Weidschober

The Weidschober stands in the Schladminger Tauern range where Salzburg and Styria meet. It is the second-highest summit of the Überling ridge, rising 1,789 metres above sea level. The peak lies four kilometres east-south-east of the slightly higher Wengerkopf. Around the summit are gentle slopes and a broad plateau shaped by Ice Age glaciers. Forested and pasture land surrounds the mountain, with moorland on the sunlit sides. The mountain is worth the journey for its wild moors and clear views. Nine moors, including the 32-hectare Überlingmoos, form a Ramsar protected site near the summit. The Salzburg side belongs to the Lungau-Nockberge Biosphere Reserve and the Niedere Tauern landscape park. Geologists recognise the Weidschober as part of the crystalline complex of the Lower Tauern, made chiefly of mica schist with bands of amphibolite and marble. The Wengerkopf and Weidschober rise as modest domes above this softer terrain. Visitors reach the summit by two marked routes. One path starts at the Schattensee in the Krakau high valley and follows forest roads for about one hour forty-five minutes. The other begins at the Preberhof inn in the Freisterbach valley and takes roughly the same time. A high-level trail across the eastern Überling links Krakauschatten, Oberetrach and Unteretrach villages. West of the summit cross stands a clearing that looks down on the long Überlingmoos and the distant High Tauern. The plateau between Weidschober and Wengerkopf can be crossed on faint paths, but walkers need good route-finding skills and sturdy boots.