Schneeberg
2,076 m
Austria
Also known as Schneeberg (Klosterwappen), Schneeberg (Alpes), +3Also known as
Schneeberg (Klosterwappen) · Schneeberg (Alpes) · Klosterwappen · Шнееберг · Schneeberg (Alpy)
- Elevation
- 2,076 m
- Prominence
- 1,345 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: T2 (medium) (alpenvereinaktiv.com)
The classic walkers' route up the Schneeberg: from Losenheim (872 m) to the Edelweißhütte on the Fadensattel, then the Fadensteig up the steep north side with three short cable-protected passages onto the plateau at about 1,720 m, and across it past the Fischerhütte to the Klosterwappen (2,076 m). About 1,200 m of ascent and 3–3.5 hours up; the chairlift saves the first hour.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 8.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,272 m
- −51 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 2,076 m
- Time Up
- 5h 24m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 46m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the chairlift valley station at Losenheim (872 m) follow the ski piste up to the Edelweißhütte at about 1,235 m, or take the yellow-marked path through deciduous woods to the Fadensattel and turn left to the hut; allow 45 minutes to 1 hour, or ride the Schneeberg chairlift. Behind the hut the yellow-marked Fadensteig climbs in switchbacks through tall forest to a prominent rock tower, passes it on the right and continues over broken rock and a scree-covered ridge to the foot of the rock walls. The steepest section follows: into a gully, climbed on its left edge with a steel cable, a traverse right, a short cabled section round an airy corner, steep ground below a wall step, another cabled traverse right, and finally steep broken ground to the edge of the plateau at point 1,723 m. Pole markings lead south across the plateau to the Fischerhütte on the Kaiserstein (2,049 m) and on to the summit cross on the Klosterwappen. Allow about 2 hours from the Edelweißhütte to the Fischerhütte and 15–20 minutes more to the summit. The usual descent avoids the Fadensteig: from the Fischerhütte follow the green route over the Schauerstein ridge and down through dwarf-pine lanes to the Fleischer memorial stone, then the forest road on the Kuhschneeberg and the yellow Fadenweg back to the Edelweißhütte; the whole loop takes about 6–6.5 hours. The Fadensteig is safe when dry but slippery when wet, snow can linger in the gullies early in the season, and the route is very busy on fine weekends.
Start
Losenheim855 m
- Schneeberg chairlift Losenheim–Edelweißhütte (saves about 1 hour)
- Train to Puchberg am Schneeberg (or Neunkirchen), then bus 350 to the Losenheim Sesselbahn stop.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Losenheim → Klosterwappen | 8.5 | 1,272 | 51 | 5h 24m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Losenheim855 m
Chairlift valley station; parking and bus 350
- Hut: Edelweißhütte1,235 m
On the Fadensattel at the top of the chairlift
- Hut: Fischerhütte2,046 m
On the Kaiserstein
- Summit: Klosterwappen2,076 m
Key Passages
- Cabled gully and airy corner on the Fadensteig
- Cabled traverse below the wall step and exit onto the plateau at point 1723
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The easternmost 2,000 m summit of the Alps and the highest point of Lower Austria: a broad limestone plateau 65 km from Vienna whose top, the Klosterwappen (2,076 m), is reached either by a rack railway and an hour's walk or by cabled paths up its steep flanks.
The Schneeberg, with the Rax 13 km to the south-west, is one of Vienna's two 'local mountains', a massif of the Northern Limestone Alps with steep slopes on three sides and a high karst plateau on top. Its highest point is the Klosterwappen (2,076 m); the Kaiserstein (with the Fischerhütte) lies just to the north across a shallow dip. On clear days the mountain is visible from Vienna, Bratislava and even southern Moravia, and from the top the view takes in the Vienna Basin, the Rax and the Styrian Alps.
Its karst springs have supplied Vienna with drinking water through a 120 km pipeline since 1873, and the mountain is one of the most visited in Austria. The Schneebergbahn rack railway from Puchberg reaches about 1,800 m, from where the summit is an easy walk across the plateau, with several staffed huts. Walkers who want more climb from the valleys: the Fadensteig on the north side, with short cabled passages, is the classic, while routes from Puchberg and from the Höllental to the south, such as the Weichtalklamm and the Novembergrat, are steeper and harder.
The plateau is exposed and featureless in fog, and weather changes quickly. In winter the mountain is a ski-touring objective, with steep gullies such as the Breite Ries.
Climbing Notes
For the Fadensteig you need sure feet and a head for heights on short, steep, cabled sections; fitness for about 1,200–1,300 m of ascent and a 6–6.5 hour loop from Losenheim, or about 2 hours less using the chairlift. Avoid the Fadensteig when wet or icy, and expect queues on fine weekends. The plateau walk from Hochschneeberg station suits almost anyone in walking shoes; time your walk around the last train down.
The main season runs from May to October, when the railway and most huts operate. Snow can linger in the north-facing gullies of the Fadensteig into early summer. In winter the plateau is a serious place in poor visibility, with avalanche danger in the gullies; ski tourers use routes such as the Breite Ries and Schneegraben.
History
The botanist Charles de l'Écluse (Carolus Clusius) is credited with the first recorded ascent in the 16th century. Since 1873 the karst plateaux of the Schneeberg and Rax have fed the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline. The Schneebergbahn, a rack railway from Puchberg to Hochschneeberg, has carried visitors for more than a century and now runs modern Salamander trains alongside occasional historic steam trains.
Season
Best Jun–Sep- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Possible
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Winter; ski touring and winter walking for the experienced; rack railway not running
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions; avalanche danger in gullies
- Apr
- Spring snow; railway not yet running
- May
- Railway starts 1 May; snow may linger on the Fadensteig
- Jul
- Busy; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Busy; afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Often settled weather
- Oct
- Huts and railway in their last weeks; first snow possible
- Nov
- Railway ends 1 November (2026); early snow and ice
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- No hut is needed for a day ascent. The Edelweißhütte, Fischerhütte and Damböckhaus offer food and overnight stays; check opening times outside the main season.
- Fees
- Schneebergbahn rack railway and Schneeberg chairlift tickets
- Parking at Losenheim and Puchberg station
- Rules
- Dogs on the rack railway must be on a lead and muzzled
- Getting There
Puchberg am Schneeberg
Vienna International Airport (VIE)
- Train to Wiener Neustadt and regional train to Puchberg am Schneeberg (direct trains from Vienna at weekends)
- Schneebergbahn from Puchberg to Hochschneeberg: daily 1 May – 1 November in 2026, 40 minutes; in 2026 the last train down left at 16:45
- Bus 350 from Neunkirchen or Puchberg station to Losenheim (Sesselbahn) for the Fadensteig
- By car: A2 to Wiener Neustadt West, then the B26 via Grünbach to Puchberg and Losenheim
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
3- 1,235 m
EdelweißhütteHutStaffed
Open all year
- 1,810 m
DamböckhausHutStaffed
Main season while the railway runs; check opening times
- 2,049 m
FischerhütteHutStaffed
May to October