Zettersfeld - Schleinitz (Klettersteig)

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and further towards Lienz (a little after Spittal the highway ends). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through the Drau Valley. In the center of Lienz, at the roundabout, we continue right towards the settlement Matrei. Already after a few hundred meters after the roundabout we continue sharply right and then left over a bridge towards the settlement Thurn. Further, we all the time follow the green signs »Zettersfeld Zentrum«. A little before the ski center, when the road starts descending, we will notice on the left side of the road a macadam road which leads towards the ski area and is closed to traffic. By the road there are also yellow hiking signposts. We park on one of the smaller parking lots nearby. A little further on the main road there is also a larger parking lot.

Path description:
From the starting point, we head onto the macadam road (path 9b) following the signs »Steinermandl«. The road, which is closed to traffic, ascends towards the east and brings us to the ski area where we soon reach a junction.
We continue left following the signs »Steinermandl« and then for some time ascend below the chairlift that leads towards the summit Steinermandl. The road later turns left and ascends somewhat more steeply. From the path we otherwise have all the time a very nice view towards the Lienz Dolomites and the town of Lienz. The road then becomes gentler and leads us past a large artificial lake intended for snowmaking. Here the road turns slightly right and brings us to a marked junction.
Ahead on the road the path leads towards the summit Steinermandl and the upper chairlift station. We continue left upwards on the footpath which starts to ascend the grassy slope. Higher up, when the slope becomes gentler, we reach another junction.
From the right the path from the upper chairlift station joins, straight ahead leads the path along the north side of the peak Goiselemandl (Goiselemandlweg Nord), we continue left on path 913 following the signs »Goiselemandl, Schleinitz«. Further the path runs northwest and brings us below the slopes of the peak Goiselemandl. Here we reach a junction where the path to Goiselemandl branches off right. We continue straight and cross somewhat steeper western slopes of the mentioned peak. When we reach the north side of the peak the path continues crossing slopes on the left side of the ridge, on a shorter section some steel cables also assist us. Further the path brings us to the right (northeast) side of the ridge and starts to ascend gently. Such a path then brings us onto gentle grassy slopes along which we soon reach a marked junction.
Left leads the path towards the summit Schleinitz, we continue right and gently descend to the lake which we already see ahead.
At the lake we continue on the marked path which runs along the lake and soon from the right another path joins, running along the north side of the peak Goiselemandl and the path from the Debanttal valley. We continue on the path following the signs »Östlicher Sattelkopf« and start ascending mostly grassy terrain all the way to the ridge where there is a junction.
At the junction we continue left onto the secured climbing path towards the summit Schleinitz, right along the ridge there is only a short ascent to the summit Östlicher Sattelkopf. From the junction the path runs along the ridge and soon brings us to the first fixed protections with the help of which we ascend towards the ridge. The path then ascends the secured ridge to the 2697-meter-high unnamed peak, from which we descend and ascend to another peak in the ridge (2685 m). The path mostly runs along the ridge, the difficulty on this section rated as difficulty level A (according to the sign at the start of the path). Which may be a slightly low rating since it ascends quite steeply next to the steel cable in some places. When we also descend from the second peak we reach somewhat gentler slopes along which it is possible to leave the secured path early and return towards the Neualplseen lakes.
Follows an ascent along a less steep ridge to the next peak, which is gentler and thus suitable for a rest. From here we then descend into the notch Trelebitschscharte (2663 m). Further the path becomes somewhat more demanding and several times ascends steeply next to the steel cable. After several steep ascents the path brings us to the summit logbook box where there is again suitable space for a rest.
From the summit logbook box the path becomes a shade less steep and ascends a few more times along the secured ridge. In the final section the path becomes easier and a few meters below the summit from the left an ordinary easier path to the mountain also joins.
We descend along the easier path past the cross and then past the Neualplseen lakes back to the starting point.

On the way: Neualplseen (2438m), Trelebitschscharte (2663m)