Ullachtal - Westliche Mitterspitze (Leoganger Nord Klettersteig)

Access to the starting point:
Drive through the Karavanke Tunnel into Austria, then continue along the Tauern motorway. We continue through the Katschberg Tunnel and later the Thuringian Tunnel / Tauerntunnel, and follow the motorway to Salzburg (aka Solnograd) only as far as the exit for Bischofshofen, from where we continue on the four-lane road to the aforementioned town. From Bischofshofen, follow the signs for Zell am See and then Saalfelden and Lofer. At Saalfelden, turn left towards Leogang. In Leogang, leave the main road and turn right onto a narrow road, where you will be directed by signs to the Passauer Hütte hut. Follow the signs for hut Passauer Hütte and the parking lot Parkplatz Ullachtal. Park in the parking lot mentioned above, where there are also some information boards and signs.

Path description:
At the starting point, focus on the macadam road where we are directed by signs for the Passauer Hütte hut. The dirt road passes through the forest and quickly leads to a wide torrent bed. Across the torrent bed the road is somewhat destroyed and less visible, but then it gets better again and leads us to a marked crossroads.

At the crossroads, leave the macadam road and turn right uphill and start climbing up the grassy slopes. The path then crosses a grazing fence and continues to climb up the mountain pasture and leads to another marked crossroads.

A path branches off to the left towards the Birnbachloch cave, from which the Birnbach stream flows, and we continue to the right towards hut Passauer Hütte. The path then soon leads into the woods and along the way you will see a number of information boards describing various plants and animals. After a short climb through the forest, another path branches off to the left towards the aforementioned Birnbachloch cave, and we continue to the right again. We then continue to climb for a long time through the forest, occasionally crossing short gullies which offer views of the surrounding peaks. There is also the occasional bench along the way. At a place called Kaserstein there is a table and a small woodshed.

Further on, the slope then becomes a shade steeper and the path leads us out of the forest into dwarf pines from which we have an increasingly beautiful view of the surrounding peaks. A little higher up the path leads us past another bench at which the path turns to the right and then soon becomes a little more difficult.

Further on, the path climbs up a rather steep slope and we are also helped by the ropes, and in a few places there are also steps to make the climb easier. The path over the Plattenkopf summit soon joins from the right. We continue to the left along a well-maintained path, which is still occasionally secured by a steel cable. This path then leads us to the saddle Hochtor from which we can see towards the hut Passauer Hütte.

At the saddle where the crossroads is, a path branches off to the right towards the extremely difficult Leoganger Süd climbing route, and we continue straight ahead and then, in a gentle ascent, cross the exposed slopes on the south-west side of the Westliche Mitterspitze. The slope then becomes less steep and is followed by a climb along an increasingly scenic route to the Mittagsscharte notch where there is a marked crossroads.

There is a short climb to the left to the Passauer Hütte, straight ahead the path leads down into the valley towards Weißbach, and we continue slightly to the right towards the Leoganger Nord protected path. From the crossroads the path starts to descend and after about 10 minutes leads to the spring. There are signposts nearby.

Just before the signposts, turn right at the spring and leave the marked path towards the Hainfeldscharte. Climb up the cliff to the right and you will quickly reach the climbing part of the trail.

Right at the start, the route climbs vertically with the aid of crampons. The ascent is a bit steep in the short part (difficulty C). Later on, the route becomes a bit easier and climbs steeply with the aid of crampons (B, B/C) several times. A little higher up, the path climbs over a short overhang (C) and then becomes slightly easier again. After a few ascents, the path also leads over shorter, flatter slopes (A), followed by a steep climb up the staples, which leads to a suspension bridge. Cross the bridge to the other side and you will reach a crossroads.

To the right, a slightly more difficult path leads through the Teufelsloch (Devil's Hole), which leads to the south side of the mountain (B/C). If you continue on the left-hand option, your route climbs steeply along the steel cable a few times, mostly with the help of a few small scrambles (B). A little below the summit, the path through the Teufelsloch is rejoined from the right. Then it is just a very steep climb to the top, with the help of a number of staples (B).

From the top, descend along the ascent route. The Leoganger Süd route, which leads from the summit to the south side, is even more difficult and not suitable for descending.

The difficulty ratings given in the description are as shown in the sketches on the information boards along the route. Note that the grades are quite strictly assigned and that on many trails of the same difficulty you would see at least half as many higher grades.

For the ascent of the route described above you will need a helmet and a self-protection kit. Climbing gloves are also recommended.

On the way: Kaserstein (1460m), Hochtor (1922m), Mittagsscharte (2033m)

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