Rax-Schneeberg Gruppe

Overview

The borders of Rax-Schneeberg Gruppe are (rivers or towns): Klostertaler Gescheid - Klausgraben - Mamauwiese - Sebastianbach - Puchberg/Schneeberg - Ternitz - Gloggnitz - Schottwien - Semmering - Mürzzuschlag - Kapellen - Naßkamm (between Rax and Schneealpe) - Schwarza - Voisbach - Klostertaler Gscheid

The most important mountains are

• Rax and
• Schneeberg

Getting There

• via Ternitz to Puchberg am Schneeberg or
• from Ternitz (continue an Semmeringschnellstraße - S6) to Gloggnitz to Reichenau an der Rax (for the south side of Schneeberg or Rax)

by train: from Vienna (Südbahnhof) via Wiener Neustadt (you have to change the trains) to Puchberg or to Reichenau. Puchberg and Reichenau bus transfer to the mountains (sometimes!!!)

Climbing, Hiking, Mountain Biking, Ski Touring, Skiing, Whitewater Kayaking

Climbing Areas:

The climbs in Höllental (valley between Schneeberg and Rax) range from easy (e.g. Stadelwandgrat (US 5.3; UIAA 3) to difficult like Hic Rhodus - Hic Salta (US 5.11d; UIAA 8+)

more information on Schneeberg climbs

Blechmauernverschneidung - Höllental	Dächerweg
Stadelwand	Stadelwandgrat	Bürklesteig

Climbing on Rax Southside: Several nice climbs on Preinerwand like Direkte Preinerwandplatte (US 5.7; UIAA 5-) - or Mit göttlicher Hand (US 5.9; UIAA 6)

Preinerwandplatte 1st pitch	Preinerwandplatte - Mit göttlicher Hand	Preinerwandplatte	Preinerwand

Via Ferrata:

a lot Viae Ferratae in Höllental: Weichtalklamm (easy), Gaisloch, Alpenvereinssteig

Alpenvereinssteig

and around Preiner Gscheid or Prein (Rax southside): to summit Heukuppe Reißtalersteig (easy) or to summit Preinerwand Königschusswand Steig (very difficult)

Karl Kantner Steig	Königsschusswandsteig	Haidsteig

starting at Hinternaßwald: Bärenloch and Wildfährte

Wildfährte

Hiking:

A lot of marked trails on Schneeberg and Rax

Fleischersteig (Kuhschneeberg)	Rax Plateau	Predigtstuhl and Langer Mann Rinne	Hiking near Siebenbrunnenkessel

Mountain biking:

Some dirt roads are open for mountain biking

Skiing:

Two small ski resorts at Losenheim (Schneeberg) and Reichenau

Skitouring:

Schneeberg:

offers very nice Skitouring possibilities (the steep northern descents like Lahning Ries, Rote Schütt Flanke, Privatries etc.) are best in spring. Winter ascents Fadensteig or Fadenweg, descents: Wurzengraben, Hoyosgraben and several more.

Lahning Ries	Wurzengraben	Fadensteig

Rax:

near Heukuppe	Siebenbrunnenkessel - Karlgraben	Karlgraben	Langermannrinne

Whitewater Kayaking:

Whitewater Kayaking is possible on the river Schwarza in Höllental.

Red Tape

water protection area - no littering, no camping etc. (first Vienna water supply) strictly No Trespassing in Krummbachgraben!! (near Kaiserbrunn)

Huts and Camping

in the Rax and Schneeberg Area are several huts (most of them are closed in winter).

in Höllental (between Schneeberg and Rax): Weichtalhaus (www.weichtalhaus.com) overnight stay in in small rooms or dormitories and In Kaiserbrunn camping is tolerated (for one night) - please keep this pleace tidy!! - but generally camping is strictly forbidden (water protection area)

Huts on Schneeberg and Rax

detail information on huts are on the mountain pages

Edelweisshütte	Heinrich Krempel Hütte	Fischerhütte	Damböckhaus
Habsburghaus	Raxgmoahütte	Neue Seehütte	Waxriegelhaus

Non Climbing Activities:

Wasserleitungsmuseum (water supply museum) at Kaiserbrunn (open only form May to end of October)

Rack Railway from Puchberg to the Schneeberg Plateau (open form May to end of October) -

External Links

climbing, skitouring, viae ferratae

www.bergsteigen.at  offers a lot of climbing, ice climbing, viae ferratae, skitouring information (only in German)

www.mbike.at  Mountain biking in southern Lower Austria

other links:

Webcams: www.schneeberg.tv Schneeberg Webcams Rax near the cablecar Webcam

Books + Maps

Kletterführer Höllental by Thomas Behm (6th ed. - 2006) available at Weichtalhaus , Freytag&Berndt (Vienna) etc. Genuß Kletteratlas Österreich Ost Band 1 Niederösterreich by K. Schall, G. Grabner, T. Behm (covers Lower Austria)

Map: ÖK Wanderkarte Schneeberg-Rax 1:25 000 published by BEV (not available online, but also on Austrian Map Fly DVD)