If you’re scared of heights this might not be the day trip you want to book on your summer vacation in The Alps. The final leg of this via ferrata route in Austria is not the faint of heart. The 140ft long sky ladder which stretches over a 2296ft abyss is the highlight of a fixed climbing tour of the Donnerkogel, in Austria’s Salzkammergut resort area. If you swallow your fear and make it up the ladder to the summit of Donnerkogel, climbers are rewarded with a sensational view over the Alps.
Wintersport Via Ferrata route
From the Gablonzer Hütte hut alongside the Gosaukamm cable car mountain station, the route climbs up 400 m of altitude to the summit cross on the Grosser Donnerkogel in 2 stages. The climb takes around 3 hours across steep faces ranging from a medium to difficult rating. The first section is adventurous but easier – and is therefore also a real pleasure for budding professional climbers.
40-meter-long “Stairway to heaven”
Unique attraction on the Donnerkogel via ferrata, on the Zwieselalm in Gosau: a 40-meter-long Jacob’s ladder. The new 40-meter-long panoramic “Jacob’s ladder” at the Donnerkogel via ferrata is the new top attraction for climbers on the Zwieselalm.
Donnerkogel fixed route
Suspended in air and thrilling, with a fantastic view of the Dachstein Glacier, the surrounding mountains and onto the whole of the Gosau Valley. On clear days, the view reaches until the Großglockner. Thus the highest mountain of Upper Austria, the Hohe Dachstein and the highest mountain of Austria, the Grossglockner can be admired at the same time. The course was laid over an existing climbing route by Paul Preuß, a pioneer in the Alpine climbing sport, today regarded as one of the spiritual fathers of free climbing and the best climber of his time.
The History
The course was built by outdoor specialist Heli Putz and his team at Outdoor Leadership. With Outdoor Leadership you can even book climbing lessons! In honour of the climbing pioneer, who died in an accident on the Gosaukamm Ridge on 3 October 1913, on 20 July 2013 at the lower station of the Gosaukamm lift the Paul Preuß Memorial was unveiled, designed by students at the technical college (HTL) in Hallstatt and constructed by the Deubler Company in Bad Goisern.
