Greifenberg

The Greifenberg stands at 2,618 metres on the main ridge of the Schladminger Tauern, where the federal states of Styria and Salzburg meet. It sits between the Gollinghütte to the west and the Preintalerhütte to the northeast, making it one of the most climbed peaks in the range. The mountain’s southern and south-western ridges lead over the Pöllerhöhe and Großes Gangl toward the Hochgolling. To the east the Klafferschneide connects it to the Waldhorn, while the Steinriesental drops away on the western side.

The summit and its surroundings are built from migmatitic paragneiss that belong to the Schladminger Kristallinkomplex. On the north face, the protected Klafferkessel holds a glacial cirque filled with more than thirty lakes, the largest being the Obere and Untere Klaffersee and the Rauenbergsee. Amphibolite and serpentinite layers appear among the moraine deposits, and the south side also contains several lakes that remain from vanished glaciers, including the Zwerfenbergsee.

Walkers usually start from the Gollinghütte, taking about two and a half hours to reach the top. A longer route from the Preintalerhütte crosses the Klafferkessel in three and a half hours. In winter the mountain attracts ski tourers who set out from the Untere Gfölleralm or Laßhoferalm, both reached through deep valleys. The high plateau of the Klafferkessel offers wide views across the cirque’s scattered waters and the surrounding peaks.