Traunstein

Character:
Challenging mountain tour on an exposed but well-secured path. A head for heights and surefootedness are necessary; do not walk in wet and snowy conditions!

The rocky outcrop above Lake Traunsee, visible from afar, has attracted people from early times. Emperors Maximilian and Franz Joseph used to hunt on its steep flanks. In the 19th century, the first tourists ventured to its summit, including the poet Nikolaus Lenau.

Like the travel writer Joseph August Schultes, who felt "green and yellow before his eyes" during a climb, many mountaineers still feel the same way today: even the easiest of the ...