Türlwandhütte - Hoher Dachstein (via Hunerscharte)

Access to the starting point:
Drive through the Karavanke Tunnel into Austria, then continue along the Tauern motorway. We continue through the Katschberg Tunnel and later the Thuringian Tunnel / Tauerntunnel, and follow the motorway to Salzburg (also Solnograd) only as far as the exit for Radstadt, Schladming. Continue on the road to Schladming and then turn left onto the ascending road after the Ramsau signs. In Ramsau, continue along the road for a further 2 km and then turn right onto the toll road, where you will be directed by signs for the gondola lift. Follow this road until you reach the large parking lot in front of the lower gondola station.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue past the lower cable car station past the Südwandhütte signs. The path initially follows the right-hand side of the cable car through a sparse larch forest before turning left and crossing the slopes to the west. Soon a path branches off to the right towards the climbing kindergarten (Klettergarten). Continue crossing the slopes to the west and the path from the lower starting point joins from the left. From the crossroads, it is then about 10 minutes' walk along the view slope to the Dachstein Südwand Hütte hut.
At the hut, continue right after the Hunerscharte markers and climb the short grassy ridge above the hut. The trail then leads to the southern, mostly grassy slopes below the Scheiblingstein summit. Cross the slopes in a gentle ascent to the east and the path leads to the valley below the gondola lift. Here the path turns left and starts to climb up the valley. As we climb up the valley we have a fine view of the Türlspitz peaks, and soon we also have a view of the Hunerkogl peak, which is reached by cable car. The trail continues along the right side of the valley and starts to climb a little steeper. Higher up, the trail turns slightly to the left and climbs up a scree slope, which leads to the more difficult part of the trail.

The path initially climbs alongside a steel cliff, then becomes a shade steeper and we are helped by a few wedges and staples. We continue climbing along the steel cable and soon come under the Hunerkogel wall where the extremely difficult Skywalk Klettersteig climbing route branches off to the left.

Here the route turns to the right and starts to climb steeply along the steel cable with the help of many wedges and crampons (difficulty B). The route then becomes a little less steep for a short time (difficulty A/B), and then climbs again along a steep couloir with the help of wedges towards the Hunerscharte (B) notch.

At the notch where the view to the north opens up, continue to the left, following the signs for Bergstation Hunerkogel. Initially climbing west along the ridge, the trail then turns right towards the glacier. Here the climbing route to Hunerkogl (difficulty C/D) branches off to the left, and we continue on the path that starts to descend gently down the glacier. Keep to the well-maintained path when walking on the glacier, as there are crevasses on the glacier. After a short descent, the path leads to a crossroads, where we continue left and start climbing towards the saddle Gjaidsteinsattel At the saddle, continue to the right, and to the left it is a short climb to the top of Hunerkogel, where the top station of the gondola cableway is located. On the other side of the saddle there is a new crossroads where the path to Gjaidstein and on to the Simony Hütte branches off to the right.

We continue on the well-maintained path along the steel cable, which begins to descend gently. The trail then turns left and starts climbing again in a westerly direction. The path passes under the slopes of the Hohes Dirndl and offers very fine views of the peaks above the glacier. At a higher point, when the well-maintained path turns left towards the hut, which is only a short climb away, continue straight ahead and leave the well-maintained path.

Here you then head slightly left towards the eastern ridge of the Hoher Dachstein. As you climb up the glacier, you will also cross a glacial crevasse, which is marked with a warning sign. At this point the glacier is still relatively low and you soon reach the rocky slopes of the eastern ridge where you leave the glacier.

To reach the start of the protected route, you first have to climb about 20 metres from the glacier on a rather steep unprotected slope. It is recommended to belaying with a rope on this part. The initial steep part can be avoided by continuing on the glacier for a short distance and then taking a sharp left and climbing up a narrow gully to a belayed route. In this part the glacier is a shade steeper, but we cross another small crack.

When you reach the protected path, continue to climb quite steeply along the east ridge (difficulty B). The path then becomes a shade less steep and runs along the right side of the ridge. Later, the path turns right from the ridge and, after crossing a ledge, joins the path over the glacier.

At the crossroads, continue left and start climbing again at a slightly steeper gradient (B). The path climbs steeply a few more times with the aid of pegs and crampons, and soon reaches the summit.

On the way: Dachstein Südwand Hütte (1910m), Hunerscharte (2602m), Gjaidsteinsattel (2640m)

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