It is time to say good bye to the 2009/10 winter season. However there are still some snowfields to find which seem to be worthwile to ski. Though it is more of a hiking with some (relatively short) skiing in between than a real ski tour. Basically there are two different locations for summer skiing in the direct vicinity of Vienna.

The first location is to be found at the Schneeberg and is easily accessed via the cog railway from Puchberg and a short (30 to 50 minutes) hike to the summit of the Schneeberg. It is called the Hacker bowl and is just beneath the two different summits of the Schneeberg (Klosterwappen, 2076m and Kaiserstein, 2061m). It is a wide, open bowl which is filled with snow usually until June. The skiable vertical is about 150 m. There is even a summer ski race each year (usually at the beginning of May).

The Fischer hut near the summit of the Schneeberg

The second location is the Lange-Mann-Couloir at the Rax. From Preiner Gscheid (1070m, parking lot) it is a hike of about 1.5 – 2h to the area around the Predigtstuhl summit (1903m) at the Rax massif. There, a narrow chute, called “Lange Mann Rinne”, is filled with enormous amounts of snow during the winter. Usually it is skiable (about 300-400 m vertical) until May (sometimes even until beginning of June).

Skiing the Lange Mann (Rax), May 2010

Each year the cog railway from the little town of Puchberg to the alpine plateau of the Schneeberg massif is opened around late April (it is out of operation during the winter due to huge snow drifts and avalanche danger).

Puchberg railway station with the Schneeberg

Then the many couloirs and chutes of the Schneeberg massif are easily accessible even for the lazy freerider who might be discouraged by the two to three hours approach during the winter. The train ride with the cog railway lasts about 50 minutes and then most of the entries of the various skiing runs are within a short hike up to about 40 to 50 minutes.

Earn your turns at the Schneeberg

Thanks to this short approach two (or even three) runs are easily possible. Usually we choose a warm-up run at the southern side in the forenoon. Though the conditions at the southern side (this time we chose the Saugraben for our first descent) were rather mixed. The below average snow cover of the winter combined with a general warm spring resulted in almost “early summer” conditions.

Late season corn in the Saugraben, Schneeberg

Then, at the afternoon the snow at the northern couloirs should be “corny” enough. My personal favourite is the Narrndattl Couloir which is an alternative entry into the massif snow bowl of the so called “Breite Ries”. It is a neat little couloir, steep and narrow but not intimidating and it holds the snow really long due to its northern exposition. After the couloir itself the wide slopes open up and provide almost perfect terrain for wide turns.

Entrance of the Narrndattl Couloir at the Schneeberg

The Narrndattl couloir is one of the lesser known descents of the Schneeberg. The steepest part of the couloir is about 43 degrees. It was first skied by Wolfgang Ladenbauer in 1973. Wolfgang Ladenbacher is the author of the standard ski guide book of the Schneeberg massif (highly recommended but in German only).

Temperatures have been roller-coasting during the last couple of weeks. Warm periods with significant melting have been interrupted by some colder days and even some snowfalls down to lower regions. Thus the spring skiing season around Vienna is surprisingly fine again this year. After the somewhat disappointing winter and some really warm periods in March we were quite nervous about the subsequent development. However, our fears have not materialized and everything is o.k. Most of the classic spring lines in the various higher mountain massifs (especially at the Schneeberg, Schneealpe and Veitsch massif) are good to ski. The avalanche situation is quite relaxed.

Again, our goal for the last weekend was the Niederalpl. A perfect spot not only for lift-assisted powder runs during the winter but also for some ‘classic’ ski touring in spring (the small ski resort is closed since April, 4).

We skinned up the northern slopes of the Kleiner Wildkamm (1757 m) which gave us a 500 m descent in fine spring corn. Just a small outing but enough for reminding us that the skiing season is still in swing here and there are more than enough possibilities worhtwile to harvest.

Northern slopes of the Kleiner Wildkamm, Veitsch massif, Styria.

It has been a long waiting. December and January were horrible months for powder-seeking skiers in Eastern Austria (and in almost the whole Northern Alps). However, a significant dump during the last two days satisfied all our desperate needs for powder. About 50-60cm of fresh new snow turned the hills of Eastern Austria into a winter wonderland. It was a pleasure riding the long awaited snow and enoying being back on the planks.

Fresh powder and winter sun - ingredients for a great outing

Our chosen location, the Niederalpl proved to be a good spot for harvesting the fresh powder. No crowds whatsoever and a fine combination of open runs, treeskiing and some bushwacking. Of course, due to the high degree of avalanche danger we had to stick to mellow terrain or fairly thick woods.

Powder in the woods around Niederalpl

Imagine a small village deep in an alpine valley. A single cable car going up high into the mountains. No groomed runs leading downhill. Only off-piste runs, perfect for the days after a big dump. And, of course, a huge alpine backcountry with gnarly couloirs and all this stuff.

“Bingo!”, you’ll say, “that’s La Grave in France, for sure.”
“Hold on”, I would say, “that’s Hirschwang at the Rax, just some 80 kilometres south of Vienna”.
And I would be laughing at you for your ignorance and I would tell you my fairy tale of an epic powder day.

Rax massif, seen from the valley around Reichenau, the cable car area is seen in the right part of the picture, photo credits see below

The Rax is a huge mountain massif forming a plateau just above 1500m and peaking in the Heukuppe (2006m) in the westernmost part of the massif. Steep walls surround the whole massif offering some of the best possibilities for alpine climbing in the Vienna region. Hirschwang is located at the easternmost part of the mountain.

Rax cable car near the valley floor, Hirschwang, Lower Austria

The Rax cable car was built as early as 1921 and thus being Austria’s oldest cable car. The total vertical of the cable car is about 1020m! The terrain around the cable car is rather steep with some chutes and couloirs leading down into the woods. At the mellow plateau itself there is a single T-bar offering some beginner slopes and some terrain for park-oriented skiers.

There are various downhill runs which have been skiing for decades now (Schöllergraben, Lahngraben, Seilbahngraben, Maschingraben). All these runs offer fantastic off-piste skiing if the snow is fresh and deep enough. Add some touring possibilities from the top of the railway station (for example Grosser Kesselgraben for the beginners or Grosser Wolfsgraben for advanced skiers) and you get a quite versatile off-piste ski “resort”. Of course, there are dozens of other ascents and descents around this huge mountain but most of them do have different starting points.

Skiing deep powder in the Maschingraben, Rax

Skiing deep powder in the Seilbahngraben, Rax

However, there is one significant caveat. Due to the minimal elevation of the valley floor (just about 520m around the valley station of the cable car in Hirschwang) the snow is only plenty and good enough at certain times during the winter. So the 1000m vertical runs in the vicinity of the cable car are to be enjoyed only a few times during a winter. So you have to be lucky enough to be there in the right time …

Photo credits Rax, view from the valley floor

There is nothing spectacular about the Stuhleck (1782m), the highest mountain of the Fischbacher Alps in Styria at the easternmost corner of the Alps (the flat plains of Hungary are just a stone’s throw away). Indeed, at the first look the Stuhleck resembles more of a hill than a real mountain, especially if looking up from Mürzzuschlag, the town at the foot of the Stuhleck.

However, it was here where alpine ski mountaineering started in Austria in the late nineteenth century. In those days the usability of skis in alpine terrain was still very much disputed. Though the long Norwegian skis were recognised as a useful tool for travelling through snowy woods and flatlands they were regarded as unsuitable for the higher, steeper terrain of alpine mountains.

Nevertheless, curious people started to experiment with these Norwegian skis. Among them a group from Styria led by Toni Schruf, a hotelier in Mürzzuschlag were especially keen to adapt the idea of skiing for alpine terrain. Together with Max Kleinoscheg from Graz and Walther Wenderich he started to experiment with Norwegian skis at the mellow meadows around Mürzzuschlag. Finally, in 1892 they ascended the very first real mountain with their skis and they chose the Stuhleck for this endeavour. Hence, the Stuhleck got its place in the history of ski alpinism as first alpine mountain conquered by skiers. One year later, they organised a skiing race in Mürzzuschlag, which became the very first skiing race in central Europe. Soon the Stuhleck area got popular among the increasing crowd of skiers in the Vienna region. In those days the direct accessibility of the Stuhleck area by train (from Vienna over the famous Semmering pass) was an important advantage of this area. As early as 1898 the first ski hut (Scheffelhütte) was established using an old barn from a small farming hamlet at the slopes of the Stuhleck.

Today, a museum dedicated to winter sports in Mürzzuschlag honours these early skiing pioneers and informs about the manifold skiing history of this region. This museum features among the many exhibitions a reconstructed full scale model of the Scheffelhut.

Alpine region around the summit of the Stuhleck

The Stuhleck has been a popular ski mountain since these early days. The first ski lift was constructed in 1948 at the meadows of the Schieferwiese near the mountain village of Spital am Semmering. The first chair lift (a single seater) followed in 1960. A total number of 80.000 transportations were counted in the first year. Since then, the Stuhleck ski resort has been expanding continuously and today it is the largest ski resort of the entire region counting about 3,9 million transportations (2008). Four modern, detachable chair lifts and five ski lifts (t-bars) serve a total of 24 kilometres of groomed pistes and a modern man-made-snow system guarantees the skiing between late November and about mid April. With the opening of the Eastern European countries the Stuhleck resort established itself as the most prominent ski resort for the growing number of Hungarian and Slovakian (Bratislava is just around the corner) skiers.

Despite the technical infrastructure of the ski resort the Stuhleck remained popular among ski tourers and mountaineers as well. It is a prefect training ground for easy touring in almost all conditions (the storms can get quite nasty around the exposed summit region) and there are several ski runs in almost all directions.

Tree skiing in the Stuhleck area

The Bettelbauer run, which is probably the route chosen by Toni Schruf and his friends for their first ascent in 1892, is almost 10 kilometres long and goes down to Mürzzuschlag (though it is fairly flat). The most popular ski tour goes down the backside of the Stuhleck to the small village of Rettenegg where the restaurant Ebner serves fresh trout in many variations.

The Schneeberg (literally translated: Snow Mountain) is remarkable in many respects.

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And this list could even go on. Indeed, the Schneeberg is a mighty mountain massif. It is also easily reachable from Vienna both with car as well as with public transport. The entry point to the Schneeberg is Puchberg, a nice traditional spa town, worth a visit by its own right.

There are many ways to climb the Schneeberg. The easiest one is going by the old cog railway leaving directly from the Puchberg train station to the Hochschneeberg plateau, 1798m. From there it is only a skin (or hike) of about 40 minutes to the two summits (Klosterwappen and Kaiserstein). However, this option is only available in spring (usually late April) since the train is not operated during the winter month due to avalanche danger.

During winter the standard option to climb the Schneeberg starts in Losenheim (780m), a small village and ski resort with only one chairlift and an accompanying drag lift. If you are lazy enough, using the chair lift which goes to a saddle North-West of the Schneeberg massif spares about 40-60 minutes of skinning or about 400m vertical ascent. Directly at the chair lift’s top station starts the ascent called “Fadenweg” which is relatively safe during the whole winter.

Last spring there were ideal corn snow conditions at the Schneeberg. When the cog railway opened its operation at the end of April we decided to make a round trip involving some warm up skiing in the Bockgrube and the Hackermulde. The Bockgrube is a huge bowl, south of the main summit of the Schneeberg and the Hackermulde is a nice bowl just between the two summits.

Then it was time for the final downhill for which we chose the so called Narrndattl couloir. A narrow and quite steep couloir providing access to the Breite Ries, the huge bowl at the East side of the Schneeberg massif. The descent was in perfect conditions and it was possible to ski down to about 1200m. The change of scenery from the snowy mountain to the green meadows around Schneebergdörfl back in the valley near Puchberg was really amazing.

The last winter was a pretty good one in the Vienna region. Continous dumps guaranteed a series of epic powder days. However in the short run it affected the range of possibilities negatively since avalanche danger in the region stayed at level 4 for quite a long period of time.

That resulted in some really defensive route choices by us. Staying in mellow terrain and under the tree line was the right thing to do with regard to safety issues. This allowed for some fine companions for our skiing outings. Though I am not a particular dog-lover skiing with man’s best friends was extremely enjoyable. Experiencing the fun these nice creatures did have in the snow was a great pleasure and made some nice photo opportunities.

Sabine and her dogs, Hohenberger Gschwendt

Angus, Hohenberger Gschwendt

It was amazing to see the different behaviour of the two dogs due to their particular races. Angus, the shepherd, was running continuously between the three of us, soon to get exhausted. At the end of the day we almost feared we had to carry him down at our backs. Whereas Naja with her husky origins was ploughing economically through the snow and never lost her energies.

Cornices, skiers and dogs, ascent to Wildalpe

Angus

Dogs, Wildalpe

Naja, Wildalpe

Locations: Hohenberger Geschwendt and Lahnsattel-Wildalpe (Vienna Region)
Dates: February 2009
All photo credits go to my buddy Gerrit, who is also the owner of the dogs

A buddie posted the link to this teaser video a few days ago in a somewhat closed area of a ski forum. I thought this video does a real good job in telling the story of what backcountry skiing is all about. Now, that summer is slowly coming to its end it is finally time to get in skiing mode again (at least mentally).

Flakes by powderwhore.com

There are several hundred backcountry skiing tours around Vienna. To be honest, only a handful of them do have a somewhat ‘alpine’ character. Most ski mountains close to Vienna are below the tree-line (about 1500 metres in this region) and thus are covered by sometimes dense forests and do have a somewhat hilly look. However, some mountain massifs are standing out over the crowd of hilly mountains. These mountains reach altitudes close to 2000m and thus their relative elevation to the surrounding environment is significant (in the case of Schneeberg it is about 1500 metres relative to the surrounding valleys). The peaks and summits of these mountains are well above the tree-line and, due to their geologic structures (steep limestone walls and cliffs), they have a considerable alpine character. As a downside their summit areas are extremely exposed to the usual storms (measured maximum wind speeds are well over 250 km per hour). So more often than not the snow at the slopes close to the summits is heavily influenced by the winds. Powder is often to be found only in some basins protected from winds and in the woods below the tree-line.

Here is a list of these mountain massifs close to Vienna (about 1 to 1.5 hour car drive from the Vienna city centre) and a short description of their skiing potential.

Schneeberg (2076m):

The highest mountain of Lower Austria (the federal state around Vienna) is also the Easternmost 2000er of the entire Alps. In clear air this outstanding mountain is visible from some points in Vienna as well as from western Hungary (around Sopron). This mountain offers extremely versatile skiing options for the whole winters. The standard ascent “Fadenweg” from Losenheim (small ski resort with a detachable chair lift which shortens the ascent) is straightforward and relatively safe (except after massif snow falls). The number of ski runs (including variants) goes well above hundred different options from easy to extremely difficult. The maximum vertical is 1500 m which is the maximum for the whole region.

Rax (2007m):

The Rax is a mountain massif South of the Schneeberg. A cable car gives access to the Rax pleatau (a relatively flat alpine plateau about 1500 to 1800 m ) the East of the mountain massif. This cable car departs in Hirschwang and was the first cable car built in Austria. There is a small drag lift near the top station of the cable car but the routes down to the valley are ungroomed and offer some of the best lift-assisted freeride possibilities (if conditions are good) of the entire Vienna region. The vertical is about 1000m. There are some dozens ski touring options at the Rax. An important starting point is the Preiner Gscheid (1070m) a mountain pass of the road leading from Hirschwang over to Styria. The Heukuppe (2007), the highest peak of the Rax massif is accessed via Preiner Gscheid – Karlgraben, one of the busiest ski tours of the entire Rax (though this route is not safe under certain conditions).

Ötscher (1893m):

The Ötscher is the defining mountain of the region West of Vienna. It towers well above all its neighbouring mountains and offers extremely interesting ski runs (from intermediate to difficult) both at its north as well as at its south sides. The ski resort of Lackenhof (several chairlifts and drag lifts, 16 kilometers of groomed pistes) eases the access to the summit considerable (1 h hike or skin to the summit from the top station of the double chair lift). The maximum vertical is about 1050m.

Schneealpe (1903m):

The Schneealpe is a mountain massif in Styria south of the Rax massif. Its highest peak is the Windberg (literally Windy Mountain). Like most of the mountain massifs of this region there is a fairly large and flat plateau just below the peak from which several ski runs of different difficulties are leading down in all directions. Though offering quite interesting terrain and runs the Schneealpe is somewhat overlooked by many skiers. Thus, for those looking for a solitary ski adventure the Schneealpe is probably a good bet. The maximum vertical of the ski runs is about 1000 m.

Hohe Veitsch (1981m):

The Hohe Veitsch is a huge mountain massif stretching from West to East. There are small (but interesting) ski resorts directly in the North (Niederalpl Pass, 1100-1450 m) and South (Brunnalm, 1000-1500m). Ascents to the main peak of the Veitsch start from both of these ski resorts. Some secondary peaks of the Veitsch offer interesting runs, which tend to hold powder fairly well (somewhat protected from storms). The classic approach is from the South via the Brunnalm / Schallerrinne and the Graf Meran hut. The classic ascent (and descent) from the North is the Rodel (starting near the tiny hamlet of Niederalpl at about 950m), a fairly long skin with some interesting slopes and one small step to scramble over (short iron ladder and wired ropes). The maximum vertical is about 1000m.

Photo credits Rax