The mighty cross on the summit of Rittisberg | © Gerhard Pilz/Gerhard Pilz - www.gpic.at

Rittisberg Walking Tour

easy Nordic Walking · Schladming

Tour characteristics
Stamina
Technique
Experience
Landscape
Tour-Infos
Distance: 13.25 km
Duration: 3:00 h
Ascent: 450 m
Descent: 451 m
Best time of year
january
february
march
april
may
juny
july
august
september
october
november
december
The tour
The loop road starts gently uphill to the popular inns of Halseralm and Sonnenalm. Through woods and meadows, the trail leads uphill to the summit of Rittisberg. From the summit cross, we enjoy the panoramic view of the Dachstein's south face, which seems to be almost within reach. Soon after we get to the Rittisberg-Stadl. The view of the Ennstal is a special treat here. Then follows the descent through woods and meadows.
Turn-by-turn directions
From the hiking trail head at pension Arnika you follow a forest road and reach the trail junction with "Rittisbergrundweg" (trail n° 5) after a couple of minutes. You make a left here and continue along trail n° 5 to Halseralm and Sonnenalm inns, two of the family-friendly refreshmentstops and restaurants right at the beginning of the tour.

From the Sonnenalm you now follow the signage towards "Rittisberg Gipfelkreuz" - the summit of Rittisberg. At first you continue via a forest road and then you can choose between a beautiful forest trail or the forest road (suitable for prams) as you ascend through the mountain forest to the summit. Again and again you are rewarded with panoramic views to the Schladminger Tauern mountains and Reiteralm. At the mighty cross on the summit of Rittisberg you then enjoy the stunning view to the South face of the Dachstein.

From here you continue East - on a quite flat trail - to the Rittisstadl inn, where kids will have a lot of fun at the huge playground "I love Rittisberg" just next to the inn. From there you follow the fairy tale trail Rittisberg downhill and after about 25 minutes turn off right on the Rittisberg Walking Tour. The forest trail now leads back to Rittisbergrunde (trail n° 5), where you make a left and after just a few minutes reach Halseralm again. From there continue to your starting point.

Getting there
Exit from federal highway B320 in Pichl and continue on Vorbergstraße road towards Pichl-Vorberg. Pass by Hotel Steirerhof and keep on going to the hiking trail head at Pension Arnika.
With the buses of "Ramsauer Verkehrsbetriebe" from Schladming to Ramsau - change to the buses towards "Vorberg" to the bus stop "Arnika", where the tour starts.

 

Parking
Parking is available at the hiking trail head.
Start
Hiking trail head Vorberg-Arnika
Destination
Hiking trail head Vorberg-Arnika
Security
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
Equipment
Good walking shoes and custom-fit Nordic Walking poles are the standard equipment. We also recommend a belt for carrying a drinking bottle.

You might also be interested in...

Weather forecast

Date
in the morning
1°C
at noon
7°C
in the evening
4°C
Frequent snowfall, maybe mixed with rain around noon.
in the morning
1°C
at noon
8°C
in the evening
5°C
At first snow showers, then a long dry period, and finally light rain.
in the morning
1°C
at noon
7°C
in the evening
4°C
A dull day with a mixture of snowfall and rain.

Tours nearby