Gößeck (Reiting)

Overview

Geographical Classification: Eastern Alps - Ennstal Alps - Eisenerz Alps

Gößeck is located on the very south-east end of Eisenerz Alps high over the Liesing valley and Trofaiach. It forms a separate massif - Reiting, which stands out pretty impressively and separated from the rest, not unsimilar to the Grimming. That makes it an attractive summit to look from, as from here you can see them all, from Rax to Dachstein the Limestone Alps, from Stuhleck over Hochreichart to Hochwildstelle the forealps and Niedere Tauern.

On the other side, the perfect view means high altitude difference. So the fun simply takes longer and a relative loneliness because of it comes as a bonus. It is probably best done with ski, as the Bechlgraben won't be a hiker's magnet in summer and the ascents from Liesing valley are somewhat longer.

If you stay in Trofaiach, you might enjoy other popular (ski) tours in the area, as Eisenerzer Reichenstein, Stadelstein, Wildfeld in the eastern Eisenerz Alps, plus Hochturm, TAC-Spitze and more in the western Hochschwab group.

Getting There

• Approaching from south-east, exit the S6 highway at Leoben and drive over Donawitz and Edling to Schardorf to the end of the road.
  
• Coming from west, exit A9 at Kammern im Liesingtal. Stop here for the southern route(s) and the castles, or drive on through Seiz and Glarsdorf to Schardorf.

The shortest ascent, over Bechlgraben from south-east, starts from near Schardorf. At the end of the road there is a small parking lot.

Routes overview

All routes here are marked and easy. There are also some unmarked paths in the Austrian map (ÖK), but I was not able to find any relevant information.

1. Bechlgraben, from south-east, also with ski. From the parking lot after Schardorf, continue on a forest road. The fenced water source is avoided by traversing steep forest on its left side (marks). After crossing a forest road at 1200m, enter the forest somewhat left, and stay in the couloir. Descent is the same (steep variants from the top possible), except that under 1200m, you take the forest aisle on the left. 3.5h.
   
2. The Reiting ridge, from south. Starting in Kammern, it goes up to Rammelhütte and from there on the ridge. 4.5h.

Castles

There are two castles, or rather ruines, on the south side of Reiting near each other. They are both reachable from the west end of the town Kammern im Liesingtal by walking for under one hour.

• Ruine Ehrenfels
  
• Ruine Kammerstein

Red Tape

No limitations, apart from a water source in Bechlgraben, which is fenced and to avoid using a marked path. At the parking lot near Schardorf there is an obscure box, which demands 1 EUR for parking.

When To Climb

Bechlgraben is steep and has even steeper grassy side slopes, so the snow conditions have to be very stable.

Accomodation

There are no alpine huts here. As Reiting is an isolated massif, doable in a day, there is no need for any. Following links take you to online lists of accomodation.

• Trofaiach is a small town near Leoben, best suitable as a base for Gößeck and other popular (ski) tours.
  
• Kammern im Liesingtal at the south base of Reiting.
  
• Leoben, if you like a bigger town.

Mountain Conditions

• For avalanche reports, see Lawinenwarndienst Steiermark.
  
• wetter.orf.at and
  
• ZAMG contain weather forecasts.

Literature & Maps

Guides

• Kurt Schall: Schitourenatlas Österreich Ost, 2005. A selection of popular ski tours.

Maps

• ÖK 132 Trofaiach 1:50000
  
• F&B WK 062 Gesäuse - Ennstaler Alpen - Schoberpass 1:50000
  
• Online map at www.austrianmap.at

Images

View Gößeck (Reiting) Image Gallery - 12 Images