Explore the Hochschwab in Styria/Austria

Start hiking at a tavern called “Bodenbauer” which is located at the very end of the little village St. Ilgen, which is in Styria, a state of Austria.

Start by hiking towards and then crossing the Trawiesbach (a little stream). Conitnue past the “Hundwand,” which is a classic rock climbing wall. Head further and hike through a nice forest until the Trawiesalm, an awesome valley with huge walls rising next to you on both sides.From now on it gets steeper - let the leg workout begin! At this point that you may start seeing Chamois, a goat-antelope species found in European mountains. There is a nice switchback path up until the fixed rope route called the “G’hackte” (this is an Austrian slang term). It’s a safe climb but may be a slight challenge for beginners - there are steel ropes and stairs in some areas. When you have mastered this passage you are almost at the “Fleischer-Biwak,” a bivvy at 2153 meters. There is space for at least six people to camp here.

From here you can see the summit. Just follow the markers and after 30 minutes you will find yourself next to the summit cross. The views are amazing!

From the summit you can hike another 30 minutes to the Schiestlhaus, an alpine hut, or the other way around back to the bivvy and further to the Hauslalm. This takes around two hours and you pass the Stangenwand, the Hundsboden and the Hirschgrube among other. The chance to see capricorns on this path is pretty high as well.

The Hauslalm is a hut were you can rest and eat something if you feel hungry. Otherwise hike further down & follow the markers back to the Bodenbauer. It’s around 1.5 hours from here and you're going to hike through a beautiful forest again.

This is not a short hike - it is challenging but well worth the effort!