High chair via ferrata
The Hochstuhl via ferrata is a medium difficulty ( B / C ) via ferrata in Carinthia , Austria . It leads over the north ridge to the Hochstuhl ( 2237 m ), the highest mountain in the Karawanken , in the border area with Slovenia .
Via ferrata
The via ferrata is reached through the Bärental in the Klagenfurt-Land district , with the last parking space at “Im Winkel” ( 1152 m ). From there, a forest road leads to the Klagenfurter Hütte ( 1664 m ), which can be seen in some places from the via ferrata. To get to the via ferrata, follow the signs for the forest road and then the serpentine climbing tracks through the Schuttkar.
The climb was built from autumn 1966 to September 1967 by the Klagenfurt section of the Austrian Alpine Club under the direction of Fritz Havranek. In 1996 the insurances were renewed and the route changed in some places. In 2000, the via ferrata was extended and the former entrance was re-created by Hans Schindler. The key point is now in the lower area of the path, above which it is usually easier. From June to July 2010 the via ferrata was closed for over a month due to a rock fall. Due to the blasting of rocks at risk of falling and the installation of new steel cables and hooks, the climb is said to have become more attractive, according to the Alpine Club.
After the entrance, the path leads up exposed, supported by step and grip aids, and continues over a slab and a chimney channel. After that, easier walking terrain changes with steeper passages, whereby mountain pines, larches and wooden ladders can be used as a climbing aid. A rib of the northern spur is used to cross over to the main body of the mountain and the end of the via ferrata after a brittle channel. This is followed by the ascent to the summit and from there the descent on the Slovenian side to the Klagenfurter Hut.
Accidents
Despite its overall low level of difficulty, the via ferrata should not be underestimated. The simple intermediate passages of the via ferrata can tempt you to unhook the safety device in order to make faster progress, which led to a fatal fall in 2014 and two rope rescue operations on the climb in 2015. In June 2016, two women had to be rescued from the via ferrata, in March 2017 another climber had an accident and also had to be rescued with the rope.
On December 9, 2018, a 1.5 m high rock needle at a height of 2000 m, to which an intermediate safety device had previously been attached, loosened and crushed an 18-year-old climber. In June 2019, an injured climber had to be rescued from the path.
literature
- Alpine via ferratas in the Eastern Alps by Mark Zahel
- Karawanken: a guide for valleys, huts and mountains by Hans M. Tuschar
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fatal fall from the high chair via ferrata on May 4, 2014
- ↑ Wiener crashed on a high chair
- ↑ Mother and daughter climbed into the via ferrata
- ↑ 18-year-old climber slain by rock orf.at, December 10, 2018, accessed December 10, 2018.
- ↑ The woman had to be rescued from the via ferrata