"With a View of the Großglockner – Pasterze" – In the Footsteps of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sissi – A unique opportunity to visit Austria’s largest glacier with mountain guide, glaciologist, and meteorologist Gerhard Hohenwarter...

In the footsteps of Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Sissi... The day begins, of course, in a relaxed manner, with breakfast at the Feuerberg. But we don’t linger too long, because our destination isn’t right on our doorstep—it’s at the foot of Austria’s highest mountain, the Großglockner.

The ride on the hotel bus up to Heiligenblut flies by, as our guide for the day—meteorologist and glaciologist Gerhard Hohenwarter—makes the journey go by even faster with fascinating facts about today’s hike. Then we reach Heiligenblut, and for the first time, His Majesty reveals himself. No, not Emperor Franz Josef—but the Großglockner. Now it’s time to switch to “mountain mode” on the bus, as we’ll be climbing over 1,000 meters in elevation to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Over 170 years ago, the then very young, newly crowned Emperor of Austria, together with Empress Sissi, traveled up here on his inaugural tour across the monarchy.

The view is breathtaking. Deep below us lies Lake Pasterzen, and further into the valley, the Pasterze, Austria’s largest glacier. And directly across from us rises the 3,798-meter-high Großglockner. We lace up our hiking boots and follow the Gamsgrubenweg trail through several tunnels heading west. The official trail ends after the last tunnel. But with our mountain guide Gerhard, we’re allowed to continue, and we’re rewarded with incredible panoramic and deep-valley views.

The Großglockner towers opposite us. The Fuscherkarkopf, over 3,300 meters high, with the specially protected Gamsgrube, lies to our left. And at every bend in the trail, with every new view, Gerhard has another fascinating story to share. Whether it’s about his own skiing experience on the north face or the historical development of the Pasterze Glacier.

Finally, we reach a wonderful rest area at the end of the so-called Gamsgrubenweg. Here, we take a long break and let the atmosphere sink in.

Afterward, we hike back to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe and pay a visit to the small museum. There, a biological and glaciological sensation awaits us. The Pasterzen Tree. This Swiss stone pine grew over 5,000 years ago in a place that was still covered in ice until just a few years ago. Gerhard explains how that’s possible.

Before we head back home, of course, we can’t miss a “visit” to the marmots, who are waiting beneath the parking lot for carrots and nuts from the many visitors.

Then Gerhard drives us back to Feuerberg at a leisurely pace.

Factbox:

Departure at 8:00 a.m. from Feuerberg

Arrival at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe around 10:30 a.m.

Hike:

From Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2,370 m) to the Gamsgrube rest area (~2,560 m) and back to the starting point.

Elevation gain ~200

Elevation loss ~200

Pure walking time about 3h

Equipment:

Sports or hiking shoes

Sunscreen

Jacket

Drinks

Small snack

Return trip around 4:00 p.m.

Arrival at Feuerberg around 6:30 p.m.