Hochgolling
2,862 m
Austria
Also known as Хохголинг, ჰოხგოლინგი, +1Also known as
Хохголинг · ჰოხგოლინგი · Хохголлинг
- Elevation
- 2,862 m
- Prominence
- 1,124 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T5 (Bergwelten) · VF A/B (bergsteigen.com)
The route of Archduke Johann's 1817 ascent: from the Riesachfall car park (about 1,075 m) up the Steinriesental to the Gollinghütte (1,643 m), steep scree to the Gollingscharte (2,326 m), then gullies, slabs and short rock steps (I, some cables) across the west flank to the summit. About 1,800 m of ascent; long, exposed in places and prone to stonefall.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 9.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,867 m
- −82 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,862 m
- Time Up
- 7h 32m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 10m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at the Riesachfall inn at the head of the Untertal above Schladming, walk south up the Steinriesental past the Grangealm, the lower Steinwenderalm and the Laberer Boden pond to the Gollinghütte (1,643 m), about 2 hours. Many parties sleep here. From the hut follow the Steinriesenbach past the ruins of the upper Steinwenderalm (1,705 m) into the Gollingwinkel beneath the 1,000 m north face, then climb steep zigzags on scree (trail 702/778, snow often lingering into summer) to the Gollingscharte (2,326 m) on the main ridge. Turn left onto the marked path, which traverses left across debris and old snow and then climbs a series of gullies, slabs and rock steps on the west flank, gaining height quickly. Several very steep gullies are crossed, some with a fixed cable. At about 2,600 m a signpost marks the fork: the classic route continues right over higher rock steps and ribs and gains the north-west ridge just below the summit; the exposed north-west ridge variant (II, mostly unprotected) is for experienced climbers only. Allow 3–4½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way: 2½–3½ hours to the hut and about 1½ hours more to the car park. The Göriachtal approach from the Lungau (car park at the Vordere Göriachalmen, 1,422 m, trails 775 and 702 via the Landawirseehütte area) reaches the same col with about 350 m less ascent. Do not attempt the west flank with snow in the gullies, and beware of stonefall from parties above.
Start
Riesachfall1,078 m
- Train to Schladming, then the seasonal summer bus (line 974) up the Untertal to the Riesachfall stop. For the Göriachtal approach, train to Tamsweg and bus 720.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riesachfall → Gollinghütte | 5.4 | 610 | 49 | 2h 49m |
| 2 | Gollinghütte → Hochgolling | 3.8 | 1,256 | 33 | 4h 44m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Riesachfall1,078 m
Toll/parking fee collected in the Untertal; Gasthaus Riesachfall nearby
- Hut: Gollinghütte1,639 m
- Col: Gollingscharte2,325 m
- Summit: Hochgolling2,862 m
Key Passages
- Steep scree zigzags from the Gollingwinkel to the Gollingscharte
- Steep gullies crossed on the west flank, some with cables
- Rock steps and ribs below the north-west ridge (I)
- Optional north-west ridge variant (II)
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest peak of the Niedere Tauern (2,862 m), a dark three-sided gneiss pyramid on the Salzburg–Styria border above Schladming, with a 1,000 m north face. The normal route is a long, exposed mountain walk with easy rock steps, usually split with a night at the Gollinghütte.
Hochgolling stands on the Alpine main ridge in the Schladming Tauern, on the border between Salzburg's Lungau and Styria; the summit itself lies in Salzburg. It is a blunt pyramid with three ridges: north-west to the Gollingscharte, north-east to the Rottor and south towards the Kasereck. Its north face, about 1,000 m high, closes off the Untertal valley above Schladming and is one of the big walls of the Eastern Alps. The rock is gneiss and amphibolite rather than limestone, and the name probably comes from the Slavic for 'bare'.
As the highest point of the whole Niedere Tauern, it has a wide view over the Dachstein, the Hohe Tauern and the lake-dotted Schladming Tauern. It is not a beginner's peak: the normal route crosses a steep west flank with gullies, slabs and short rock steps of grade I, some protected by cables, and stonefall is a real risk.
Most parties approach from the north via the Gollinghütte (1,643 m), giving about 1,800 m of ascent from the Riesachfall car park. From the Lungau in the south, the Göriachtal approach via the Landawirseehütte area is about 350 m and an hour shorter to the same col.
Climbing Notes
Requires good fitness for about 1,800 m of ascent, sure-footedness and a head for heights on exposed grade I rock. A helmet is advised because of stonefall in the west-flank gullies. Most people walk to the Gollinghütte on day one (about 2 hours) and climb the peak on day two (3–4 hours up, 4–5 hours back to the car); fit parties do it in a single 9–10 hour day.
The route is best from July to September, once the gullies are free of snow; old snow in the steep gullies on the west flank is dangerous, and the hut owner and route descriptions warn against going with snow cover. The north-west ridge variant (II) is unprotected and exposed. Afternoon thunderstorms are common; start early. The Gollinghütte is open early June to early October and has no winter room.
History
The first ascent was made on 8 August 1791 by several climbers from Tamsweg, recorded in the diary of the physician Joseph Alois Vogt. In 1811 Bavarian surveyors built a stone pyramid about 4 m high on the summit. Archduke Johann made the celebrated first tourist ascent on 28 August 1817, after the hunter Jakob Buchsteiner had improved the route and cut steps into the final ridge; his line is today's normal route. The north face was first crossed in descent in 1897; the central line (III) was climbed in 1921, a more direct route (IV) in 1923, and the Direct North Face (V+) by Werner Hollomey and Helmuth Gruber in 1947.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; serious alpine terrain, avalanche risk
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Winter conditions
- May
- Deep snow in the gullies and below the col
- Jun
- Gollinghütte opens early June (3 June in 2026); old snow in the west-flank gullies
- Jul
- Main season once the gullies are clear; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Often stable; fewer people
- Oct
- Hut closes early October (4 October in 2026); early snow and ice
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Gollinghütte (Alpine Gesellschaft Preintaler): book online via hut-reservation.org or by phone (+43 676 533 6288). No winter room.
- Fees
- Parking fee for the Untertal/Riesachfall car park (EUR 11 per day in 2022; collected near Tettermoor)
- Hut overnight fees, with discounts for alpine club members
- Getting There
Schladming (Untertal approach); Göriach / Mariapfarr (Göriachtal approach)
Salzburg Airport (SZG)
- Train to Schladming, then the seasonal summer bus up the Untertal to the Riesachfall stop
- Car from Schladming via Rohrmoos into the Untertal to the Riesachfall car park (fee)
- South side: train to Tamsweg, bus 720 towards Göriach; or drive via Mariapfarr into the Göriachtal to the Vordere Göriachalmen car park (1,422 m)
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,643 m
GollinghütteHutStaffed
104 beds · Early June to early October (3 June – 4 October 2026); no winter room