Loser Plateau
Encyclopedia
The Loser Plateau is part of the Totes Gebirge
mountain range in the Salzkammergut
of Austria. It is most easily accessed up a toll road from the town of Altaussee
. It is a Nature Reserve, notable for its caves and unspoilt alpine Karst
ecosystem. Hunting permits are issued to control Chamois
.
The central plateau area is relatively flat, at an altitude of 1500-1600m, rising gently to the north and east, and covering about 4km2. The whole massif is approximately 12km2. The area drops steeply on all sides, and is bounded to the SE by path 234 from the Wildenseehutte down to Altausseer See, to the south by the lake itself, then to the SW by the road to Blaa-Alm. The Western edge is marked by the valley of Grüne Bichl, and the northern limit is the ridge crest of Schönberg, then a rather ill-defined line back to the Wildenseehütte. Recently its southern (Loser) face has been heavily developed for skiing
.
Access to the area is relatively easy at its southern edge, due to the Loser Panoramastraße toll road. This climbs the southern slopes of Loser to reach a large parking area and self-service restaurant at 1600m just below Augst See. From here, good paths reach both the southern slopes of Vd. Schwarzmooskogel, and also north to a col overlooking the extensive pathless central plateau. Both the further reaches of the central plateau and the areas around the Schönberg, Gries Kogel and Augst-Eck ridges are remote - being large pathless areas of rough karren with little or no water supplies except for snowmelt.
The plateau is full of caves - with over 230 catalogued so far. It is area 1623 in the Austrian cave Kataster.
Several caving clubs, including Cambridge University Caving Club
and ARGE Grabenstettenhttp://www.arge-grabenstetten.de/index.htm, discover and explore the caves on the Plateau. Notable discoveries include: Steinbrückenhöhle
, Kaninchenhöhle, Stellerweghöhle, Schwarzmooskogeleishöhle, and Raucherkarhöhle (19th longest cave in the world)http://www.cob.jp/jsp/english/w-long.html.
A painting by Anthony van Dyck
belonging to the Rothschild family was hidden in a salt mine near the Loser Plateau during the German occupation until 1945.http://www.thecityreview.com/w00solmp.html
Totes Gebirge
The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name Totes Gebirge is derived from the German words tot meaning "dead", referring to the apparent lack of vegetation, and Gebirge meaning "mountain...
mountain range in the Salzkammergut
Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut is a resort area located in Austria. It stretches from City of Salzburg to the Dachstein mountain range, spanning the federal states of Upper Austria , Salzburg , and Styria . The main river of the region is the Traun, a tributary of the Danube...
of Austria. It is most easily accessed up a toll road from the town of Altaussee
Altaussee
Altaussee is a small alpine Austrian village, nestled on the shores of the Altaussee lake, beneath the Loser Plateau. Occupying an area of 92 km², the village is home to 1,888 people. Altaussee is within the Salzkammergut region, in the state of Styria....
. It is a Nature Reserve, notable for its caves and unspoilt alpine Karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
ecosystem. Hunting permits are issued to control Chamois
Chamois
The chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe, including the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, the European Alps, the Tatra Mountains, the Balkans, parts of Turkey, and the Caucasus. The chamois has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand...
.
The central plateau area is relatively flat, at an altitude of 1500-1600m, rising gently to the north and east, and covering about 4km2. The whole massif is approximately 12km2. The area drops steeply on all sides, and is bounded to the SE by path 234 from the Wildenseehutte down to Altausseer See, to the south by the lake itself, then to the SW by the road to Blaa-Alm. The Western edge is marked by the valley of Grüne Bichl, and the northern limit is the ridge crest of Schönberg, then a rather ill-defined line back to the Wildenseehütte. Recently its southern (Loser) face has been heavily developed for skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
.
Access to the area is relatively easy at its southern edge, due to the Loser Panoramastraße toll road. This climbs the southern slopes of Loser to reach a large parking area and self-service restaurant at 1600m just below Augst See. From here, good paths reach both the southern slopes of Vd. Schwarzmooskogel, and also north to a col overlooking the extensive pathless central plateau. Both the further reaches of the central plateau and the areas around the Schönberg, Gries Kogel and Augst-Eck ridges are remote - being large pathless areas of rough karren with little or no water supplies except for snowmelt.
The plateau is full of caves - with over 230 catalogued so far. It is area 1623 in the Austrian cave Kataster.
Several caving clubs, including Cambridge University Caving Club
Cambridge University Caving Club
The Cambridge University Caving Club was founded in 1949. The club organizes SRT training, social events, and weekend caving trips as well as longer expeditions.Currently, annual expeditions are carried out to the Ardèche region of France for sport...
and ARGE Grabenstettenhttp://www.arge-grabenstetten.de/index.htm, discover and explore the caves on the Plateau. Notable discoveries include: Steinbrückenhöhle
Steinbrückenhöhle
Steinbrücken Cave was discovered by the Cambridge University Caving Club on the Loser Plateau in 1999. It is named after a nearby natural arch. The arch is in fact a former entrance to Traungold Cave which has been developed into a convenient bivouac shelter for cave explorers.As of 2006, the...
, Kaninchenhöhle, Stellerweghöhle, Schwarzmooskogeleishöhle, and Raucherkarhöhle (19th longest cave in the world)http://www.cob.jp/jsp/english/w-long.html.
A painting by Anthony van Dyck
Anthony van Dyck
Sir Anthony van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He is most famous for his portraits of Charles I of England and his family and court, painted with a relaxed elegance that was to be the dominant influence on English portrait-painting for the next...
belonging to the Rothschild family was hidden in a salt mine near the Loser Plateau during the German occupation until 1945.http://www.thecityreview.com/w00solmp.html