Hochobir
2,139 m
Austria
Also known as Hochobir / Ojstrc, Ojstrc;Veliki Obir;Visoki ObirAlso known as
Hochobir / Ojstrc · Ojstrc;Veliki Obir;Visoki Obir
- Elevation
- 2,139 m
- Prominence
- 1,070 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1The short standard walk: from the Eisenkappler Hütte (1,555 m) at the top of the Hochobir toll road, trail 608 climbs through open forest to the Seealpe, then trail 623 passes the Napoleon-Wiese, the Kalte Quelle spring and the ruins of the Rainer-Schutzhaus to the summit cross. About 580 m and 1½ hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 4.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +587 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,139 m
- Time Up
- 2h 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 43m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive the Hochobir Alpenstraße, an 8 km single-track toll road (open 1 May – 31 October, EUR 10 in coins), from the Ebriach valley near Bad Eisenkappel to the Eisenkappler Hütte (1,555 m); park a little below the hut. Trail 608 climbs through open forest on a moderately steep path to the Seealpe. The lower part, the Eberhard-Klaura-Steig, is steep in places with stony steps and roots that need care, especially after rain. At the Seealpe turn left onto trail 623 and continue past the Napoleon-Wiese meadow and the Kalte Quelle spring (information board) to the ruins of the Rainer-Schutzhaus, a 19th-century shelter and weather station destroyed in the Second World War. The summit, with its 7 m metal cross, is about 20–25 minutes beyond on open ground. Descend the same way in about an hour. The view takes in the Karawanks and Kamnik Alps to the south, the Hohe Tauern as far as the Großglockner on clear days to the west, and the Saualpe and Petzen to the north and east. Longer, quieter routes start at the Schaidasattel (Simon-Rieger-Steig, about 1,070 m and 3 hours) and in Bad Eisenkappel (Pruggersteig, trail 603, about 1,580 m and 4 hours).
Start
Eisenkappler Hütte1,554 m
- No public transport to the hut; buses run from Völkermarkt and Klagenfurt to Bad Eisenkappel, from where the Pruggersteig (trail 603) climbs to the summit in about 4 hours.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eisenkappler Hütte → Hochobir | 4.3 | 587 | 0 | 2h 29m |
Waypoints
- Hut: Eisenkappler Hütte1,554 m
End of the Hochobir toll road; parking just below the hut
- Feature: Rainer-Schutzhaus (Ruine)2,039 m
Ruins of the old shelter and weather station, 20–25 minutes below the summit
- Summit: Hochobir2,139 m
Key Passages
- Steep Eberhard-Klaura-Steig section on trail 608
- Seealpe junction (trail 623)
- Rainer-Schutzhaus ruins
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest summit of the northern Karawanks (2,139 m), a limestone massif rising over the Drau valley south-east of Klagenfurt. A toll road reaches the Eisenkappler Hütte at 1,555 m, leaving a 1½-hour walk past old mines and weather-station ruins to one of Carinthia's widest views.
The Hochobir (Slovene Ojstrc) is the dominant mountain of the northern Karawanks in southern Carinthia, standing apart from the main Karawanks ridge on the Slovenian border. Its free position over the Jauntal and Drau valley gives a panorama from the Hohe Tauern in the west to the Saualpe and Petzen to the north and east, with the Karawanks and Kamnik Alps filling the southern horizon.
The massif is built of Wetterstein limestone and was mined for lead for centuries; tunnels and spoil heaps are scattered over its flanks, and the Obir dripstone caves in the east of the massif, discovered by miners, are now a show cave. On the upper slopes stand the ruins of the Rainer-Schutzhaus, part of one of the first mountain weather stations in the Alps.
With the toll road to the Eisenkappler Hütte the summit is an easy half-day walk, and nine marked trails reach it from different sides. Longer approaches from the Schaidasattel or Bad Eisenkappel make a full day of 1,000–1,600 m of ascent.
Climbing Notes
From the Eisenkappler Hütte the walk is about 580 m and 1½ hours up, graded T2. The lower part of trail 608 is steep, stony and rooty and needs care when wet; otherwise there are no difficulties. Ordinary hiking kit is enough in summer, and the hut offers food and overnight stays.
The toll road is open from 1 May to 31 October and costs EUR 10, payable in coins only (a change machine is at the barrier). For a full day on foot, use the Simon-Rieger-Steig from the Schaidasattel (about 3 hours up, 6½ hours for the loop via the hut) or the Pruggersteig from Bad Eisenkappel (about 4 hours, 1,580 m). Outside the road season the hut approach adds about 8 km of road walking, and winter conditions on the upper slopes call for avalanche awareness.
History
The name is recorded in 1637 as 'Obier' and originally referred to a mining area near the summit; the highest mine, Hochobir, had a miners' house at 2,043 m. Weather observations began there in 1846, and from 1878 to 1880 a station was set up with the Rainer-Schutzhaus shelter, one of the first weather stations in the Alps. It was extended in 1891 with the Hannwarte on the summit. Both the Hannwarte and the Rainer-Schutzhaus were destroyed in the Second World War. The present 7 m metal summit cross was put up in 1972 on the initiative of the Landjugend Gallizien.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Toll road closed; winter conditions
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter; spring snow
- Apr
- Snow on the upper slopes; road still closed
- May
- Toll road opens 1 May; hut open Friday to Sunday in May
- Jun
- Alpine flowers; hut open
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Clear views
- Oct
- Toll road open until 31 October; shorter days
- Nov
- Road closed; early winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Hochobir Alpenstraße toll road to the Eisenkappler Hütte: EUR 10 per car, coins only (change machine at the barrier); buses up to 10 m
- Rules
- Toll road open 1 May – 31 October only; single-track with passing places, 30 km/h
- Getting There
Bad Eisenkappel
Klagenfurt Airport (KLU)
- Car: from Klagenfurt or Völkermarkt to Bad Eisenkappel; shortly before the town turn onto the L131 towards Zell Pfarre/Ebriach and after about 2 km right onto the toll road to the Eisenkappler Hütte
- Alternative start at the Schaidasattel (1,068 m) on the road between Zell Pfarre and Bad Eisenkappel
- Without a car: bus to Bad Eisenkappel and the Pruggersteig (trail 603) to the summit
Hazards
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,555 m
Eisenkappler HütteHutStaffed
May to October (in May only Friday to Sunday)