Overview
geographical classification: Eastern Alps > Hohe Tauern > Venediger GroupThe Venediger Group is the northwestern and one of the most important and interesting parts of the Hohe Tauern. Grossvenediger itself is in the very center of it's group and long ridges spread wide out to all sides that include many more interesting mountains, although they are not of equal height. At the main ridge where the sub-ridges end there are glaciers of still remarkable size so this area is perhaps the most "arctic" region of the eastern alps, together with the Oetztal Alps.
central Venediger Group seen from east
From all sides pittoresque valleys lead from the villages to the mountains. There are many mountain cabins related by hiking trails, especially on the south side. So you can walk from hut to hut about a week or longer and need not to descend into civilization. Because of these advantages and the great scenery the area is very popular and you cannot expect lonelyness.
In the spring season there are great possiblities for ski mountaineering. The traverse of the whole group and further on towards the Grossglockner - called "Ski Route Hoch-Tirol" has become very popular in recent years and is often compared with the famous "Haute Route" between Chamonix and Zermatt. The Essener-Rostocker Huette mountain hut is in the center of one of the best areas for ski mountaineering and the Kuersinger hut can also be highly recommended.
There are no cablecars or pay roads in the whole mountain group which is mainly part of the National Park "Hohe Tauern". So here you can find pure high mountains at their best, more than anywhere else in Austria.
To fullfill the picture it must be said that it is a paradise for independent and experienced climbers but there are no popular climbs in higher grades of difficulty neither in ice nor in rocks.
 |  |  |  |  |
Getting There
The Venediger Group builds the northwestern part of the Hohe Tauern. Politically it belongs mainly to Austria (northern part to the province of Salzburg, southern part to the province of eastern Tyrol), only the SW edge belongs to the italian province of Alto Adige/South Tyrol.Getting there depends on in which valley you want to start your activities.
For the main roads:
For details please refer to the following maps:
