Fulseck

The Fulseck is a 2,036-metre peak in the Ankogel range of the Central Alps. It stands on the borders of three Salzburg villages: Bad Hofgastein to the south-west, Dorfgastein to the north-west and Großarl to the east. Nearby summits include the 1,954-metre Kieserl and the 2,027-metre Kreuzkogel. Several streams rise on its slopes, feeding the Gasteiner Ache through tributaries such as the Brandstattbach and the Neudeckgraben. A small reservoir, the Spiegelsee, sits close to the summit and supplies snow-making machines in winter. Three alpine pastures lie on its flanks: the Koller-Heimalm, the Kolleralm and the Haarlehenalm. The mountain is reached by the Fulseck cable car and, in winter, by the Gipfelexpress chairlift. A ski area covers its western side, while a mountain-bike trail climbs to the top. The Fulseck is one of 55 peaks in the Gastein valley whose complete ascent earns the Gasteiner Gipfelkranz, the highest grade of the Austrian Alpine Club’s Wandernadel. At the summit station stands the Gipflstadl restaurant, open all year. Other huts include the Grabnerhütte, the Reiterhütte and the Wengeralm; the old Brandlalm inn was demolished in 2020 and replaced by an apartment block. Wildlife on the lower western slopes is protected in two rest zones: the Gamswild-Ruhezone Kolleralm from 1 December to 31 May and the Rotwild-Ruhezone Koller Heimalm from 1 November to 31 May. The summit’s alpine meadows host plants such as the rusty-leaved alpenrose and green alder scrub. Botanists have recorded several grasses and sedges, including the viviparous fescue and the black hawkweed. Bird surveys in the 1980s noted the hen harrier passing through during migration.