Großer Koppenkarstein is a peak located in the Dachstein massif within the Salzburg Alps. It is best known for the IRG 2 via ferrata leading to its summit, one of the most popular fixed routes in the region. There are two ways to reach the top: the easier option involves taking the Dachsteinbahn cable car to the nearby Hunerkogel, while the more demanding one requires a full trek straight from the valley, starting in the village of Ramsau am Dachstein. In this report, I focus on the latter variant.
Table of contest
- Jungfrauensteig
- Approach to the IRG 2 via ferrata
- IRG 2 via ferrata [C/D] and the summit of Großer Koppenkarstein
- Westgrat Klettersteig [B/C]
- Descent from the Westgrat Klettersteig
- Trip map
Jungfrauensteig
After yesterday’s ascent of Hoher Dachstein, which ended at 10:30 p.m., we have little enthusiasm for an early start. We crawl out of the tent lazily around 9 a.m. It is already the fourth day of our camping stay, yet the first one when we actually get to watch the campsite slowly come to life. We take our time: coffee, breakfast, a quick trip to the shop… The weather forecast was right — the sun is blazing. A shame not to take advantage of it; we have to do something.
The choice falls on Großer Koppenkarstein via the IRG 2 ferrata, which I had read quite a bit about before coming to this region. We leave Camping Dachstein by car, heading towards the village of Ramsau am Dachstein. Before reaching its center, we turn into one of the many small roads branching off to the north — called Langgasse. At its end, there is a free parking area at an altitude of around 1,300 m a.s.l., which serves as our starting point for today’s hike.
The ascent is intense. The section from the parking lot to the start of the ferrata is only about 5 kilometers long, yet it involves a whopping 1,200 meters of elevation gain. Steep stuff. No wonder we grind our way uphill rather slowly, especially since the sun is exceptionally strong that day (around 30°C), and the trail offers little to no shade. The first stage of our hike follows the Jungfrauensteig. While physically demanding, I find it very pleasant — it winds through low but dense vegetation, idyllic dwarf pine, and several rock formations known as the Jungfrauen. The ascent is crowned by… a mailbox placed at an altitude of 1,955 m a.s.l., reportedly emptied twice a week. Well, one thing is certain — the local mail carriers must be in excellent shape!
As we gain altitude, we leave the Jungfrauensteig and join hiking trail no. 672 (yes, in Austria trails are numbered). The surroundings grow increasingly barren: there are still occasional tufts of grass, but stones dominate the landscape. Every now and then we stop and look back — despite the heat, the air clarity is phenomenal. We can clearly see the nearby Low Tauern, while to the left loom the massive glacier-covered peaks of the High Tauern.
At one point, I spot a huge mountain rising distinctly above the surrounding peaks to the southwest. Strange — how did I not notice it yesterday? What could it be? A brief moment of confusion, a glance at the map — and a revelation. For the first time in my life, I am looking at Großglockner, Austria’s highest mountain. It is an important moment for me: I have read a lot about this peak, and it remains my great dream and biggest (for now) alpine aspiration.
Approach to the IRG 2 via ferrata
Alright, back to reality — for now, it’s not Großglockner, but Großer Koppenkarstein. We slowly pass a rocky bulge at around 2,000 m a.s.l., beginning the climb through a harsh gully. There is no point in sugarcoating it: this section seriously tests our morale — it is essentially one giant pile of loose gravel. Every second step, even taken carefully, triggers small stone avalanches. Our patience wears thin; both of us wonder how on earth something like this can be called a “trail,” sighing nostalgically for the neatly built paths of the Tatras. To make matters worse, despite carrying over two liters of water, our supplies are running out again. In mild desperation, I fill my bottle with water flowing from melting glacier ice — well, that’s something I had never drunk before.
We greet the small Edelgrieß Glacier with great relief, skirting it along its right edge. At one point, I come across a massive hole in the eternal ice — it looks somewhat like a well. Once again, the same thought crosses my mind: glaciers may be beautiful, but there is something eerie and treacherous about them. We scramble up another 100 meters of elevation and finally reach the starting point of the IRG 2 ferrata, considered one of the local classics. I am happy — I much prefer solid rock underfoot to deceptive gravel.
IRG 2 via ferrata [C/D] and the summit of Großer Koppenkarstein
The IRG 2 via ferrata covers 280 meters of elevation gain and leads directly to the summit of Großer Koppenkarstein. The route is moderately demanding — most difficulties are graded B or C, with only two short sections in the middle rated C/D. Click here for a detailed topo from bergsteigen.com. Climbing the IRG 2 ferrata brought me a lot of joy and genuine rock satisfaction (although my heart did beat faster at times, especially on a short but very exposed traverse). In my opinion, this via ferrata resembles the Johann Klettersteig, but it is significantly shorter — the guidebook suggests two hours, while we managed it in an hour and a half.
We reach the summit of Großer Koppenkarstein a few minutes before 3 p.m. It is beautiful up there, yet we feel… somewhat strange. The landscape is extremely austere, as if we had traveled within a few hours from green Austria to rocky Morocco or Iran. The panoramas are very similar to those we admired from the summit of Hoher Dachstein the day before — the difference lies in the fact that we are now viewing the Dachstein glacier from a slightly different angle. From the top, we also take a look at a multi-summit ridge traversed by another via ferrata — the Ramsauer Klettersteig. We had briefly considered it, but seeing its brown, hostile and rocky character, we unanimously decide to skip it. The eerie sense of emptiness is amplified by the fact that we are completely alone on the summit. The situation changes only briefly — a lone hiker arrives from the opposite direction, only to… start descending via the IRG route. Is that allowed? Apparently, yes.
Westgrat Klettersteig [B/C]
From the summit we head towards the Westgrat Klettersteig. This via ferrata was designed specifically as a descent route, which makes it significantly easier. The vast majority of sections are rated A or A/B, B sections are rare, and there is only one B/C section. The route follows a ridge and allows you to bag yet another summit for your alpine collection — Kleiner Koppenkarstein (2,796 m a.s.l.). We reach its summit via two ladders, which immediately bring to mind Poland’s famous Kozia Przełęcz.
Further along the ferrata, another curiosity awaits us — a crossing of a rope bridge suspended over a small abyss. The Westgrat ferrata leads to the Hunerscharten saddle; however, we want to leave it earlier, turning onto the trail leading back to the unfortunate scree gully we ascended earlier. Finding the correct path proves to be quite a challenge. To make matters worse, our GPS indicates that we have gone too far. We cross the rope bridge once again, this time in the opposite direction. After a longer moment, right near the bridge, we finally locate the correct trail.
Descent from the Westgrat Klettersteig
The descent trail from the ferrata is (surprise, surprise!) terribly loose and rocky. Fortunately, this time the Austrians have met hikers halfway by installing long fixed ropes, which significantly ease movement in this terrain.
The real problem appears near the familiar, melting glacier. The safety rope ends there, leaving us with a choice: one option leads straight across the ice field, the other along a rocky slope. Although we are carrying crampons in our backpacks, we choose the latter option — it seems safer overall. It quickly turns out that the trail exists only on the map, and for the next half hour we are sliding down loose stones. We brace ourselves as best we can, trying to make this loss of elevation as controlled as possible. When we finally reach the path we used on the ascent, I breathe a sigh of relief. However, we cannot let our guard down — the entire gully is extremely unstable, and the situation improves noticeably only after descending to around 2,000 m a.s.l.
As we finally enter the dwarf pine zone, thinking about what we might eat once we are back down, we both realize that we are descending via a different trail than the one we used on the way up. A quick check of our maps reveals the truth — the Jungfrauensteig is a loop, and we went straight down instead of turning left. Fortunately, the route we chose is not drastically different, adding no more than two extra kilometers of walking. It could have been worse. The trail remains rocky, but compared to what we dealt with higher up, it feels incredibly comfortable. As we descend further, the fatigue gradually fades, and the greenery around us becomes strikingly lush. Near the Austriahütte hut we turn onto the Rosegger-Steig, which offers wonderfully pastoral views of the entire Dachstein massif. The final section of the route follows a pleasant path through dense forest and occasional rock formations.
We reach the car around 7:30 p.m. — once again very tired, but with a strong sense that two days of perfect weather in the Dachstein massif were used to the fullest. Tomorrow, for the grand finale, something easier.
Date of the trip: August 4, 2022
Trip statistics: 15 km, 1,700 m of elevation gain
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