Alpintour: Hochkar - Dürrenstein - Ötscher

Description

Alpintour: Hochkar - Dürrenstein – Ötscher

Central Europe's last primeval forest is within reach and yet unattainable. The hike goes from the well-tended ski slopes on the Hochkar past Alpine pastures and unspoiled landscape into untouched landscapes: the retreat of the last Ötscherbären, the forests, where the beetle may gnaw still with full freedom. The hike moves past sharp rocky crests from one alpine feature to the next. From the Hochkar to the Dürrenstein, both rising to about 1800 meters, the Tremelsattel acts as the single vanishing point in between these two giants. A 30-kilometer long hiking experience, as it is rarely to be found in the entire northern limestone Alps. A 2-day tour for energetic alpinists!

Scenic wise great hikes mostly above the tree line. There are no fixed climbing points, but an absolute secure step is required. This hike is the only fallback position from the Tremelsattel, into the North, into the Steinbachtal.

Starting point of the tour

Goestling, Hochkar-Schutzhaus (Shelter)

Destination point of the tour

Ötscher Gipfel

Route description Alpintour: Hochkar - Dürrenstein - Ötscher

From the car park Hochkar to the mountain guesthouse Jagersberger, the tour begins on a road for a short distance towards "Karl". The designated trail branches off to the right and rises gently to the Scheinecksattel. The trail continues to the main ridge, to the Hochkargipfel, along the main ridge past the Geischlägerhaus. From the exit of the Leckerplanliftes (lift) along the Nordabfahrtstrasse down to the parking lot Hochkar. Next stage is from the Hochkar-Shutzhaus (shelter) up to the Blachlboden (meadow). Here diagonally left, a footpath with several bends leads up a strip of the meadow ending at a flat mountain saddle. To the right through a fence gate in small bends downwards the hike continues. What follows is a trail at half hanging height to the right, which finally rises gently out of the steep terrain and ends at the main ridge. Here, the hike turns steeply left-upwards. Small forest lanes open up to a small flat Valley floor, at the East Ridge. Here one crosses the mountain meadows of the Munsinplanes, then keeping right near the South-facing crashes, one shortly descends through an indent and reaches the forest saddle directly in front of the Summit. From here it goes up to the Ringkogel. Directly from the Summit, one moves down steeply to the East to a deep saddle, then continuing down one follows the saddle and continues to finally rise to the Schwarzkogel. Lastly, the trail moves steeply down to the Tremelsattel, which one follows along the ridge in the east direction. Strikingly round karst fields are crossed at the bottom, as one reaches along narrow forest aisles the free Summit of the Hochkirche. Past steep mountain meadows, one climbs down to flat meadow grounds and follows a rocky grass ridge, where one maneuvers through small rock crashes. The ascent to the Bstattkopf leads through a forest-aisle up to wide meadow arches. At this point one keeps mostly left near the edge of the Steinbachkessel. The crashes of the Teufelsmäuer remain lying on the right. There one descends a short way through the Steinbach-side and fights through mountain pines and forests along the steep western slope (do not descend too far!). Here begins the long steep descend past a wide meadow Ridge, to the East of the broken of walls of the Dürrensteingipfel. A bit earlier one maneuvers right past an elongated mountain pine marsh. From here hiking tracks lead briefly into the East side of the mountain, then turn away steeply left up the rocky back and reaches the Dürrensteingipfel. From there the hike descends into the Steinbachtal (valley).