Dachstein

Dachstein2With only few weeks before my Caucasus expedition I decided to go for a short preparatory trip to the Austrian Alps. 2 weeks ago I went to the  Dachstein region- as it is close enough for half a day drive and is home to several 2,5-3k m peaks. 

I was joined by 2 friends. Our target was Hoher Dachstein 2995m – the highest peak in the massif.

We arrived at the parking lot in Gossau on Friday evening. After a short nap we left for the mountains at dawn. Our path at first led by the shores of the emerald Gosau Lake – there are short and easy via ferratas by the Lake making it a great place to learn how to negotiate such terrain in picturesque surroundings. A long walk through the woods past the 2nd lake brought us steadily higher. Our route got steeper. Winding stony paths offered spectacular views on the valley below. 

Adamek-hutteIn the afternoon we reached Adamek Hutte at 2196m. I left my sleeping gear and most of the food there and continued upwards with a lighter load. Across the glacier I reached the rocky ridge and continued up. The ridge has safety fixed steel ropes (via ferratas). I reached the summit of Hoher Dachstein around 4 pm. Tired as I was after 11 h hike I still had to go down before nightfall. I came back to the hut in time for the supper.

I was pleasantly surprised by the accommodation price in common room (13.5 Eur for Alpenverein insurance holders). Despite being located so high there are warm showers and dedicated room for drying your gear. Considering there are also other peaks and climbing routes it would make a good place to stay for a few days. 

 
DachsteinWhile nothing extremely technical or high Hoher Dachstein was a good training for me and I recommend it to anyone wishing to explore higher mountains as a next step after The Tatras. 

 

 

 

A link to Adamek Hutte website:

http://www.adamek.at/

A few videos:

 

Adamek-hutte2cloud

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