: 5.361
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Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive into Austria, and then we continue driving on the Tauern highway. Further, we drive through the Katschberg Tunnel and later also the Tauerntunnel; we follow the highway towards Salzburg (also Solnograd) only to the exit for Bischofshofen, from where we continue driving on a four-lane road towards the already mentioned town. From Bischofshofen we follow the signs for Hochkönig and Dienten am Hochkönig. The road starts ascending and brings us to the Dientner Sattel. From the saddle, we continue another good 100 meters on the road which starts descending, and then we will notice a parking lot on the right side of the road where we park.
Route description:
From the parking lot, we continue following the signs »Erichhütte 30min« on the mountain road which is closed for traffic. The macadam road on which we ascend leads us by pastures with a nice view towards the Hohe Tauern and on the nearby peaks above the Erichhütte hut. The path then leads us through a short lane of forest where we also cross a smaller stream. Further, the path again runs by pastures all the way to the Erichhütte hut on the Schönbergalm pasture.
From the hut, we continue right following the signs »Königsjodler Klettersteig, Hochkönig« and we start slightly ascending on grassy slopes towards the northeast. The path soon brings us to a junction where we continue left in the direction of Hochkönig, right leads the path towards the summit Taghaube (2159 m).
Further, the path ascends for some time by rare dwarf pines, then brings us on a slightly steeper grassy slope to another junction. Right secured climbing path to Granlspitz (2307 m), we continue left towards the notch Hochscharte.
Here the path turns slightly to the left and brings us from grassy slopes to steeper rocky slopes, which we first cross towards the north. After the crossing, the path turns right and ascends towards the notch Hochscharte. On this part, the path is quite crumbly and a shorter ladder helps us. At the notch, we continue left and after a short ascent we are again at a junction.
Left is only a short ascent to the entrance to the extremely demanding Königsjodler path, we continue right and descend through the gully to the eastern side of the ridge. At the junction there is also a warning sign due to the danger of falling rocks on the path. The path in the gully is quite crumbly and is secured with a steel cable. Lower, the path turns left out of the gully and an unsecured crossing follows, which brings us to a junction.
We continue left on path 432 following the signs Hochkönig, right leads the path towards the Stegmoosalm pasture. Further, the path starts ascending on a quite steep and somewhat crumbly slope. Safety gear on the path is very rare, therefore special caution is needed. The path then ascends for quite some time on a relatively steep slope, which is also dangerous for slipping. From the path, a nice view towards Hochkönig starts opening, and all the time we also have a nice view towards the »devil's horns« over which the Königsjodler path leads. Later the path becomes even somewhat more crumbly, and some pegs or steel cables help us. Higher, the slope becomes slightly less steep but full of scree and therefore caution is still needed. To the Birgkarscharte notch follows a traversing ascent on sliding scree.
At the notch where nice views open towards the north we continue right, left leads the path to Hoher Kopf on which the Königsjodler climbing path ends.
From the notch, the path first ascends slightly then again descends slightly. When we come below the slopes of the Hochkönig peak, the path starts ascending more steeply and a view starts opening on a larger part of the glacier, which is located below the slopes of Hochkönig. The path, which is marked with red-white stakes, brings us on a somewhat steeper slope to a junction on the north side of the peak. At the junction we continue right and only a short undemanding ascent to the summit follows.
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