Sonneck
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The Sonneck is a mountain in the
Kaisergebirge The Kaiser Mountains (, meaning ''Emperor Mountains'') are a mountain range in the Northern Limestone Alps and Eastern Alps. Its main ridges – are the Zahmer Kaiser and south of it the Wilder Kaiser. The mountains are situated in the Austri ...
range of the
Northern Limestone Alps The Northern Limestone Alps (), also called the Northern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. The distinction from the ...
in Austria. On its broad peak stands a solid
summit cross A summit cross is a Christian cross on the summit of a mountain or hill that marks the top. Often there will be a summit register (''Gipfelbuch'') at the cross, either in a container or other weatherproof case. The practice originated in the Ge ...
, the panorama is comprehensive and there are particularly good views of the Ellmauer Halt, the highest mountain in the range, the Treffauer and Lake Hinterstein.


Location

The Sonneck rises in the western part of the Wilder Kaiser on the main crest between the Hackenköpfe and Kopfkraxen in the west and Ellmauer Halt and Treffauer further east. It is one of the higher Kaiser peaks, but is rarely climbed.


Routes

The Sonneck is one of the easiest, but also rather unknown summits in the Kaisergebirge. It may be tackled by experienced and fit mountaineers either from the south or the north on two different routes. * South route: 4 hours to ascend, 3 hours to descend, 1,350 metre height difference The start point for this route is
Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser is a municipality in the district Kufstein in the Austrian region of the Sölllandl. It is located 8.50 km southeast of Kufstein and 13 km northwest of Kitzbühel and has three subdivisions. The main source of i ...
. Cars may taken as far as the ''Gasthaus Jägerwirt'' (910 m). Thereafter the route continues on foot, initially quite gently through woods and meadows reaching the Kaiser Hochalm meadow after just under 2 hours. After that it becomes steeper, running past the southern side of the Sonnenstein, then across slopes of
mountain pine ''Pinus mugo'', known as dwarf mountain pine, mountain pine, scrub mountain pine, Swiss mountain pine, bog pine, creeping pine, or mugo pine, is a species of conifer, native to high elevation habitats from southwestern to Central Europe and So ...
and open '' schrofen'' terrain, a demanding section up to the Kopfkraxen, a lower peak. On sunny, warm days it is essential to set off early otherwise the ascent will be tortuous. From the Kopfkraxen the route becomes more challenging along the airy, but secured ridge with a short climb up to the summit of the Sonneck. The last section requires
sure-footedness Sure-footedness is the ability, especially when hiking or mountain climbing, to navigate difficult or rough terrain safely. Such situations place demands on a person's coordination and reserves of strength as well as requiring sufficient appreciati ...
and a
head for heights To have a head for heights means that one has no acrophobia (irrational fear of heights), and is also not particularly prone to fear of falling or suffering from vertigo (the spinning sensation that can be triggered, for example, by looking down ...
. * North route: 6 hour to ascend, 4½ hours to descend, 1,750 metre height difference The base for this route is Sparchen, a suburb of
Kufstein Kufstein (; ) is a town in the Austrian state of Tyrol, the administrative seat of Kufstein District. With a population of about 20,000 it is the second largest Tyrolean town after the state capital Innsbruck. The greatest landmark is Kufstein For ...
. Initially this route involves a long approach march, but it is very scenic nevertheless. The trail runs through the
Kaisertal The Kaisertal (formerly ''Sparchental'') is a striking mountain valley between the mountain chains of the Zahmer and Wilder Kaiser in Austria's Kaisergebirge range in the Tyrol (state), Tyrol. In the ravine (''Sparchenklamm'') on the valley flo ...
valley past the ''Pfandlhof'' farm and St. Anthony's Chapel (''Antoniuskapelle'') and reaches the Anton Karg Haus in
Hinterbärenbad The Anton Karg Haus, formerly the Neue Hinterbärenbad Hut, is an Alpine club hut belonging to the Kufstein Section of the Austrian Alpine Club in the Kaisergebirge mountains in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol. The hut is named afte ...
after 2½ hours. It is possible to stay overnight here. The marked, but rarely used route now follows the "Beggar's Trail" (''Bettlersteig'')for half an hour towards the Kaindl Hut, until the route to the Sonneck branches off. The trail climbs a continuously steep slope, which is none too exciting, high into the "Chamois Cirque" (''Gamskar'', which is aptly named) and runs along the Gamskarköpferl finally crossing a scree cirque painstakingly to reach the summit of the Sonneck.''Sonneck (2260 m)''
at www.hoehenrausch.de. Starts from Oberndorf. Accessed on 1 Jan 2011 * Ridge crossing It is possible to follow the entire ridge from the Sonneck over the Kopfkraxen, Wiesberg and Hackenköpfe to the Scheffauer. This route is, however, energy-sapping, lengthy, unmarked and unsecured and, in places, very exposed and laced with quite a few ascents. It may only be tackled by surefooted mountaineers with a head for heights and local knowledges and Alpine experience. The whole crossing from the Sonneck to the Scheffauer takes about 3 hours; and must be followed by a descent to the Kaindl Hut or to Lake Hinterstein. This ridge crossing may also be done in the opposite direction, but its length and difficulty is frequently underestimated.


References


External links


Tour report
{{in lang, de Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Tyrol (federal state) Two-thousanders of Austria Kaiser Mountains