Lahneck

The Lahneck is a 2,216-metre peak in the Gaaler Tauern range of Upper Styria. It straddles the border between the Gaal and Pölstal municipalities in the Austrian Alps. The mountain’s slopes rise above alpine meadows and rocky ridges that mark the edge of the Gaal valley. Its summit offers wide views over the surrounding Tauern peaks and down to the valley floors below.

The Lahneck is a worthwhile destination for summer hikers and winter ski mountaineers alike. In June the route from Sommertörl via the Rosenkogel is lined with blooming alpine roses, known locally as Almrausch. The same path continues to the Kesseleck and other nearby summits, making it a popular link in longer tours. Families can walk as far as the Glaneck, less than a kilometre north of the summit, without tackling the steepest sections. Ski mountaineers follow a 17-kilometre route that gains 1,050 metres in five hours, starting at the Tafnerhütte and passing the Karhüttenbach and Klarampfhütte.

Visitors on foot reach the summit after a steady climb through the South Couloir, where the slope steepens to 35 degrees. The final ridge is narrow and exposed, rewarding those who reach the top with sweeping views of the Gaal valley and the distant Tauern summits. The Klarampfhütte and Tafnerhütte provide simple overnight stops for those who wish to break the journey. In winter the same route becomes a quiet ski mountaineering challenge, used by only a few parties each season.