Alpine Tour: “Ötscher via Rauher Kamm”

The most famous tour for mountaineers / advanced hikers in the area of Lower Austria & Vienna: The Ötscher via its challenging ridge: the “Rauher Kamm”. The first part of the ascent is physically demanding whereas the second part requires basic hiking skills (Level I, II-).

Mount the Ötscher (1893m) via the “Rauher Kamm” (ridge) and visit some caves

This tour starts at Raneck (GPS: 47.879716, 15.186448), first follows a forest road and then leads up a steep and physically demanding trail up to the ridge of Ötscher: the Rauher Kamm. Before the ridge, a small detour is done for visiting the two exciting caves of Ötscher: the Taubenloch and the Geldloch. After this detour, the technical part starts by climbing up the Rauher Kamm (Difficulty level I, II-) till reaching the peak of Ötscher (1893m). The descent is done following the trail towards the Ötscherschutzhaus and then taking the chair lift down to the valley.

This tour assumes the availability of two cars whereas the first car is parked at the valley station of the Ötscher chair lift. The other car will be parked at Raneck, the starting point of the tour. However, the hike can also start at the chair lift (+30 min).

 

Tour Description

00:00 Start at Raneck (GPS: 47.879716, 15.186448). Follow the forest road (right) towards “Ötschergipfel über Rauher Kamm” (signpost).
00:50 Turn right into the trail towards Rauher Kamm (signpost). Carefully read the warning sign, indicating the difficulty of this trail!
01:50 A well-deserved short break () after the demanding ascent at the plateau.
02:05 Follow the trail towards Rauher Kamm.
02:17 CAVE DETOUR: At the crossing, turn left to follow the trail downwards to the two caves.
02:28 Turn right into the small trail leading to the Taubenloch cave.
02:50 Back to the trail and continue on the trail (turn right coming from the cave).
03:00 The second cave (Geldloch is on the right hand side.
03:10 A short break at the viewpoint. Ideal place to enjoy self brought snacks and drinks ().
03:15 Hike back on the trail towards the crossing where the detour started.
03:35 END OF CAVE DETOUR: Follow the trail upwards the Rauher Kamm (turn left).
04:30 Follow the trail by climbing up the rock (trail marked white-red-white).
04:35 Climb up the rock by using the iron stud.
04:40 Short break at the end of the climbing trail. Sign the trail book, enjoy the view ().
04:45 On the plateau, follow the trail towards the peak of Ötscher.
05:00 Break at the summit cross. Time to celebrate and enjoy a self-brought !
05:30 Continue on the trail and descend Ötscher towards the Ötscherschutzhaus.
06:20 Ask for the operating times of the chair lift. If time allows, perform a well-deserved break () at the Ötscherschutzhaus. If the time is too short, purchase a chair lift ticket and descend via the lift.
07:00 Relax and recap at Pizza Venezia (, )

 
 
At a glance

Level easy alpine
Technique
Shape / Fitness
Experience
Scenery
Best time in the year  
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

General Tour Data

Area: Ybbstaler Alpen, Lower Austria, Austria
Distance: 12,6km
Ascent: 1126m (2h 55min)
Descent: 694m (1h 42min)
Highest Pt: 1892m
Lowest Pt: 943m
Duration: 5h 20min (without breaks)
6h 20min (with breaks)
Stop/Rest: Ötscher Schutzhaus (1418m)
Pizza Venezia (842m)
Equipment: Good hiking shoes
Backpack with standard hiking equipment
Food and plenty of water
1-2x “Gipfelbier” ()
Torch / Headlamp
Sun & Weather protection
Camera


Tour staring at Raneck with caves (2 cars required)
  Download GPX
O   Tour at outdooractive.com
 
Tour staring and ending at chair lift, without caves (1 car)
  Download GPX
O   Tour at outdooractive.com

 

Tour Diary

Tour Date: 2018-07-27 09:30
  Weather: Sunny, partly foggy at the top
  Participants: Stefan, Hannes, Hans, Herbert, Oliver
  Activity: Suunto

 

 

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