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Großes Ochsenhorn

2,511 m

Austria

Also known as Grosses Ochsenhorn, Ochsenhorn

Grosses Ochsenhorn · Ochsenhorn

Elevation
2,511 m
Prominence
1,309 m
Difficulty
5/10
Easy alpine
Best Season
Aug–Sep
Routes
1

Routes

1
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UIAAISources differ: II (kraxl.de (isolated places of II))SACT5ScrambleNormal route

Sources differ: II (kraxl.de (isolated places of II))

The normal route up the highest of the Loferer Steinberge: trail 601 from the Loferer Hochtal through beech forest and the Tret to the Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte (1,966 m), then across the karst of the Wehrgrube to the Sattelhornsattel and up ledges and easy chimneys of the north-west flank (UIAA I, short steps of II). About 1,700 m of ascent from the car park.

Elevation Profile

5001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0000 km1234567Schmidt-Zabierow-HütteSattelhornsattel
Distance
7.4 km
one way
Ascent
+1,865 m
−150 m lost on the way up
High Point
2,511 m
Time Up
7h 26m
DIN 33466
Time Down
5h 10m
DIN 33466 · same way back

From the free car park at the end of the Loferer Hochtal road south-west of Lofer (about 800–900 m) follow the well-built trail 601 through beech forest to the ruined Scheffauer Alm and on through the scrub of the Unteres, Mittleres and Oberes Tret. At a junction at about 1,820 m either go straight on by the steeper direct path or bear right over karst steps along the east side of the Breithorn to the edge of the Große Wehrgrube; the hut stands just beyond on the Falzköpfl (1,966 m), about 2½–3½ hours and 1,150 m from the car park. From the hut descend into the lower Große Wehrgrube and cross water-worn limestone with deep dolines below the 'Nas'n' to the Webermarterl wayside shrine, drop a few metres into the Kleine Wehrgrube and climb to the Sattelhornsattel, marked on a large boulder. The marked normal route then climbs the north-west flank over scree, broken rock and ledges (the 'Ochsendaumen', 2,410 m, is a useful landmark) and short, easy chimneys of solid, well-marked rock (UIAA I, isolated places of II) to a ridge; there a steep step is bypassed by a broad ledge and broken ground, and a small gully leads to the summit cross. About 2½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way. Several marked routes cross the flank, so watch the paint marks closely or you may end up descending a different line. Most parties stay a night at the hut; as a day tour it is about 8–10 hours and 1,850 m of ascent and needs good fitness.

Start

Parkplatz Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte796 m

  • Train to Saalfelden, Postbus to Lofer, then the bus towards St. Johann/Kitzbühel to the Loferer Hochtal stop (per the DAV hut leaflet); walk up the valley road to the car park.
  • Parking at the trailhead

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Parkplatz Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte → Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte4.31,16204h 25m
2Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte → Großes Ochsenhorn3.27031503h 02m

Waypoints

  1. Parking:
    Parkplatz Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte796 m

    End of the public road in the Loferer Hochtal

  2. Feature:
    Oberes Tret1,753 m

    not on route line

  3. Hut:
    Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte1,958 m
  4. Waypoint:
    Webermarterl1,964 m

    Wayside shrine before the Kleine Wehrgrube

  5. Col:
    Sattelhornsattel2,094 m
  6. Summit:
    Großes Ochsenhorn2,511 m

Key Passages

  • Trail 601 through the Tret
  • Karst of the Große and Kleine Wehrgrube
  • Sattelhornsattel
  • Ledges and easy chimneys of the north-west flank (I, II)
  • Small gully below the summit

Equipment

0/6 packed
Safety
Footwear
Clothing
Navigation
Hut & Camping

Downloads

Route confidence 75%
Download GPXDownload KML

Overview

The highest peak of the Loferer Steinberge (2,511 m), a rugged limestone massif above Lofer in the Salzburg Saalach valley. From the Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte a marked scramble through karst hollows and up the north-west flank reaches the top in about 2½ hours.

The Loferer Steinberge rise abruptly south-west of Lofer, a compact ring of grey limestone peaks around high karst basins, between the Wilder Kaiser to the west and the Berchtesgaden Alps to the east. The Großes Ochsenhorn is the highest of them, standing on the southern rim of the massif above the Große and Kleine Wehrgrube, with the Mittleres and Vorderes Ochsenhorn on its eastern ridge.

The only staffed hut in the range, the German Alpine Club's Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte (1,966 m), sits on a rock shoulder above Lofer and is the base for nearly all summits, the Nuaracher Höhenweg and many climbing routes. From the hut, the normal route crosses a lunar landscape of polished limestone and dolines before scrambling up ledges and short chimneys on the north-west flank.

It is a quiet, rough mountain: no lifts, no water above the hut, and a summit view across the Leoganger Steinberge, the Steinernes Meer, the Kaiser and the Hohe Tauern.

Climbing Notes

Allow two days: about 3 hours and 1,150 m from the Loferer Hochtal to the hut, then about 2½ hours and 550 m to the summit. As a single day the round trip is about 8–10 hours with 1,850 m of ascent. The summit route is mostly marked scrambling at UIAA I with isolated moves of II; sure-footedness, a head for heights and confidence on easy rock without cables are essential. A helmet is sensible.

The karst plateau is confusing in fog and holds old snow in the hollows into early summer; with snow on the north-west flank the route needs more skill and possibly an ice axe. Several marked routes cross the flank, so follow the markings carefully on the descent. There is no water on the route above the hut. In winter the hut is closed and the range is visited only by experienced ski-tourers.

Season

Best Aug–Sep
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Not advisable
  4. April: Not advisable
  5. May: Not advisable
  6. June: Possible
  7. July: Good
  8. August: Best (best window)
  9. September: Best (best window)
  10. October: Possible
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter; hut closed (winter room with AV key only)
Feb
Winter; ski tours for experienced parties
Mar
Winter
Apr
Spring snow; avalanche risk in the karst basins
May
Snow in the Wehrgrube and on the flank
Jun
Hut opens mid-June; old snow in the hollows
Jul
Snow mostly gone by mid-July; thunderstorms
Aug
Best season
Sep
Best season; stable weather
Oct
Hut closes early October (4 October in 2026); early snow possible
Nov
Winter conditions
Dec
Winter

Access & Permits

Hut Booking
Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte: book online via hut-reservation.org (hut 724).
Fees
  • Hut overnight fees, with discounts for Alpine Club members
Getting There

Lofer

Salzburg Airport (SZG)

  • Train to Saalfelden, Postbus to Lofer, then the bus towards St. Johann/Kitzbühel to the Loferer Hochtal stop
  • Car: B21 from Bad Reichenhall or B311 from Saalfelden to Lofer, then towards Pass Strub and turn off into the Loferer Hochtal; free car park at the end of the road (about 807 m)

Hazards

  • Exposure
  • Rockfall
  • Weather

Huts & Shelters

1
Researched from 6 sourcesConfidence80%UnreviewedUpdated 7 Oct 2026
Sources & Caveats
  • merged with Wikidata/OSM names
  • Natural Earth 10m point-in-polygon + 300 m border buffer; Wikidata P17 countries whose border is within 5 km
  • Elevation: the skeleton gives 2,511 m; OpenStreetMap and some tourism sources give 2,513 m.; Hut capacity (18 beds and 43 dormitory places, plus 15 emergency places, given here as 61) and the winter room details come from the DAV leaflet of 2014 and may have changed.; The bus connection to the Loferer Hochtal stop is from the 2014 DAV leaflet and was not checked against a current timetable.; No SAC grade is published; T5 is an estimate for marked scrambling at UIAA I–II.
  • normalizeGrade of the easiest researched route
  • OSM states 2513 m
  • coordinates: 1 osm
  • Kirmse analysis gives 1307 m (raw GLO-30 1288 m)
  • P4552 chain
  • 100% OSM trail graph, 0% short gaps between OSM fragments, 0% DEM least-cost, 0% straight (approx)
  • elevation from copernicus_glo30