Stage 14 From Glacier to Wine North Route Hochschwab Sonnschienalm - Schiestlhaus

Name: Stage 14 From Glacier to Wine North Route Hochschwab Sonnschienalm - Schiestlhaus
Brand: Steiermark
Rating: 5 (3 reviews)

This tour leads right through the heart of the Hochschwab massif, which is also often called the Styrian chamois mountains due to the highest population of chamois in Europe. From the idyllic Sonnschienalm, the route takes you via the Sackwiesenalm with its namesake lake and the Häuslalm to the 2,277-meter-high Hochschwab. After that it is only a few minutes to the Schiestlhaus, the first passive house in the Alpine region, just below the summit.

From alpine pasture to alpine pasture is the motto of this tour, which is particularly impressive - and perhaps also unexpected - because it is the highest passive house in the Alpine region at the end of the route. The Schiestlhaus was opened in 1884 and at that time offered just 20 sleeping places. But just ten years later it had to be enlarged due to the immense demand. The continuing rapid growth in the number of Hochschwab mountaineers prompted the owner, the Austrian Tourist Club, to make a further extension in 1913, with which the refuge reached its final size. At that time, the material required for the extensions was still transported up the mountain by mules and porters, but since 1973 the house has been supplied by helicopter. Since the structural substance was getting on in years, it was decided at the beginning of this millennium to build a completely new house. Thanks to its good thermal insulation, the Schiestlhaus now no longer requires conventional heating in winter, as the majority of the heat requirement is covered by passive sources such as solar radiation and waste heat from people and technical equipment.

We are also moving here on a stage of the BergZeitReise circular tour, which leads through the wildly romantic mountain landscape of Hochsteiermark.

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

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The tour in numbers

easy

Level of difficulty

11,2 km

Route

5:00 h

Time

1020 hm

Uphill

390 hm

Downhill

2277 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

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More information

Detaillierte Informationen zur Anreise finden Sie hier.

From the Sonnschienalm (Tel. +43 664 5112474 ) the path leads us to the neighboring Sackwiesenalm (Tel. +43 664 2530369) with the lake of the same name. The Sackwiesen Lake at 1,420 meters above sea level is so warm that Hochschwab visitors also like to use it for swimming. After a possible cooling down and/or refreshment, continue to the next alpine pasture, the Häuslalm (Tel. +43 664 9503352), which is only about 20 minutes away from the Sackwiesenalm. This alp is one of the most popular huts in the Hochschwab massif due to its proximity to Gasthof Bodenbauer, one of the most important starting points for tours into the Hochschwab region (Tourist Information Tel. +43 3861 3700).

From here on, the route is really alpine and in part also quite steep uphill via the Häusltrog to the Rauchtalsattel, where we meet the Fleischer bivouac hut a short distance after, a bivouac hut that is always open and where no scheduled overnight stay is possible. However, it has provided great help or even saved the lives of many people who have run into a bad weather front or fog. From here it is only a few hundred meters until we reach the Hochschwab summit. Knowing that the destination of this stage of the hiking route "From Glacier to Wine" is only a few minutes walk downhill, we should really take our time here to enjoy the moment and especially the incredible mountain panorama. The panoramic view stretches from the Dachstein, the starting point of our Vom Gletscher zum Wein hiking route, over the Gesäuse National Park, Veitsch, Rax, the green mountains of the Fischbacher Alps and the Grazer Bergland to the Koralm and the Seetaler Alps in the Murtal.

After enjoying more than a moment at the summit, we go downhill for a few more minutes to the already visible Schiestlhaus (Tel. +43 699 10812199), which impresses not only with its architecture, but also special innkeepers and cuisine. Special huts and innkeepers also await us on the next stage to Seewiesen.

Attention: From September 15 to October 15, hunting is closed every year in parts of the Hochschwab area. Therefore, the Sonnschienalm is not managed during this period. Therefore, during these weeks the stage from Eisenerz to Tragöß leads from the Sonnschienalm via trail no. 837 to Tragöß (additional 2 hours!). The next day, the ascent from Tragöß to the Schiestlhaus takes place via trail nos. 837 and 838 to rejoin the main route at the Häuslalm.

Detailed information about arriving by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) can be found at www.oebb.at or on the Verbundlinie Steiermark website www.busbahnbim.at

With Verbundlinie’s BusBahnBim route planner app, planning your journey has never been easier: simply enter towns and/or addresses, stop names or points of interest to check all bus, train and tram connections in Austria. The app is available free of charge for smartphones – on Google Play and in the App Store

The Sonnschienhütte is not directly accessible by car or public transport, for more information please contact the Sonnschienhütte directly.

Steiermark Tourismus

Tel. +43 316 4003

info@steiermark.com

www.steiermark.com/en

If you would like to hire a tour operator, simply book with Steiermark Touristik, the official travel agency of Steiermark Tourismus:

Tel. +43 316 4003 450,

www.steiermark-touristik.com

The Steiermark Touren app, available free of charge on Google Play and the App Store (Android, iOS), offers detailed first-hand information: brief facts (length, duration, difficulty, ascent and descent/elevation gain, ratings), map, route descriptions, altimeter, compass, peak finder, navigation along the tour. You can also create your own personal lists of favourite tours and sites, store tours and destinations offline, use social media channels, and much more.

Gratis Pocket Card Wanderroute "Vom Gletscher zum Wein" finden Sie auf www.steiermark.com

Wanderkarte BergZeitReise durch die Hochsteiermark finden Sie auf www.hochsteiermark.at

Kompass WK212 Hochschwab, Mariazell, Eisenwurzen www.kompass.at

Freytag & Berndt WK41 Hochschwab · Veitschalpe · Eisenerz · Bruck an der Mur www.freytagberndt.at

Rother Wanderführer "Vom Gletscher zum Wein": auf 160 Seiten mit 80 Farbabbildungen 60 Höhenprofile, 60 Wanderkärtchen im Maßstab 1:75.000, zwei Übersichtskarten, GPS-Tracks zum Download, Format 11,5 x 16,5 cm, kartoniert mit Polytex-Laminierung, ISBN 978-3-7633-4550-2, www.rother.de

Wanderführer BergZeitReise des TRV Hochsteiermark www.hochsteiermark.at