Sandling

The Sandling is a solitary mountain standing 1 717 metres above sea level at the south-west edge of the Totes Gebirge. It rises above the Ausseerland in the Steiermark, close to the border with Oberösterreich, and holds Austria’s largest salt deposits. The mountain has been linked to salt since Roman times. A settlement from the 2nd to 4th centuries was found on its southern slope, and written records of mining here date to 1147. For centuries salt was carried down to Bad Aussee, but in 1906 a pipeline sent brine to Ebensee for evaporation. The Altaussee mine still produces half a million tonnes a year and once stored artworks looted by the Nazis. Parts of the mine now open as a show mine for visitors. Three marked paths lead to the summit. One starts at the Steinberg visitor entrance and takes about two and a half hours, passing the Ausseer Sandlingalm before climbing the north ridge. Another leaves from Blaa-Alm and follows the same route. A steeper climb of about an hour begins at the Vordere Sandlingalm and crosses the west flank with the aid of cables. At the foot lie broad alpine meadows with the Vordere and Ausseer huts.