The Loser Plateau (also referred-to as the Loser-AugstEck plateau) is part of the

Totes Gebirge The Totes Gebirge, also known in English as the Dead Mountains, is a mountain range in Austria that forms part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name ''Totes Gebirge'' is supposedly der ...

mountain range in the

Salzkammergut The Salzkammergut (, ; ) is a resort area in Austria, stretching from the city of Salzburg eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mountains. The main river of the region is the Traun (r ...

of Austria. It is most easily accessed up a toll road from the town of

Altaussee Altaussee (; Central Bavarian: ''Oid Aussee'') is a municipality and spa town in the district of Liezen in Styria, Austria. The small village is nestled on the shores of the Lake Altaussee, beneath the Loser Plateau. Occupying an area of 92&n ...

. It is a Nature Reserve, notable for its caves and unspoilt alpine

Karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

ecosystem. Hunting permits are issued to control

Chamois The chamois (; ) (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope native to the mountains in Southern Europe, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra Mountains, Tatra to the Carpa ...

. The central plateau area is relatively flat, at an altitude of 1500-1600m, rising gently to the north and east, and covering about 4 km². The whole massif is approximately 12 km². The area drops steeply on all sides, and is bounded to the SE by path 234 from th
Wildenseehutte
down to Altausseer See, to the south by the lake itself, then to the SW by the road to Blaa-Alm. The Western edge is marked by the valley of Grüne Bichl, and the northern limit is the ridge crest of Schönberg, then a rather ill-defined line back to the Wildenseehütte. Recently its southern (Loser) face has been heavily developed for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

. Access to the area is relatively easy at its southern edge, due to the Loser Panoramastraße toll road. This climbs the southern slopes of Loser to reach a large parking area and self-service restaurant at 1600m just below Augst See. From here, good paths reach both the southern slopes of Vd. Schwarzmooskogel, and also north to a col overlooking the extensive pathless central plateau. Both the further reaches of the central plateau and the areas around the

Schönberg Schönberg () may refer to: Places Austria *Schönberg im Stubaital, a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land, Tyrol *Schönberg am Kamp, a town in the district of Krems-Land, Lower Austria Belgium *Schönberg (Sankt-Vith), a part o ...

, Gries Kogel and Augst-Eck ridges are remote - being large pathless areas of rough karren with little or no water supplies except for

snowmelt In hydrology, snowmelt is surface runoff produced from melting snow. It can also be used to describe the period or season during which such runoff is produced. Water produced by snowmelt is an important part of the annual water cycle in many part ...

. The plateau is full of caves - with over 230 catalogued so far in the area 1623 in the Austrian cave Kataster. Several caving clubs, including

Cambridge University Caving Club The Cambridge University Caving Club was founded in 1949. The club organizes single rope technique (SRT) training, social events, and weekend caving trips as well as longer expeditions. The club occasionally publishes a journal of pursuits named C ...

and ARGE Grabenstetten, discover and explore the caves on the Plateau. Notable discoveries include: Steinbrückenhöhle, Kaninchenhöhle, Stellerweghöhle, Schwarzmooskogeleishöhle, and Raucherkarhöhle (19th longest cave in the world). A painting by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

belonging to the Rothschild family was hidden in a salt mine near the Loser Plateau during the German occupation until 1945.

References

External links

Loser Webpage
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