Monday, November 1, 2010

Above and between the clouds (Schneeberg, Alps in Austria)

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The Schneeberg, with its 2076 m-high summit Klosterwappen, is the highest mountain of Lower Austria, and the easternmost 2000 m-high mountain in the Alps. It is a distinctive limestone massif with steep slopes on three sides.

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On clear days, Schneeberg can be readily seen from parts of Vienna, some 65 km away (as the crow flies), together with its snow-fields that reach down its northern slopes even in summer and provide a challenge to skiers.

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A rack-and-pinion railway, the Schneeberg Railway, now over 100 years old, climbs to a height of 1800 m, reducing the walk to the summit to an hour or two. There are also a number of other routes for walkers, including from the spa resort of Puchberg am Schneeberg to the east, or from the south, in Höllental.

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The summit plateau has a number of mountain huts which are visited by thousands of walkers, climbers and even mountain-bikers annually.
(Source: Wikipedia)

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Schneeberg

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