Via ferratas in Austria: a pendulum swing, an otherworldly ladder, and a boot in the water
During a long August weekend we sank into the postcard atmosphere of Austrian Gosau — a little town wrapped in juicy green and mountain peaks. We came with three via ferratas in the crosshairs, and still squeezed even more out of the trip. We jumped into a crystal-clear lake, and on the beach our friends wowed everyone with acroyoga, collecting applause from the sunbathers. There were thrills, of course — we gave in to pendulum-swing madness, climbed the "antenna," and conquered the famous ladder to the sky. Our legs shook on the rope bridge, and the brutal descent from Donnerkogel really put us through the wringer. To finish, we were served a local culinary surprise: broth with a sweet twist. Austria at full throttle!
The details on the three ferratas are below:
- Gosau Park (formerly known as Schmied via ferrata) — with the exciting King Swing pendulum and an antenna-like ladder,
- Laserer Alpin — a route above picturesque Vorderer Gosausee, where the scenery literally takes your breath away,
- Donnerkogel Intersport — with the legendary ladder leading straight into the sky!
1. Via Ferrata Gosau Park
Via Ferrata Gosau Park is a cluster of ferratas in the Gosau region, above Lake Gosausee, in Austria (see the location on Google Maps), in the scenic Dachstein massif. It is a popular via ferrata spot with a wide range of difficulties (from A to F).
It was here in Gosau Park that I first felt a pendulum swing on a via ferrata. Picture it: you climb carefully, you get through the hard bits, and suddenly you are standing over the drop, hanging on to a steel cable. Eyes on the horizon, and under your feet… air! When the moment came to trust the gear, peel my hands off the safety cable and push off the rock, a little fear seasoned the excitement — that was the second my heart started beating in adrenaline time. Suspended up there… I flew! A breeze brushed my face, and somewhere in the back of my head a thought kept pulsing: "What if?" Exactly — that is when you have to trust the equipment and just let yourself go.
2. Via Ferrata Laserer Alpin
Via Ferrata Laserer Alpin (Google Maps) is a fun, easy-to-reach, very scenic route. From parking lot no. 1 it is only a few minutes on foot. It sits right by Lake Gosausee. It has a striking exposure and a handful of little highlights: a scenic traverse with a boot in the water (because you really are that close), a heart-in-your-throat moment on the ladder (it is not bolted to the rock and shakes hard when you climb), and a long rope bridge (probably the longest we have done so far, with a gorgeous drop down to the lake). Worth adding that it is not too long — rated at about an hour — and the walk-off from the ferrata is practically at the same spot as the start.
I have already gone on about how scenic this place is more than once — but there is no other way to put it. See for yourselves. After the more strenuous ferratas you can take what nature is offering and slip into that crystal-clear water.
And now a quick return to that culinary surprise I mentioned at the start. Picture this — we order broth at a restaurant, expecting the classic, and then… bam! Instead of pasta we get something that looks like tagliatelle, but is actually… a sweet pancake! Yes, you read that right. Sounds weird, a bit like a pairing that had no right to work, and yet… there is something to it! I will not pretend I was sold straight away, but damn, it tasted good. A little strange, but definitely not bad. A total first on my menu!
3. Via ferrata Intersport Klettersteig Donnerkogel
The third via ferrata we did that weekend was Intersport Klettersteig Donnerkogel with its ladder to the sky (Intersport Klettersteig Donnerkogel - Himmelsleiter - C/D), which I had been dreaming about since the first time I clipped a lanyard. I had read a lot about it online, watched pretty much every video report on YouTube, and… I did not expect we would actually tick it off this year. I gave it its own post, where you will find the practical notes on the ferrata, organisational tips on parking, the cable car and tickets, plus my subjective take on the Intersport, which I split into five main stages. Come along: