Snowshoe hiking in the Schwaberggraben

Name: Snowshoe hiking in the Schwaberggraben
Brand: Steiermark
Rating: 5 (3 reviews)

An easy, meditative snowshoe tour through the Bretsteingraben in the Murtal adventure region.

The Bretsteingraben in the adventure region Murtal is an untouched valley in the Niedere Tauern. This area offers itself in summer for some beautiful tours - in winter it is the destination of tourers and snowshoe hikers. Apart from alpine farming, hunting is important here, so already at the parking lot one's attention is drawn to the topics of tourism, hunting and wildlife protection by an information board. Especially in winter it is necessary not to disturb the wild animals unnecessarily by entering their retreat areas without thinking. We, as users of nature, should also preserve it and therefore, of course, respect the designated rest areas. The beauty of this hike is the steady ascent, which allows you to get into a good rhythm and thus gives your thoughts free space.

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The tour in numbers

medium

Level of difficulty

10,6 km

Route

3:45 h

Time

470 hm

Uphill

470 hm

Downhill

1682 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

Download GPX data

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More information

From Judenburg via the B 114 to Möderbrugg and then into the Bretsteingraben (38 km, approx. 45 minutes).

From Trieben an der Pyhrn Autobahn A 9 via B114 direction Judenburg to Möderbrugg and then into the Bretsteingraben (45 km, approx. 50 minutes).

With the car to snowshoe hiking - a few things to watch out for!

Good winter tires are an absolute MUST!Ice scraper, snow broom, de-icer for the door locks and a small shovel belong to the basic equipment.Put snow chains and a tow rope in the car, even if you are not good with them yourself. Helping and knowledgeable hikers are always available on the mountain!Clear the car completely of snow and ice, especially sweep off the roof of the car completely.When parking, make sure you leave room for other motorists.Always park so that the rest of the roadway remains clear for cars, logging trucks, and snow removal vehicles.Find out about the snow situation on the access road or parking facilities before setting off. (hut host, webcams)

Our starting point is the parking lot Bichlerhütte (1), 1224 m. On the forest road we now go through forest area slightly ascending to the Gamperhütte (2), 1339 m, and along the mostly existing tracks to the Schwabergerhütte (3), 1511 m. We leave all the huts on our route, which are closed in winter, to the right and finally enter the forest again. There the course of the path is more easily visible for us and at a fork in the road we keep to the right and in an immediately following S-curve we already reach the open alpine pastures of the Schwabergeralm (4), 1682m. Here the terrain, overgrown with bushes and mountain pines, invites us to hike, keeping a large distance from the steep slopes of this valley basin for safety's sake. On the way back, the varied terrain up to the Schwaberger hut (3) offers us good opportunities to leave our own tracks in the snow. From there we take the ascent route back to the starting point.

Those who have the necessary knowledge and the appropriate equipment can continue hiking from the Schwabergeralm to the summit of the Kreuzkogel.

There is no public transport connection to the starting point of the tour.

General information about public transport to the region: www.verbundlinie.at

Parking lot Bretsteingraben/Bichlerhütte, about 6.5 km after the village of Bretstein.

There are only a few parking spaces available. Especially on weekends you have to be there in time. Attention off the parking lot parking is prohibited and is controlled by the police.

Gasthof Beren, Tel.: +43 3576 205, 8763 Bretstein, Bretstein 8/9, www.gasthof-beren.at

Freytag & Berndt (2017): Wölzer Tauern - Sölktal - Rottenmanner Tauern. WK 203 Wander-, Rad-, Freizeitkarte; 1:50000 Sarcletti S., Zienitzer E., (2. Auflage 2018): Schneeschuhführer Steiermark – Vom Dachstein bis zum Steirischen Weinland. Bergverlag Rother GmbH, München, S. 176. Für weitere Infos hier klicken.

Schneeweiß C., (2012): Schneeschuhgehen – Praxiswissen vom Profi zu Ausrüstung, Technik und Sicherheit. Bruckmann Verlag GmbH, München, S.192