No, the title isn’t clickbate. Schöckl mountain, located about an hour by bus outside of Graz, is so popular with the people of Austria’s second-largest city that it was recently made entirely wheelchair accessible. You can now travel from the center of Graz all the way to – and around – the summit of the 1,445 meter tall mountain. They even constructed a flat, wooden path at the top. I guess that’s what Austria does with its roughly 2,000 Euros per capita higher GDP than that of Germany.
Usually, though, people go hiking in summer, not woefully unprepared and in winter. I’m a mountain kid, but a summer mountain kid. Regardless, I took it on myself.
I was planning on reaching the summit by taking the (wheelchair-accessible) gondola lift. Unfortunately, due to high winds, it was not operating. I decided to ascend anyway. The big mistake that I made was to take the “short” path of the cleared-out strip under the gondola, straight up the side of the mountain. While the route is, in theory, shorter and the views are breathtaking, it is also very steep and not a hiking track – and very icy.
It took me much longer than the normal hiking routes up the mountain. But there was a much greater sense of achievement when I finally reached the top.
Speaking of: let me show you around the Schöckl-plateau in my little photo sequence.
Look northwest from the top of Schöckl and if the air is clean enough, you can see all the way to the really tall mountains in the central range of the Alps.
Schöckl itself is the southernmost significant mountain in the "Grazer Bergland" subsection of the Alps. It is also much taller than most of the surrounding peaks, giving you a stunning view in all directions. Keppler used the mountain to measure the curvature of the earth for that exact reason.
The plateau at the top of the mountain is usually grassland with boulders. In winter, it is a desolate ice desert. It has its own charm though.
Looking west from the western peak of Schöckl.
The mountain, with its amazing view, is a great place to watch the sunset from. The sun sets a few minutes later on the peak that in the surrounding valleys, because it is higher up, and because of the shadows of the surrounding mountains.
The temperature in the valley was much higher than on the mountain peak when I went up, and in Graz, there was no trace of snow.
Going for a stroll on the western peak of Schöckl in the sunset. And -7°C. What could be more romantic.
Most mountains in overwhelmingly Catholic Austria have a cross at their peak. This isn't technically the highest point of Schöckl, but it is the "Westgipfel," so the "western peak."
Now that's what I call a bench with a view
Scenic sunset. Behind the side of the building is Graz.
And here you can see Graz in the distance! The iconic Schlossberg is but a tiny hill in the sea of buildings when viewed from up here.
The Stubenberghaus provides hikers with shelter and great food. It is by far the supreme of the huts on Schöckl.
