The Obertal Nickel Museum at Hopfriesen | © Gerhard Pilz/Martin Huber

Smelting Furnace Tour

easy Themed walks · Schladming

Tour characteristics
Stamina
Technique
Experience
Landscape
Tour-Infos
Distance: 3.62 km
Duration: 1:15 h
Ascent: 55 m
Descent: 55 m
Best time of year
january
february
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may
juny
july
august
september
october
november
december
The tour

This easy tour, which is suitable for push-chairs, takes you from Wehrhofalm to the historic smelting furnace - Europe's last ruine of a melting furnace combined with a walkable glass cabinet. The smelting furnace is open to the public as "Nickel Museum" on Wednesdays and Fridays during the summer season.

Turn-by-turn directions

The round begins at the Wehrhofalm. Opposite the bus stop, cross the bridge and then walk along the forest road to the left through a short section of forest and then along the edge of the forest. After a slight uphill section, your path branches off to the left onto another forest road and after just a few minutes you reach the Nickel Museum.

From the museum you hike along the forest road back to the Wehrhofalm. Alternatively, you can turn right down to Obertalstraße immediately after the signposted forest road fork. From there, walk along the Obertalstraße into the valley until you reach the start of the gravel road. Now you turn left onto the access road to the Hirsch forestry administration. At the small chapel you keep left and walk past it out of the valley to the pond at the Wehrhofalm, where you can comfortably stop off.

You can also start the tour at the Hopfriesen hiking portal.

Getting there
From Schladming take provincial highway L722 to Rohrmoos, at the roundabout make a left into the direction of Untertal and Obertal on provincial highway L723, in Untertal Ort turn right after the Hotel Landauerhof and follow the road to Wehrhofalm in Obertal.
With the Planai buses from Schladming (Planet-Planai, Lendplatz) or Rohrmoos (Rohrmoos-Zentrum) to Obertal - bus stop Wehrhofalm.
Parking
Parking is available at the trail head Wehrhofalm in Obertal.
Start
Wehrhofalm, Obertal
Destination
Wehrhofalm, Obertal
Security

Some sections of the trail are very close to water (along the Obertalbach creek and passing the pond at Wehrhofalm). Special attention is required with smaller kids!

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

A well-packed backpack is helpful and especially when touring Alpine terrain a tuque, gloves, a windproof jacket and pants are standard equipment. Good, waterproof shoes, sun glasses, sun cream and sufficient beverages are essential too. Torch light, a map of the area, knie and a small first-aid kit should also be in the backpack.

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Weather forecast

Date
in the morning
2°C
at noon
4°C
in the evening
2°C
A mixture of sunny periods and scattered snow showers.
in the morning
0°C
at noon
5°C
in the evening
3°C
Frequent snowfall, maybe mixed with rain around noon.
in the morning
-1°C
at noon
7°C
in the evening
4°C
The day will be dry, but mostly cloudy with occasional sunny spells.

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