Schneeberg Direttissima 12.7.2009
Herwig Gießwein has contacted me an suggested to join him on a walk on Schneeberg. I did not know the intended route, and I planned a walk on Schneeberg for within the next two weeks, so I agreed enthuthiasticly. We started at 7:20 a.m. near Weichtalhaus (547 m), and after a short walk along the road we ascend the Stadlwand - Graben (graben = gill). At the crossing with the southern Grafensteig we continue our direction to directly approach the summit of Schneeberg from the south. The route is only 4 km long and comprises an ascent of 1.550 metres - truely a "direttissima"
The weather is promising to become bright shortly after my start between Winzendorf and Saubersdorf Schneeberg is greeting me.
Morning light over Winzendorf
Stadlwandgraben with its extremely steep flanks, ...
... a scrambler´s paradise.
View from Stadlwandgraben in western direction to Hoellental. Rax to the left, the rocky escarpments of the Stadelwand ("Stadelwand" means "barn wall") to the right. Click here or into the pictures for a larger version.
Yellow Northern Wolfsbane (Aconitum lycoctonum) inside the forest.
A hunter´s hut on a small grassland near the summit of Stadelwand.
Mignonette (Reseda lutea)
Southern panoramic view from the summit of Stadelwand (1.407 m). Dominating is the view to Rax. Far left Mittagsstein. Click here or into the picture for a larger version.
View to Mittagsstein (1.301 m).
Rax on the opposite side of Hoellental ("Hoellental" = "Hell´s valley")
Felsen - Goldlack (Eyrsimum sylvestre)
Schwalbenwurz (Vincetoxicum hirundinaria)
Further up now, on screes and mountain grassland as well as between mountain dwarf pines.
Once more a view to Rax. The big rocky escarpments in the centre belong to the Great Hoellental (branching off the Hoellental to the south - a bit confusing name).
The summit is still far ...
I can´t identify this plant. I suspect it to be Arenaria multicaulis, but I am not sure.
Alpen - Augenwurz (Athamanta cretensis) - thanks Herwig for identification!
Whorled Lousewort (Pedicularis verticillata)
View down a ravine in western direction.
Berg - Spitzkiel (Oxytropis montana)
Alpine toadflax (Linaria alpina)
Alpine Pink (Dianthus alpinus)
This plant belongs to the family of ferns: Common Moonwort (Botrychium lunaria)
A somewhat lighter variant of a Black Vanilla orchid (Nigritella nigra)
Very low, but existant in a few pieces: the famous (symbolic) Alpine flower Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum)
Still some mushrooms up here, above the forest border.
Approaching the summit.
Spring gentian (Gentiana verna)
Fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia conopsea)
Last patches of winter snow.
Livelong Saxifrage (Saxifraga paniculata)
Alpine armeria (Armeria alpina), a plant that is closely related (if not identical!) to Thrift (Armeria maritima), with a hover fly as a guest.
Alpine kidney-vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria subsp. alpestris)
Spring Gentian and Whorled Lousewort.
Arrived on Schneeberg summit. Many people here, coming from the Track railway.
360 degree - Panoramic view from Schneeberg summit. Click here or into the picture for a larger version.
View from the summit - "Klosterwappen" in eastern direction to Damboeck - house
View from Fischerhuette to Schneeberg summit - "Klosterwappen"
View from Fischerhuette down to the valley: tzhe town of Ternitz
Clusius - Gamswurz (Doronicum clusii)
Large area near Fischerhuette covered with whorled Lousewort
Alpine forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris)
Globe flowers (Trollius europaeus) on the descent through Wurzengraben
Globe flowers and Narcissus - flowered anemones (Anemone narcissiflora)
Moschus - Steinbrech (Saxifraga moschata)
Inside Wurzengraben, View to Kuhschneeberg
Inside Wurzengraben, view back.
Excellent visibility - so the view goes till Oetscher (1.897 m), about 50 km air-line.
Not so long after snow melting - so inside the gill there is spring flora, like this Cowslip (Primula veris)
We reenter the zone of the Alpine dwarf pines.
White Helleborine (Veratrum album)
View back, Wurzengraben to the right
View back to Schneeberg summit
White Helleborine
Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia)
Huge lots of Globe Flowers on this grassland.
Kienthaler Huette (1.380 m) with Turmstein, a distinctive rock with a short ferrata leading to its top (hence the people climbing). From here we descend via Ferdinand Mayr - Weg to the Weichtalhaus.
Spiked Rampion (Phyteuma spicatum ssp. spicatum) inside the forest near Kienthalerhuette
Yellow Foxglove (digitalis lutea)
View back to Turmstein.
We´ll be down soon.
