The Ennstal Alps, better known as the Gesäuse or "Xeis", rise in steep walls of up to a thousand metres above the Enns gorge in Styria. The writer Kurt Maix called them the "University of Mountaineering": young climbers from Vienna and Graz came here by train to test themselves on the walls, and many of them lie buried in the churchyard of Johnsbach. Heinrich Pfannl and Thomas Maischberger made the first ascent of the Hochtor north face, and later Austria's climbing elite tried routes such as the Kalbling south face, the Dachl north face and the Rosskuppenkante. The rock is hard Dachstein limestone with grippy karst features and steep slabs; the Hochtor (2,369 m) is the highest peak, followed by the Großer Ödstein (2,335 m), the Planspitze and the Großer Buchstein. Many old alpine routes have been restored and sparingly fitted with modern bolts.
The Gesäuse has been Austria's youngest national park since 2002. The mountaineering village of Johnsbach and the Alpine Club huts – Hesshütte, Mödlinger Hütte and Haindlkarhütte – are the classic bases, linked by the exposed Peternpfad (II); a Gesäuse shared taxi runs from May to October. The main season is July to September.
Part of Styria, Ennstal Alps has 149 routes documented on climbing.place. Routes range from grade 1 to 10. Explore its 25 crags and sectors below.
Often climbed in July, August, September.