Schleifkogel

The Schleifkogel is a 2,063-metre peak in the Gaaler Tauern range of Upper Styria. It stands just 1.1 kilometres north-east of the slightly lower Schleifeck, near the hamlet of Sankt Johann am Tauern Sonnseite in the municipality of Pölstal. The mountain is the second-lowest and northernmost of the eight two-thousanders on the Kesseleck ridge. Historical records from the 19th century link its name to the nearby town of Trieben in the Tauern region. The mountain draws hikers for its varied routes and sweeping views. A three-hour trail from Sankt Johann am Tauern climbs through the Schleifgraben valley and over the Steineralm alpine pasture. A longer four-hour circuit via the Schleifeck adds 17.5 kilometres and 987 metres of ascent. A tougher ten-hour loop from the Bruckenhauser inn passes eight summits, including the 2,329-metre Hochleitenspitze and the 2,227-metre Knaudachkogel, before returning the same way. Winter walkers often choose the five-and-a-half to seven-hour route over the Schleifkogel and on to the Lärchkogel with snowshoes. Visitors find open ridges, steep gullies and open alpine meadows. The Schleifbach stream runs south of the peak, while the Bärntalbach drains the northern slopes. The Steineralm offers a quiet resting place halfway up, and the Bruckenhauser inn sits at the start of the longest circuit. From the summit there are wide views across the Triebener Tauern and down to the Pölstal valley.