Hochschwab
2,277 m
Austria
Also known as ХохшвабAlso known as
Хохшваб
- Elevation
- 2,277 m
- Prominence
- 1,430 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T3 (Estimate for the steeper Graf-Meran-Steig section; no published grade found)
The most popular and shortest approach: from Seewiesen (about 970 m) along the Seetal and the Untere Dullwitz to the Voisthaler Hütte (1,654 m), up the Obere Dullwitz and the Graf-Meran-Steig to the Schiestlhaus (2,153 m), and in half an hour to the broad summit. About 1,300 m of ascent, 5–6 hours up; often split with a night at one of the huts.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 12.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,433 m
- −89 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,277 m
- Time Up
- 6h 33m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Seewiesen at the foot of the Steirischer Seeberg (bus stop 'Seewiesen Dullwitz'; limited parking in the Seetal just before the barrier) follow the forest road west through the Seetal at an easy gradient to the Florlhütte (1,284 m). The path then steepens through the Untere Dullwitz, a long trough below the Höllmauer; at the Franzosenkreuz you are halfway in distance but still have a little more than half the height to gain. The Voisthaler Hütte (1,654 m), rebuilt in 2020–21, is reached about 2½ hours from Seewiesen. Above the hut turn right and climb the Obere Dullwitz, then the Graf-Meran-Steig, the steeper section of the route, onto the summit plateau and the Schiestlhaus (2,153 m), about 2 hours from the Voisthaler Hütte. The Schiestlhaus, opened in 2005 as the first passive-energy hut in the Alps, stands 121 m below the summit. From there a marked path climbs the grassy and rocky dome in about 30 minutes to the summit cross at 2,277 m. Descend the same way, or traverse the eastern ridges over the Ringkamp and Hohe Weichsel back towards Seewiesen. The plateau is wide and featureless: in fog or a storm it is easy to lose the way, and weather on the Hochschwab has caused fatal accidents. Water is available at the huts.
Start
Seewiesen Dullwitz931 m
- Train to Kapfenberg (nearest station named by the Alpine Club), then Postbus to 'Seewiesen Dullwitz'.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seewiesen Dullwitz → Hochschwab | 12.8 | 1,433 | 89 | 6h 33m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Seewiesen Dullwitz931 m
Bus stop; parking in the Seetal shortly before the barrier (observe no-stopping signs)
- Waypoint: Florlhütte1,287 m
Seasonal alpine pasture hut
- Feature: Franzosenkreuz1,449 m
Below the Höllmauer; roughly halfway to the Voisthaler Hütte
- Hut: Voisthaler Hütte1,646 m
- Feature: Obere Dullwitz1,715 m
- Feature: Graf-Meran-Steig1,871 m
Steeper path from the Obere Dullwitz up to the plateau (not on route line)
- Hut: Schiestlhaus2,155 m
- Summit: Hochschwab2,277 m
Key Passages
- Untere Dullwitz below the Höllmauer
- Graf-Meran-Steig from the Obere Dullwitz to the plateau
- Open summit plateau between the Schiestlhaus and the summit
Equipment
0/5 packedDownloads
Route confidence 70%Overview
The highest summit (2,277 m) of the Hochschwab group, a karst limestone plateau massif in northern Styria. A long but technically easy hut-to-hut ascent from Seewiesen, finishing on a broad dome half an hour above the Schiestlhaus.
The Hochschwab group is a heavily karstified plateau massif with a high-mountain character, typical of the eastern Northern Limestone Alps: gently undulating high surfaces above about 1,330 m, broken off at their edges by steep walls and cirques. The rock is mainly Wetterstein limestone, which drains underground; springs at the edge of the massif supply drinking water, including the Second Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline. The summit itself, often just called 'Schwab', is a flat rock and grass dome seen from east or west, with a steep south wall.
The usual approach from Seewiesen in the east follows the Seetal and the Dullwitz troughs past the Voisthaler Hütte to the Schiestlhaus, the highest staffed hut in the group and the first passive-energy hut in the Alps. Other routes come from Weichselboden in the Salza valley to the north, from the Sonnschienalm in the west, and from the Trawiestal through the G'hackte, a short cabled gully. The long-distance paths 01 and 05 and the European routes E4 and E6 cross the summit.
The difficulty is length and weather rather than terrain: 1,300 m of ascent over long distances, and an open plateau where fog and storms make navigation hard. The Hochschwab has a history of weather accidents, including the deaths of five people trapped by a storm at about 2,000 m in November 1988.
Climbing Notes
Good fitness for 1,300 m of ascent and 20 km or more round trip is the main requirement; the marked paths are easy hiking terrain (around T2), steeper on the Graf-Meran-Steig. Carry full waterproofs and warm layers even in summer, and a map or GPS: the plateau is featureless in fog and the weather can turn quickly.
A comfortable plan is two days: walk from Seewiesen to the Voisthaler Hütte or the Schiestlhaus, climb the summit in the evening or early morning, and return or continue across the plateau. Book the Schiestlhaus by phone only, early; a hut sleeping bag is compulsory. The Voisthaler Hütte can be booked as part of the Hochschwab hut circuit. In early season, snow lies long in the Dullwitz and on the plateau.
History
The oldest known depiction of the mountain is in sketches by the cartographer Johannes Clobucciarich (died 1605) for a map of Inner Austria, showing a double summit labelled 'qui é semper neve' (here there is always snow). The name probably derives from a farm or owner's name, first applied to the Schwabenboden. The Voisthaler Hütte was first built in 1898 and rebuilt in 2020–21. The Schiestlhaus opened in its current form in 2005. In November 1988 a group of seven was caught by storms for two days at about 2,000 m; five died, in what was then the largest search operation of the Styrian mountain rescue.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski touring for experienced parties; avalanche risk in the Dullwitz
- Feb
- Winter; ski touring
- Mar
- Ski touring season for experienced ski-mountaineers
- Apr
- Spring ski tours; huts closed
- May
- Voisthaler Hütte opens early May, Schiestlhaus mid-May; snow on the upper route
- Jun
- Snowfields may linger high up
- Jul
- Main season; thunderstorms on the plateau
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Often stable weather
- Oct
- Huts open until 26 October (2026); early snow possible
- Nov
- Huts closed; early winter storms
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Schiestlhaus: book early and by phone only (+43 699 10812199), not by e-mail or SMS. Voisthaler Hütte: book via the Alpine Club hut reservation system or the hut phone.
- Fees
- Paid parking at the Fölzgraben (Thörl approach)
- Rules
- Seewiesen: parking in the Seetal only before the barrier; no-stopping zones are enforced by private legal action (Besitzstörungsklage)
- Getting There
Aflenz Kurort; Thörl; Seewiesen (Turnau)
Graz (GRZ); Vienna (VIE)
- By car to Seewiesen on the B20 between Kapfenberg and Mariazell; park in the Seetal before the barrier
- Train to Kapfenberg, then Postbus to 'Seewiesen Dullwitz'; other bus stops for hut approaches are Palbersdorf Fölz and Aflenz Kurort
- Alternative approaches from Aflenz (Bürgeralm chairlift), Thörl/Fölzgraben and Weichselboden
Hazards
- Weather
- Remoteness
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
2- 1,654 m
Voisthaler HütteHutStaffed
48 beds · Staffed 1 May – 26 October (2026); no winter room, unlocked shelter porch with seats and blankets
- 2,153 m
SchiestlhausHutStaffedBooking required
Staffed from about mid-May to 26 October (14 May – 26 October 2026); winter room for up to eight outside the season