Union yacht club Traunsee

Area information: As on all the lakes of the Salzkammergut, there is a great deal of sailing on Lake Traunsee. During a spell of fine weather, the much-praised phenomenon of the ‘Oberwind’ and ‘Niederwind’ sets in. In the evening, at around 10 pm, a southerly wind picks up and holds until the following morning, between 9 and 10 am (‘Oberwind’). This is followed by a lull lasting about three hours, before the wind blows back from the north-east, as it were, and holds until 5 pm or 6 pm (‘Niederwind’). These thermal winds and the stunning panorama have earned Lake Traunsee the nickname ‘the Lake Garda of Austria’. In the afternoons, races are started when the wind is a good force 3 – in ‘Niederwind’ conditions, these usually go smoothly. In westerly weather conditions, the wind on Lake Traunsee is not steady, but gusty and unpredictable. Due to the area’s distinctive topography, the wind sometimes picks up suddenly, changes direction frequently and dies down just as quickly as it arrived. Finally, there is another weather phenomenon on Lake Traunsee that has struck fear into the hearts of many. The so-called ‘Viechtauer’ is a dangerous thunderstorm wind that can arise from the west during rapid changes in the weather. An unmistakable sign of this storm (which takes its name from the village of Viechtau) is a distinctive, yellowish cloud formation over the Hochsteinalm. Shortly afterwards, the Viechtauer rushes down into the valley with a roar and often reaches speeds of more than 8 Beaufort. Fortunately, the spectacle usually lasts only half an hour, although the greatest danger at the lake is for those who are too close to the eastern shore. Numerous fatalities caused by the Viechtauer unfortunately prove this all too clearly. According to local experts, it is less dangerous in the middle of the lake or near the western shore, where one can head straight towards Ebensee and very soon find shelter behind the mountains south of Traunkirchen.