Pleschnitzzinken

The Pleschnitzzinken is a 2,112-metre peak in the Schladminger Tauern range, part of the Niedere Tauern in Styria. It stands about six kilometres south of Pruggern in the Enns valley, marking the boundary between Michaelerberg-Pruggern and Aich. The mountain rises between the Seewigtal valley to the west and the upper Sattental valley to the east. Its southern neighbour is the Scheibleck, separated by the Ochsenkarhöhe saddle at 1,957 metres. The ridge to the northeast leads down to the Kalteck, while the northern ridge drops to the Hühnerkogel. The peak is a quartzite block resting on Wölzer mica-schist, a rock common across the eastern Niedere Tauern. Glacial deposits from the last Tauerngletscher cover wide areas on the Galsterbergalm to the northeast and west. The Galsterbergalm sits at about 1,800 metres below the Kalteck, with the Galsterberg ski area’s summit station nearby. The Pleschnitzzinkenhütte, a self-catering hut run by the ÖAV section in Pruggern, stands at 1,944 metres on the northern ridge. The mountain is climbed by several routes. Paths start from Pruggererberg and from Gössenberg, while an alternative route via the Perneralm, Peterbaueralm and Ochsenkarhöhe approaches from the Sattental valley. The summit cross was erected in 1976. From the Ochsenkarhöhe the route continues more steeply to the Scheibleck and Trifachkogel, leading on to the Gamskarspitze and the Hochwildstelle. The crossing to the Hochwildstelle is a high-alpine route.