Hohe Leier

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* September 27th 2008: Info on ski-touring added
* September 23rd 2008: Page created

Overview

Hohe Leier is a prominent peak in the southeastern part of the Ankogel Group (or the Reisseck Group, if you see this as a separate group). The mountain is centrally situated on a mountain ridge running northwest-southeast from Reisseck (2.965 m) to Stöder (2.592 m) including the peaks Radleck (2.802 m), Königsangerspitze (2.639 m), Rosskopf (2.573 m) and Gmeineck (2.592 m).
From the top you have a magnificent view over the Reisseck area and southwest to Julian Alps in Slovenia, south to the Dolomites in Italy, west to the Grossglockner-area and north to the highest peak in the Ankogel Group; Hochalmspitze. Close up you can look down on the Mühldorfer See and the massive powerplant dams as well as the minor peaks of Kleine Leier and Hochkedl.
The northface of Hohe Leier falls steeply down towards the Radlgraben valley while the southern face slopes more gently towards the Hintereggengraben valley.
Climbing the mountain can easily be combined with the nearby peak of Hochkedl (2.558m m), where a marked path leads to the top.

Getting there

The nearest larger city is Spittal, where there are good railway connections to most larger cities in Austria.
The easiest approach is to take the "Reisseck Bergbahn" (mountain railway) from the village of Koblnitz. The railway will lift you from 719 m to 2.250 m providing an easy access to the mountains. The prices are around 20 euro for a return ticket. Koblnitz cane be reached via bus or by train from Spittal in half an hour (both however not very frequent). It is naturally also possible to walk all the way up from the Mölltal valley.
See a detailed map on www.austrianmap.at (search Hohe Leier)

Routes overview

Three routes leads to the top. A good maps is the 1:25.000 ôsterreichische Karte. The 1.50.000 Freytag and Berndt is less useful. A quick overview of the routes can be seen at www.austrianmap.at (search Hohe Leier)

Normal route 1:

Starting point at Reisseck Hütte (2.287 m). Walk up along the reservoir dam following the signs for Hohe Leier. Once you reach the pass "Rossalmscharte" take a left up across the southern slope of Hohe Leier. The uppermost 200 meters the route is secured with steel cables. The route can be climbed without equipment, but less experienced walkers/climbers might find safety in via ferrate slings. The route is well marked all the way from the Reisseck hut. The time estimates are 2,5 hours from the Reisseck Hütte to the top.

Normal route 2:

Another marked route is leading up from the Hintereffengraben valley. Nearest starting point is either the Reisseck Hütte or more likely the Kohlmaierhütte (1.512 m). I haven't tried this route, but the uppermost part leading to the summitcross of Hohe Leier looked rather exposed why via ferrate gear might be useful.

"Bella Vista"-Klettersteig

In my opinion the most interesting route to the top is the "Bella Vista"-Kletterteig. A via ferrate route that climbs the northwestern grat of the mountain. Follow normal route number 1 for 500 meters from the Reisseck Hütte before turning left towards the foot of the mountain. There are clear signs for the route. The route was constructed in 2003 and has mostly difficulty A and B (on the Austrian scale) with three sections of C. It is very well made. Via ferrate slings are essential and helmet is advisable. The time estimates are 3,5 hours from the Reisseck Hütte to the top. A detailed description (in german) of the route is shown here

Hohe Leier in the background with kleine Leier in the centre seen from the Reisseck Hütte

A view from the via ferrate route down towards the Mühldorfer See

The northface of Hohe Leier seen from the "Bella Vista"-Klettersteig

When to climb

The best months to climb Hohe Leier are summer - from start of July when the weather starts to stabilize till autumn when snow starts to fall. In the summer the summit can be reached in one day.
In the winter it is possible to do ski-touring in the area. There are tours to the top of Hohe Leier, Gmeineck and over the Rossalmscharte pass. According to Vid Pogachnik more info can be found in "Manfred Korbaj: 2. KaerntnerSchitourenfuehrer".

Red tape

The mountain is situated outside the Hohe Tauern National Park so I am not aware of any rules regarding the mountain.

Camping

Hohe Leier is most easily reached from the following mountain huts.

Reisseck Hütte:
The hut is situated at 2.287 m and situated only 10 minutes from the Reisseckbahn.

Kohlmaierhütte:
The hut is situated in the Hintereggengraben valley at 1.512 m. You can either walk up from the Mölltal valley or drive to the village of Hintereggen and walk the last km to the hut.

Images

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