Hochkönig
2,941 m
Austria
Also known as Хохкьониг, ჰოხკენიგი, +1Also known as
Хохкьониг · ჰოხკენიგი · Хохкёниг
- Elevation
- 2,941 m
- Prominence
- 2,181 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 1 Jan 2025
Since 2025 the upper part of the Birgkar path (descent from the Königsjodler and the Birgkarscharte) is no longer maintained by the Alpenverein; it is steep, loose and dangerous when wet or snowy. Source gives the year only.
bergsteigen.com
Routes
2The easiest standard ascent and the line of the 1826 first tourist ascent: from the Arthurhaus above Mühlbach (1,500 m) past the Mitterfeldalm and the Torsäule, up the cabled 'Kniebeißer' step and across the rock and snow plateau of the former Übergossene Alm glacier to the Matrashaus on the summit (2,941 m). About 1,550–1,700 m of ascent and 5–6 hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 9.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,557 m
- −118 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,941 m
- Time Up
- 6h 38m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 43m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the paid car park at the Arthurhaus (1,500 m) a broad track leads in about 45 minutes to the Mitterfeldalm, the last place to eat before the summit. The path then climbs through the Ochsenkar to the Torsäule, a prominent rock pillar roughly halfway, where the vegetation ends. Above, a steep section partly secured with fixed cables (the 'Kniebeißer', below the Kleiner Bratschenkopf and the Schrammbachscharte) leads onto the high plateau. The plateau is the remains of the Übergossene Alm, once a broad plateau glacier and now bare limestone with scattered ice patches and snowfields in the hollows. A pole-marked path crosses it for about 3 km, with many short counter-ascents, so allow 1½–2 hours from the plateau edge even though the hut looks close. Two short ladders and, just below the summit, three ladders are the only technical points. The Matrashaus stands on the summit itself. Total about 10 km and 5–6 hours. Descend the same way in 4–5 hours, including more than 150 m of counter-ascent. The plateau is featureless in fog and the scene of most of the mountain's search operations; light rain in the valley can mean a snowstorm on the summit. Start early, and consider a night at the Matrashaus.
Start
Arthurhaus1,501 m
- Train to Bischofshofen, bus to Mühlbach am Hochkönig; check whether services continue to the Arthurhaus.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthurhaus → Hochkönig | 9.6 | 1,557 | 118 | 6h 38m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Arthurhaus1,501 m
Paid car park; full by late morning on fine weekends
- Hut: Mitterfeldalm1,669 m
- Feature: Torsäule2,345 m
Roughly halfway; end of vegetation
- Col: Schrammbachscharte2,528 m
Steep, cabled 'Kniebeißer' step onto the plateau (not on route line)
- Summit: Hochkönig2,941 m
Key Passages
- Cabled 'Kniebeißer' step below the Schrammbachscharte
- Pole-marked crossing of the Übergossene Alm plateau
- Ladders below the summit
Equipment
0/7 packedVia ferrata set (harness, lanyard, helmet) — suggested by map data: OpenStreetMap maps part of this line as a via ferrata.
Downloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest peak of the Berchtesgaden Alps (2,941 m) and one of the most prominent in the Alps, a limestone massif above Mühlbach and Dienten in Salzburg. A long T3 walk across the remains of the Übergossene Alm plateau glacier leads to the Matrashaus hut on the summit.
The Hochkönig is a massive limestone block in the Austrian state of Salzburg, bounded by the Salzach valley to the east and the Blühnbachtal to the north, and linked to the Steinernes Meer in the west. Its prominence of about 2,180 m is among the six greatest in the Alps, and no higher ground lies within 34 km. The south side drops in a long line of cliffs and towers above Dienten and Mühlbach; the top is a high karst plateau that until recently carried the Übergossene Alm, a plateau glacier of 5.5 km² in 1888, reduced to less than 0.2 km² by 2023.
The summit carries the Matrashaus, a staffed hut supplied by helicopter, so the climb ends at a terrace rather than a cross on bare rock. The standard ascent from the Arthurhaus is a long, sustained walk with one cabled step and a few ladders, but the plateau is featureless in fog and the weather can turn quickly: most search operations on the mountain start with a late departure.
For experienced via ferrata climbers, the Königsjodler along the south ridge is one of the longest and hardest sport via ferratas in the Eastern Alps. In winter the descent over the Floßkogel to Werfen or Tenneck is described as the longest ski-tour descent in the Eastern Alps.
Climbing Notes
The normal route needs stamina rather than technique: 1,550–1,700 m of cumulative ascent and about 20 km in total, 5–6 hours up and 4–5 hours down. Sure-footedness and a head for heights are needed on the cabled step below the plateau and the ladders near the top. Crampons are normally not needed any more, but snowfields can be icy early and late in the season.
Start early and turn back in deteriorating weather: rain in the valley can mean a snowstorm on the summit, and the plateau is hard to navigate in fog. A night at the Matrashaus (book ahead; mid-June to mid-October) breaks up the long round trip. Parking at the Arthurhaus fills by late morning on fine weekends.
The Königsjodler is an 11–13 hour day for fit, experienced via ferrata climbers only; plan the descent by the normal route to the Arthurhaus with transport arranged back to the Dientner Sattel, as the Birgkar descent is steep, loose and no longer maintained in its upper part.
History
Local hunters reached the summit long before the first recorded ascent, made on 5 September 1826 by the theology professor Peter Karl Thurwieser with the officers Ernst von Joanelli and von Sax and ten porters, by today's normal route from the Arthurhaus through the Ochsenkar; Joanelli was a surveyor and the summit is still a first-order trigonometric point. The first summit refuge was built in 1898; it burned down in 1982 and the rebuilt Franz-Eduard-Matras-Haus opened in 1985. The Königsjodler via ferrata has existed since 2001. Copper was mined at Mitterberg on the mountain's flank from about 3000 BC until 1977.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- 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; ski tours for experienced parties
- Feb
- Winter; ski tours
- Mar
- Ski touring season (long descent towards Werfen); avalanche risk
- Apr
- Spring ski tours
- May
- Snow on the plateau; hut closed
- Jun
- Matrashaus opens mid-June; extensive snowfields on the plateau
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; busy, start early for parking
- Sep
- Stable weather, fewer people
- Oct
- Matrashaus closes mid-October; early snow and ice
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Matrashaus: booking strongly requested, online via huetten-holiday.com or by phone (+43 6467 7566). Erichhütte (ÖAV) for the Königsjodler.
- Fees
- Paid parking at the Arthurhaus
- Hut overnight fees at the Matrashaus
- Rules
- Arthurhaus car park often full and closed by late morning on fine weekends
- Getting There
Mühlbach am Hochkönig; Dienten; Bischofshofen
Salzburg (SZG)
- By car: A10 Tauern motorway to Bischofshofen, then the B164 to Mühlbach and the road to the Arthurhaus; for the Königsjodler, continue on the B164 to the Dientner Sattel
- Train to Bischofshofen, bus to Mühlbach am Hochkönig
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure
- Rockfall
Huts & Shelters
3- 1,545 m
ErichhütteHutStaffed
June to October
- 1,670 m
MitterfeldalmHutStaffed
- 2,941 m
MatrashausHutStaffed
105 beds · Mid-June to mid-October; unheated winter room with 8 places