Description
With its 975 m height, the Gaisstein remains just below the 1000-meter mark and is less known than the popular excursion destinations around Furth, but it offers a great panoramic view from its rocky summit after a relatively short ascent. The route is mostly unmarked.
The ascent quickly gains height along a forest road to the Gaissteiner farm and into the game enclosure. Here the continuation is now easier to find via a new forest road.
The last part of the ascent leads as a path through the wooded southeast flank and is marked with cairns. Behind the summit, which is equipped with a summit cross, the rocks drop steeply into the depths.
Right next to the summit cross is a memorial plaque – with an appropriate motto – for Johann (Brandi) Brandstätter, for whom the Gaisstein was his local mountain.
The descent is best done via the ascent route, as other variants are hardly possible due to the game fence.
Starting point of the tour
Municipality of Furth an der Triesting, church parking lot
Route description Unknown viewpoint mountain, the Gaisstein above Furth
The starting point is the parking lot at the church in Furth. From there, you head south along the path "Furth-Geißruck-Kieneck (Enzianhütte)" and follow the way. Next you reach the Gaissteiner farm (700 m; reporting point for alpine accidents). Between the farm and the barn, you now turn left and reach the red marking (Furth-Kieneck) along a forest road. About 100 m after the farm, you enter the game enclosure through a turnstile, which extends from here to the Atzsattel. Within the enclosure, you now follow the red marking on the forest road for another 300 m until the marking leads left downwards onto a path. However, continue ascending on the new forest road – without marking. Passing a rock face with a cave, you soon reach the meadows of the ruined Himmelsreith farm. Continuing on the forest road, you quickly reach the saddle located amid the meadows. At the highest point of this saddle (approx. 810 m), you now turn right, crossing the meadow pathless to the northeast towards the steep wooded south flank of the Gaisstein. The path leading to the summit begins inconspicuously about 50 m west of the hunting stand at the forest edge, via a small climb over the fence. The path, marked with cairns from here, first ascends in a straight line through a distinctive young forest clearing heading northeast. On a slight ridge, the path turns northwest and crosses the south slope over clearings. The last change of direction is northeast again and becoming steeper, the path soon approaches the rugged summit structure. On trail traces, you reach the summit cross (974 m above sea level), the memorial plaque, as well as the rest bench (foldable, with schnapps bottle and summit books). Warning: directly behind the summit the rock walls drop more than 50 m steeply into the depths. The summit offers a great panoramic view.
For the return, it is best to choose the same way, as many other variants are blocked by the fences of the game enclosure.
Directions
A2 South Motorway exit Leobersdorf, on the Hainfeld federal road B 18 to Weissenbach, turn left towards Furth and then again left on the main road in Weissenbach into the village onto the Further Straße to Schromenau.
In Schromenau turn left towards Steinwandklamm. Follow the road about 1.0 km and turn right opposite the old lime kiln into the Ebelthal. Stay on the road on the valley floor in the Ebelthal for another 2.8 km up to the end of the valley, parking lot after the last house.
Parking
Before the first right-hand bend, large gravel parking lot (536 m above sea level) on the right side of the road.
