Rotmandlspitze: auf den Spuren der Bergknappen

difficult Hiking · Schladming

Current Conditions
01/11/2024 - 30/04/2025

In the Obertal from Hopfriesen there is a winter closure from 1. November  to 30. April

Tour characteristics
Stamina
Technique
Tour-Infos
Distance: 15.67 km
Duration: 08:37 h
Ascent: 1410 m
Descent: 1261 m
Best time of year
january
february
march
april
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july
august
september
october
november
december
The tour
This hike takes you to the summit of Rotmandlspitze and into the historic mining district of the Schladminger Tauern range. Right after the start of the tour the Nickel Museum Hopfriesen is the first higlight of the historical mining in the area. Along the way there are several more: the "Knappenkreuz" way point, the historic remains of miners' houses and the view to decayed entrances into the mines are just some of the historical tracks of mining history in Schladming and the Schladminger Tauern range.
Turn-by-turn directions

You can easily reach the starting point in Hopfriesen with the hiking bus. From the hiking portal, take trail no. 776 in the direction of the Giglachseen lakes. Right at the start, it is worth making a detour to the nickel museum in Hopfriesen (+ 5 minutes' walk), the only preserved nickel smelting furnace in the Eastern Alps.

Trail no. 776 climbs moderately through the forest from the head of the valley, then crosses to the right below a rock step and you reach the other side of the Giglachbach stream via a bridge. Shortly afterwards you reach the (unmanaged) Lackneralm. Here you cross the stream again and continue along the forest path or the hiking trail (which cuts between the hairpin bends of the forest road) until you reach the Knappenkreuz (a memorial cross in honour of the mountain blessing and for the mining work in the Giglachtal) shortly before the Landauersee

Continue along the wide path to the Giglachalmen, where the Giglachbach meanders beautifully through the alpine meadows. At the Giglachalmen huts, you cross the Giglachbach stream again and shortly afterwards cross back over to the other side of the stream at the crossroads with trail no. 775 (hiking trail towards Duisitzkarsee lake). From here it is only a few minutes' walk to the huts on the north-east shore of the Lower Giglachsee.

At the crossroads by the huts, continue along hiking trail no. 702 (Schladminger Tauern Höhenweg) in the direction of Vetternkar and Rotmandlspitze. The path climbs moderately up to the Vetternkar, where you will come across the remains of a miner's dwelling. To the left of the ruins, the path begins to become steeper and steeper and leads with a few hairpin bends to the Rotmandlspitze, the highest point of the tour at 2,453 metres. The route continues over the Rotmandlscharte and below the Sauberg over a large boulder slope slightly downhill to the Kruckeckscharte.

From the Kruckeckscharte, the route descends in large serpentines - with breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain scenery - to the Keinprechthütte, where you have well earned a break. From the Keinprechthütte, follow hiking trail no. 774 out of the valley to the (unmanaged) Neualm and then on to the Eschachalm in Obertal, from where the bus will take you back to Rohrmoos and Schladming.
 

Getting there
From Schladming take provincial highway L722 (Rohrmoosstraße road) to Rohrmoos and at the roundabout continue on provincial highway L723 (Tälerstraße road) towards Untertal. In the village of Untertal make a right onto Obertalstraße road and follow it until you reach the trail head at Hopfriesen (end of the paved road).

With the Planai buses from Schladming (Planet-Planai, Lendplatz) or Rohrmoos (Rohrmoos-Zentrum) to Obertal - bus stop Hopfriesen. With the buses of the same line (from bus stop "Eschachalm") back to Schladming and Rohrmoos. 

Parking
Parking is available at the hiking trail head in Hopfriesen. If the lot is already full, use the parking lots at Wehrhofalm (out of the valley - additional walking time: 30 minutes).
Start
Hiking trail head Hopfriesen, Obertal
Destination
Hiking trail head Eschachalm, Obertal
Equipment

Changes in weather patterns, quick falls in temperature, thunderstorms, wind, fog and snow are some of the dangers that can be encountered on a hiking tour. Hosts of alpine huts and mountain refuges have a lot of experience in the mountains and can give good advice about weather and the trails. Poor equipment, overestimation of one's own capabilities, carelessness, poor personal constitution and/or wrong judgement  can lead to critical situations. In case of thunderstorms: avoid summits, ridges and steel ropes.

GPS data and orienteering

Available GPS data - just like hiking maps - is only a guidance for orientation and can never depict a trail exactly with all its details. Especially at dangerous spots it is essential to judge on site how to proceed.

In an emergency please call: 

  • 140 - for Alpine emergencies (all over Austria)
  • 112 - European GSM emergency number
A well-packed backpack is helpful and especially when touring Alpine terrain a tuque, gloves, a windproof jacket and pants are standard equipment. Good, waterproof shoes, sun glasses, sun cream and sufficient beverages are essential too. Torch light, a map of the area, knie and a small first-aid kit should also be in the backpack.

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Weather forecast

Date
in the morning
-3°C
at noon
3°C
in the evening
0°C
Rather cloudy in the morning, then sunny spells will develop gradually.
in the morning
-1°C
at noon
6°C
in the evening
1°C
Some clouds in the morning, lateron much sunshine and hardly any clouds
in the morning
-4°C
at noon
7°C
in the evening
0°C
Dry and sunny throughout the day with hardly any clouds.

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