Tag: #schneeberg

Lunch the Long Way – A Girls’ Trip with a Bit of Schneeberg Crossing

Actually, I just wanted to go out for a nice, relaxing lunch.

But when all your favorite restaurants are somewhere up in the mountains – and you have the “wrong” kind of friends – you have to get creative.

My suggestion was: take an early train to Puchberg, then a small Schneeberg crossing – with coffee at the Waldschlössl as the final stop. I only casually mentioned that we might grab something to eat along the way. Anyway, it worked – and I had company. The fact that we’d have to walk a bit before and after lunch didn’t bother me. After all, there’s plenty of time to chat while walking or running. Especially with friends who, luckily, had already “warmed up” with 25–35 km the day before (thanks, WRU* 😉).

(*The WRU, or Wien Rundumadum, is a running race in Vienna where participants circle the city over a distance of about 130 kilometers alone or in team.)

The weather forecast, luckily, was wrong. Or maybe not completely – it didn’t rain, at least. Instead, we got snow, fog, and a good dose of wind. So no Klosterwappen summit this time, but at least we made it to Krummbachstein. Thirty minutes later, we were already sitting in the Naturfreundehaus Knofeleben – and I had achieved my goal: a cozy lunch in good company.

An hour later, coffee was ready at the Waldschlössl – just in time to check out the new construction site and catch the next train back to Vienna.

It was lovely, fun, and – at least in parts – even cozy. 🏃‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️❄️☕️

Route:

Puchberg – Baumgartnerhütte – Elisabethkapelle – Krummbachstein – Knofeleben – Eng – Waldschlössl

Distance: 20.7 km | Elevation gain: 1,550 m | Duration: about 5 hours (without lunch break)

Pace: trail running – just the way the speedy ladies like it

What was supposed to be a “relaxed” girls’ outing quickly turned into a winter trail-running adventure on the Schneeberg. Between snow, fog, and wind, there was still plenty of time to chat – and, of course, have coffee at the Waldschlössl. ☕️💪

Beyond the Peaks of the Schneeberg

In Memory of Pascal Le Bail

One day, all that will remain are the shared experiences. The moments we lived together. Songs, scents, sounds. The memories.

May 27, 2008

My father was 54 years old when, while mowing the lawn, a sudden heart attack took him from us within seconds. One wrong move, an unexpected illness. And suddenly, everything changes.

July 20, 2024 – Saturday

Anne, a dear running friend from Vienna, wrote: “Tomorrow: Weichtalklamm, Schneeberg, Buchtelhütte and back – with Pascal.” A quick check-in with Christian – the boys were heading to St. Corona for a “guys’ day” – and I got the green light.

This tour had been on my bucket list for a long time. But I kept postponing it. On the one hand, I wasn’t sure whether it was a good idea to hike through the Weichtalklamm on my own (even though Christian put it this way: “Of course I know it – I used to RUN down that route.” 🤪)
On the other hand, such a tour requires at least half a day off. Today, everything aligned perfectly.

July 21, 2024 – Sunday

By 8:30 a.m. I was already at the bus stop in Payerbach. I was one of the last to board – the bus was full after that. Of course, Anne and Pascal were among the first. Shortly after nine, we arrived at the Weichtalhaus in the Höllental.

The gorge was breathtaking. The steep trail, the rocks, the ladders, the climbing – every step felt like it was pulling us upward with some invisible strength. It’s rare to go on a trail run or mountain hike with three people where everything just flows: no explanations, no waiting – like a well-practiced team. I have never met a more cautious and thoughtful man in the mountains than Pascal. He knew and respected the area like very few others.

By 10:30 a.m. we reached the Kienthalerhütte, and shortly before noon we stood together at the summit of the Klosterwappen – 2,076 meters – the highest point of the Schneeberg. From there we continued quickly to the Baumgartner hut – Anne and Pascal were rewarded with a well-earned Buchtel, and I got a large elderflower juice. Just a few minutes later, we jogged on – through the Lackabodengraben, across the Eng, along the Mariensteig, and finally down to the Waldschlössl.

There are tours that are about more than just running. They are moments that etch themselves deep into memory. This day was one of them.

—

Route:

Weichtalhaus – Weichtalklamm – Kienthalerhütte – Klosterwappen – Schutzhütte Baumgartner – Lackabodengraben – Eng – Mariensteig – Waldschlössl

Distance: approx. 21.7 km

Elevation gain/loss: +1,585 m / –1,558 m

Duration: trail running, 5 hours 45 minutes total, including two short breaks

—

End of August 2024

About a month later, the news arrived:

“Hohe Wand. 54-year-old man fatally injured while climbing.”

July 21, 2024

On the trail between the Kienthalerhütte and the Klosterwappen, there is a cross. We arrived there at exactly 11:00 a.m.
We paused for a moment, taking in the view. Pascal could name every peak around us. He knew the mountains. A strange feeling came over me as we read the inscription on the cross:

“Stop and read:

What you are now, I once was.

What I am now, you shall one day be,

And you too will be covered by the same earth…”

No grand words were needed. Only the steps. The rocks. The July sunshine. The silence. The moments that remain. And the gratitude for the time shared.