Hoher Dachstein
2,995 m
Austria
Also known as Хое Дахщайн, Dachstein, +3Also known as
Хое Дахщайн · Dachstein · დახშტაინი · Muntele Dachstein · Хоэр-Дахштейн
- Elevation
- 2,995 m
- Prominence
- 2,136 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 9 May 2026 · until 8 Nov 2026
Dachstein Gletscherbahn summer season 2026: daily from 9 May to 8 November, 08:00–17:20. In 2025 the cable car closed for maintenance from 10 November to 24 December.
derdachstein.at
Routes
2Sources differ: VF C (bergsteigen.com (first metres above the glacier, depending on snow level)) · VF B/C (Bergwelten)
The usual way up today: the Dachstein glacier cable car from Ramsau to the Hunerkogel (2,687 m), 45 minutes across the groomed Schladminger and Hallstätter glacier towards the Seethalerhütte, then about 250 m of cabled rock up the Schulter (east shoulder) to join the Randkluftsteig for the last section to the summit. A half-day from the top station.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 2.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +588 m
- −169 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,995 m
- Time Up
- 2h 39m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 2h 06m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the top station of the Dachstein Gletscherbahn on the Hunerkogel (2,687 m), stairs or a conveyor belt lead down onto the glacier. Follow the piste-machine track past the Dirndl and the Gjaidstein in a wide arc towards the Seethalerhütte on the Dachsteinwarte (2,740 m), about 45 minutes. Shortly before the hut, leave the track for the lowest point of the Schulter, the rock ridge running east from the summit. This crossing is usually free of crevasses, but parties have fallen into crevasses taking shortcuts; stay on the prepared track or rope up. The Schulter via ferrata (start about 2,750 m) is steepest right at the beginning, where the step from snow to rock depends on the glacier level and can be awkward (C in some sources), then eases to A/B on the ridge. From the shoulder a ledge leads right to join the Randkluftsteig, which climbs at A/B to B to the summit cross. About 245 m of protected climbing, 1–1½ hours depending on traffic. Descend the same way. The older normal line directly up the Randkluftsteig from the Hallstätter Gletscher is now regarded as dangerous because glacier retreat has opened large, partly hidden crevasses and a bergschrund below the rock; the Ramsau mountain guides and the alpine club authors recommend the Schulter for both ascent and descent. On fine summer days up to 100 people may try for the summit and there is two-way traffic on the cables: take the first cable car and keep clear of afternoon thunderstorms.
Start
Dachstein Gletscherbahn Bergstation2,579 m
- Dachstein Gletscherbahn, Ramsau (valley station about 1,690 m) to the Hunerkogel (2,687 m); in 2026 it ran daily 9 May – 8 November, 08:00–17:20.
- Train to Schladming, bus via Ramsau am Dachstein to the Dachstein Gletscherbahn valley station (line 960 per bergsteigen.com; check the current timetable), then the cable car to the Hunerkogel.
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dachstein Gletscherbahn Bergstation → Hoher Dachstein | 2.9 | 588 | 169 | 2h 39m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Dachstein Gletscherbahn Bergstation2,579 m
Top station on the Hunerkogel
- Hut: Seethalerhütte2,711 m
Also called Dachsteinwarte; the Schulter is a few steps west of the hut
- Summit: Hoher Dachstein2,995 m
Key Passages
- Off-track crossing from the groomed glacier to the Schulter
- Snow-to-rock step at the start of the Schulter via ferrata
- Junction with the Randkluftsteig
- Summit block
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest point of Upper Austria and Styria (2,995 m), a limestone summit rising above the Hallstätter and Schladminger glaciers. A cable car to 2,687 m puts it within a half-day of Ramsau: a short glacier walk and a busy via ferrata of about 250 m.
The Hoher Dachstein crowns a karst massif of some 600 km² on the border of Upper Austria, Styria and Salzburg, with dozens of tops above 2,500 m. To the south it breaks off in the 800 m Dachstein south face above Ramsau; to the north it sends down the Hallstätter, Schladminger and Großer Gosau glaciers, the largest in the Northern Limestone Alps, towards a high, waterless plateau of sinkholes and dwarf pine that ends above Hallstatt and the Hallstätter See. The northern side is part of the Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut UNESCO World Heritage site.
Since the Dachstein Gletscherbahn reaches the Hunerkogel at 2,687 m, the summit is only about 300 m above the top station. The usual ascent crosses the groomed glacier towards the Seethalerhütte and climbs the Schulter via ferrata, joining the old Randkluftsteig for the last section. It is short but exposed, and on fine summer days up to 100 people try it, with queues and two-way traffic on the cables. The direct Randkluftsteig from the glacier is now hazardous because of large crevasses at the snow-to-rock transition.
For a longer, quieter day, the northern approach from Obertraun or Hallstatt via the Simonyhütte crosses the Hallstätter Gletscher, a real glacier tour with crevasses. The south face carries some of the Eastern Alps' best-known climbs and via ferratas, among them the Steinerweg and the long Johann Klettersteig (D).
Climbing Notes
From the Hunerkogel the summit needs no great fitness (about 450 m of ascent and descent over 4–5 hours), but it does need via ferrata experience, a head for heights and proper kit: helmet, harness, via ferrata set, crampons and an ice axe for the glacier and the snow-to-rock step, and glacier knowledge or a rope for the short off-track section to the Schulter. Altitude is barely noticeable for most people. Mountain guides in Ramsau and Schladming lead the route daily in summer and are a sensible choice for anyone new to glaciers.
Take the first cable car (from 08:00 in summer 2026) to stay ahead of the crowds and the afternoon thunderstorms, which are frequent in July and August; cables and the summit cross attract lightning. The Seethalerhütte (2,740 m), a few minutes from the start of the via ferrata, has only about 23 places but makes an overnight possible for an early start.
The northern route via the Simonyhütte is a two-day glacier tour with about 1,200 m of ascent from the Gjaidalm and requires rope, crampons and crevasse-rescue skills. In winter and spring the summit is climbed with crampons and ice axe by ski tourers; the cables may be buried under snow and ice.
History
The first recorded ascent was made on 18 July 1834 by Peter Karl Thurwieser with the brothers Adam and Peter Gappmayr, by way of the Gosau glacier; an earlier attempt by Archduke Charles over the Hallstätter Gletscher had failed. Jakob Buchsteiner may have reached the summit in 1819, but this is disputed. The geographer Friedrich Simony, whose name the hut on the north side bears, made the first winter ascent on 14 January 1847 and studied the glaciers for decades. The south face was first climbed on 22 September 1909 by the brothers Irg and Franz Steiner. On 15 April 1954 thirteen people from Heilbronn, ten schoolboys and three teachers, died in a snowstorm on the plateau near the Krippenstein, the Dachstein hiking disaster. Downhill skiing on the glacier ended in 2022; the top station on the Hunerkogel was rebuilt in 2023–2024.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- 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 ascents by ski tourers with crampons; cable car usually runs with reduced hours
- Feb
- Winter conditions; cables may be buried
- Mar
- Ski touring season; Seethalerhütte opens in winter (to late March in 2027)
- Apr
- Spring snow; avalanche risk on approaches
- May
- Cable car summer season from early May (9 May in 2026); snow and ice on the via ferrata
- Jun
- Snow at the start of the via ferrata; crampons usually needed
- Jul
- Main season; crowded, afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; crowded, afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Often stable weather and fewer people; Simonyhütte closes in late September
- Oct
- Seethalerhütte open until mid/late October; early snow and verglas on the cables
- Nov
- Cable car ends its summer season in early November and usually closes for maintenance until Christmas
- Dec
- Winter conditions; cable car often closed for maintenance until late December
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Seethalerhütte (about 23 places) and Simonyhütte: book in advance, the Simonyhütte through hut-reservation.org; the Seethalerhütte by phone or e-mail via the Alpenverein hut page.
- Fees
- Dachstein Gletscherbahn return ticket (Ramsau–Hunerkogel)
- Toll road (Dachsteinstraße) from Ramsau to the cable car valley station; the toll ticket is validated at the top station
- Dachstein Krippenstein cable car for the northern approach
- Hut overnight fees with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- Stay on the groomed glacier track or rope up; crevasse falls have occurred on shortcuts
- Hut sleeping bag compulsory in Alpenverein huts
- Hallstatt: park only in official car parks (illegally parked cars are towed); the Echerntal car park is no longer available for Simonyhütte hikers
- Getting There
Ramsau am Dachstein and Schladming (south); Obertraun and Hallstatt (north)
Salzburg (SZG)
- South: train to Schladming, bus via Ramsau to the Dachstein Gletscherbahn valley station; by car via the toll road from Ramsau
- North: train to Obertraun-Dachsteinhöhlen, bus or walk to the Dachstein Krippenstein cable car; by car on the B145/B166 via Bad Goisern to Obertraun
- Hallstatt has a railway station on the other side of the lake, linked by ferry
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,203 m
SimonyhütteHutStaffed
100 beds · Summer 17 May – 23 September 2026; winter 28 January – 31 March 2027
- 2,740 m
SeethalerhütteHutStaffed
23 beds · Summer 9 May – 19 October 2026; winter 12 January – 29 March 2027