May 14, 2026

🇦🇹🏔️🚐 Austria, Dachstein and Frankenjura – a climbing roadtrip driven by mountains and freedom

A multi-day campervan journey through Plombergstein, Schwarzensee and Lärchkogel, finished with climbing in Frankenjura.

Austria + Germany (Frankenjura)•Václav Urban & Milan Petrisko

Climbing trip in Austria with alpine mountain scenery

Overview

Some trips are not just about route grades or the number of climbs completed. They are mainly about atmosphere, landscape, people and that feeling that pulls you back to the mountains. That was exactly the spirit of our multi-day climbing and travel journey through Austria and then into Frankenjura.

This time, I traveled with my friend and mountain rescue member Milan Petrisko. We did the full trip in a campervan, which gave the whole expedition an even stronger sense of freedom and adventure.

Trip Story

We left on Thursday evening for Austria. After a few hours of driving, we stopped in Germany and spent the night in a quiet industrial zone near the Austrian border. After a calm morning and coffee, we continued to our first objective: Plombergstein.

For Milan, it was his first real multipitch experience, so we chose longer and well-protected routes of lower difficulty. The goal was to absorb the rhythm of multipitch climbing, movement in exposure and communication on the wall.

On Friday, we climbed the beautiful Roberto route (5- / 220 m). After that, we continued exploring the area, observing route lines and planning the next days.

We originally wanted to climb Drei Musketiere und Luftikus, but Saturday morning brought crowds and heavy traffic at the starts. We changed plans and shifted focus to a stronger alpine objective.

Highlights

Our options included Falkenstein and the well-known Seenot line, plus Zwerchwand and Lärchkogel. In the end we chose Lärchkogel and the Zeitreise multipitch above Lake Gosausee.

Zeitreise is very specific: when wet, it feels significantly harder. It is recommended to start at least three days after rain, and retreat options are realistic only in the early pitches. During our ascent, weather changed repeatedly and we were hit by showers and a smaller thunderstorm.

A critical moment came in the final pitch when several larger rocks broke loose and passed Milan by a very small margin. Thankfully, no injury. It was a direct reminder of how quickly mountain conditions can shift.

By the afternoon, we reached the summit and descended with views over the Dachstein massif. Back at the van, we refueled and continued toward home.

On Sunday, we made one more stop in Frankenjura (Kalmusfels). With very few climbers around, we enjoyed relaxed and continuous climbing without waiting at routes.