Sparber , Salzkammergut, Austria

[ridgerunner]

For anyone who has stayed in St. Wolfgang, they will know about the iconic pointy peak acrooss the Wolfgangsee that is said to resemble a squatting lion.

head to the right

It does look very inviting and despite being on hols with wife,daughter and new granddaughter, i did manage time to tackle this hill.

Getting off ferry in Strobl. Sparber in background

i was not sure what to expect as my 1:25000 local map showed a ladder icon half way up the hill and again at the top. Sometimes this means a path with a rope or steps , or possibly a via ferrata.
The route is well signposted but disappointingly did not follow the skyline and lost a lot of height along the lions back.
A large detour to the left is made at a wide cliff but the top is a lot higher than this cliff.
Came across lots of iron spikes and wooden steps in bad repair and was hoping this was what the icon referred to.
Two hours got me almost to the top.

not the main peak

This secondary top looked one for climbers only and to reach the col between this and the main peak i came across a couple of ladders that i bypassed. As i turned the corner to see a cable tied in to the rock face and descending , the rain started at the same time.

via ferrata- cable hard to see

Unfortunately the rock in this area is very slippy when wet so i decided not to venture any further.
I have seen photos taken from the top , but otherwise there are very few viewpoints on this climb.

viewpoint third way up.

Was now caught in severe thunder and lightning storm and sheltered till past then descended to zoo/restaurant to save getting soaked in the longish grass of the lower ascent path.
So a harness and a guide are probably necessary to reach the very top of this fine hill.
I did not meet anyone else on my climb.
Incidentally i found the free Maps.me mapping app on my iphone superb. it showed all the forest tracks and usefully a dead end that i was thinking of taking.