Estimated net time	5-6 hours
Difficulty	The hike through the forest is easy, on a good path. When you get below the summit ridge you have to ascend a steep gully, but ropes run along the gully so there are no difficulties. The summit ridge itself is a bit more challenging, but thanks to more ropes and wires (via Ferrata) there are no technical difficulties. But the exposure is quite considerable in a few places.
Drinking water	Access to running water from the river around trail head, and also from the fountain by Sulzaustube. In addition you cross a creek at around 1000 metres.
GSM coverage	Coverage throughout the route, but a bit patchy around trail head (July 2010).
Parking	Room for many cars at trail head. But if parking down by the gate there is only room for one or two cars. (*)
Start height	780 metres. 735 metres if parking down by the gate. (*)
Vertical metres	1115 metres for the roundtrip. 1160 metres if parking down by the gate. (*)
Trip distance	8.1 km. 10.1 km if parking down by the gate. (*)
GPS-file	X
Map		Google Interactive Map
Route photo	Parking and trail head below Sulzaustube.   Turn right after Sulzaustube and follow path.   Gully up towards Rinnkogel summit ridge.   Along Rinnkogel summit ridge.

From Salzburg drive around 40 km east on road B158, to the village Strobl at the east end of lake Wolfgang See. Follow signs for Postalm, heading south from the south-east corner of Strobl. After approximately 5 km along the road to Postalm you get to a toll booth. Pay toll here (EUR 5 per 2010) and drive 1.8 km to where the road makes a sharp right. Turn left onto the gravel road (*) and drive another 1.0 km to you get to a large gravel area on your left hand side. Park here (*).

Start walking by following the road across the bridge and towards Sulzaustube cabin. Just before you get to the cabin you will see signs for Rinnkogel. Follow the signed path on the left hand side of the cabin and turn right immediately after the cabin. This path will take you all the way to the summit, but there are some small challenges along the route. These slightly difficult sections starts with the gully up to the summit ridge. This gully is equipped with a rope running along most of the length of the gully, and is probably most useful if the rock is wet.

When you get onto the ridge you will also find ropes and wires running along the ridge, and some of these seriously reduces the challenges of this hike. The most difficult part of the ridge is a section where you scramble a couple of metres below the ridge, on the right (south) side. You have a 5-10 cm wide shelf where you can walk, and you keep your hands at the wire at head's height. The last few metres to the summit is easy walking, and the summit is marked by a wooden cross, and also holds a summit registration book.

The descent is best done by reversing your ascent route.

(*)

When I did this hike I was given permission by the attendant in the toll booth to drive the 1.0 km along the gravel road. I have found out later that this gate is not likely to be open, and even if it is you are not allowed to drive this road. Hence you should either park at the start of the gravel road (outside the gate, and making sure you don't block for traffic) or further down along the road.

13. July 2010

We left Sarpsborg on Monday morning, and after 18½ hours of travel and a night in a hotel north of Leipzig, we arrived Strobl around 14:30 this Tuesday. After checking in to the hotel and getting organized I decided to hike one of the mountains around Strobl.

I had studied the maps and Rinnkogel looked tempting. Hence I started off by paying a visit to the local tourist office to ask about the difficulty of this mountain. The answer I got was that the route to Rinnkogel was easier than the hike I had done to Sparber two years previously, but longer. Next on the agenda was a quick stop at the local grocery store to buy a couple of bananas and some water. From here I drove towards Postalm.

To my surprise the toll booth below Postalm was manned, so I took the opportunity to ask her about where I could start my hike. Specifically I asked if I could drive all the way up to Sulzaustube, and I even pointed at the map, and she confirmed that this was OK. And when I got up to the gravel road leading towards Sulzaustube I found the gate open and the road very fine indeed. From here I walked uphill through the forest, picking some wild strawberries, and meeting a few small deer of some kind.

The via Ferrata section, up the gully and along the summit ridge, required a bit more concentration than I had thought, but there were no problems ascending. But I knew that coming down would require to notch up the concentration a bit compared to most hikes I do. At the summit I enjoyed the nice views, including the Dachstein massif, and I was also able to see some of the mountains I had planned to do this summer. After taking photos I started my descent, which proved to be enjoyable and just the right level for me to get into a more alpine mood than had been required for my previous hikes this year. And after the scrambling I did a good pace all the way back to the car, and drove off to the hotel in Strobl.

But I didn't get very far; when I got towards the end of the gravel road I saw that the gate had been closed. At first I was a bit annoyed that I had to stop and get out of the car to open the gate, but this thought soon vanished when I realised the gate was actually locked! After analyzing the problem, and trying to see if there were any ways I could force the lock open, desperation started to creep in. I considered walking down to the toll booth, but assumed it would be unmanned by now. I therefore tried to call my wife, but the coverage was very poor. Eventually I got hold of her and asked her to drive up to the toll booth, using her father's car, and see if there was any contact information like a phone number. But I wasn't very hopeful. But a few minutes later two cars arrived and stopped by the gate. I went across to the first guy, a mid-age burly man, and asked if he had a key to the gate. His only reply was "Warum?". My obvious answer was that I needed a key in order to get out! He wasn't impressed. Eventually he got a bit more talkative, enquiring why I was on that side of the gate. My honest answer was that the woman at the toll booth had said it was OK to drive this road, but he clearly didn't believe what I said, and so he told me. I repeated what she had said and also that we had looked at the map together, but I was unable to impress him. And as a matter of fact I didn't care since it was pretty obvious he had a key and was going to use it. I'm sure he had liked to tell me off in a serious way, but I only had one thing on my mind and that was to get my car past that stupid gate. Which I did successfully. Puh! And I was even able to stop Elisabeth before she had taken off since she was a bit late in order to finish her starter (they had gone to the restaurant, on my request, while I was out hiking).
Photos 13.07.2010