Gamsgartlgrat

If by car, keep going from Puchberg am Schneeberg towards Schneebergdorf and continue on the road towards the end of the road, park after of before the farm and sawmill (Schwabenhof, do not park here) at the end of this road. Best would be to park after it, inside the forest (Fortstrasse) and from it walk. (see map).

By bus, once in Puchberg am Schneeberg, you can take a bus to Schneebergdorf and from it start you walk.

Continue walking uphill and east on this road towards the Schneidergraben on a blue marked path, following at the beginning the Schrattental, and eventually becoming a walking path, until reaching the intersection of this path with the Nördl. Grafensteig (1337 m), a red marked path that circumnavigates the Schneeberg. Go right on this path (north), pass the Sitzplatz/beginning of Novembergrat (1376 m a small meadow with a nice lookout) and continue on the Nördl. Grafensteig until you reach the Kumme Ries (a moraine type of ruble and rock waste from limestone that comes down from the upper plateau of Schneeberg). As you advance a bit inside the Kumme Ries, you will see the main buttress of the Gamsgartlgrat (ridge) on the middle of the rubble, a subsidiary ridge from the Novembergrat. There is a small pyramid of limestone on the front of the ridge (circa 8 meters high) and behind is the very beginning of the ridge. Climb on the ruble towards this later point; the very bottom is the begging of the climb, with 3 different lines (alternatives) for the start. See this map for a closer look.

The approach from near the Sawmill takes about 2 hours, with an elevation gain of 700 meters.

Here you can decide what to climb: in the middle of the butters is UAII 3+, the left side is UAII 2- and the left side is 1+. The middle has better rock and clean climbing, all of them finishing on the top of this initial pyramid, about 40 meters long.

The second pitch or scramble climbs a second step in front (north) into a small meadow and then between to towers in the front (UAII 2+ and walk/50 meters) and then climbs a crack formation (UIAA 3+/25 m) to the top of the tower on the left. Then the route goes on the ridge into a Felsenfenster (rock window, UIAA 2-3, 40 meters) and then up on rock into two towers, to climb down a couple of meters to find the first chimney (UIAA 3+/25m) and into the second chimney (UIAA 4/25m), and on its top a jammed, big rock. Then into a ramp (UIAA 3/45 m) and then into a easy terrain (UIAA 2, some grass, some scree/150m) up first and then towards the right side (east) into a very narrow third chimney (UIAA 3-4/45 meters) or a variant, a dihedral (UIAA 3-4/ 45 meters) then up into the summit plateau or left to go down on the Kumme Ries and down back to the Nörld. Grafensteig.

Click here for a good overview of the climb (Taken from www.bergsteigen.at )

Again, in total the climb is 400 meters long, elevation gain of 150 meters, 9 pitches, 3-4 hours.

Other options for descend:  Herminensteig, Schneidergraben, Fadensteig and Nadlgrat, Road along the Zahnradbahn or the Schneeberg train

Rope, 35 meters will do. Set stoppers 4-13 (or adequate protection for limestone), 4 or 5 double length slings and some 5 shoulder length slings of quick draws. For summer, wind protection and some warm clothes are necessary. For winter add crampons and mountaineering axe, and, since the ridge is north facing, it has practically no sun exposure, so may be smart to have right clothing for this season.