Krahbergzinken view
Austria – day 6 – tour to Krahbergzinken (2134 m).
Directly from Schladming, you can take a cable car up to the Planai area, where you can either take quite an easy walk around, including visiting the peak Planai (1906 m), or you can choose a bit more challenging tour reaching the peak Krahbergzinken (2134 m).
Notice the cheerful hare character watching you from the cable car windows? It refers to “Hopsiland” attractions for kids and I found myself smiling back at that funny-looking cute face whenever we encountered it in the Schladming area.
Not far from the upper cable car station, three majestic peaks stand side by side, gracefully adorning the landscape, with Krahbergzinken being the first on the right. The slope appears gentler in the photo than what our tired feet experienced, though overall the climbing wasn’t technically demanding.
The initial part is represented by a mildly ascending path offering numerous beautiful views that unfold with each step, revealing more of the Alpine panorama with every turn of the trail. There are benches to sit on and relax and isn’t it a nice idea to add such wooden flower-describing labels to the patches of flora?
The real challenge awaits at the very end, where reaching the peak cross requires navigating with the help of a metal safety rope and footboards. That final scramble, with hands gripping cool metal and heart racing slightly, makes reaching the summit all the more rewarding. I found the placement of the footboards somewhat awkward, but they certainly fulfill their purpose of guiding you safely to the top.
It was quite a hot sunny day and I can tell you, I was genuinely thankful we began our ascent in the morning hours. The higher the sun climbed in the sky, the more sweat-inducing the ascent became…
During our descent, my attention was continually drawn to the eye-catching rock surfaces. Their varied colours and textures added yet another dimension to the already spectacular scenery.
And what a delightful surprise it was to emerge from a wooded section of the path and be greeted by this vibrant tapestry of densly growing yellow and violet flowers – nature’s own celebration of summer in the mountains, swaying gently in the Alpine breeze.
And with that, our Schladming journey came to a close. Although eight months have passed since this adventure, the memories of the stunning nature and magnificent vistas continue to invigorate me, as if I were still breathing in that pure mountain air…
