Stay in good spirits, wind down nicely

8 things that give away that you’re from the lowlands

Nobody is born a mountaineer. But admitting you’re a complete beginner can be more than just embarrassing – it can also be quite dangerous in the mountains. This applies to the Vienna Alps too. They may be just an hour from the outskirts of Vienna – and even their highest peaks are only a good two hours from Stephansplatz. But here you’ll find everything you’d expect from the wider Alpine range: sunny alpine pastures, remote peaks, breathtaking views – and yes, rugged trails and sudden changes in the weather too. Our tip: Avoid these eight mistakes for your ultimate day out in the Vienna Alps!

Flap, flap, flap: that sound belongs on the Danube Island, but not in the mountains. Out in the countryside, the paths are neither tarmac-surfaced nor covered in fine gravel. At best, wearing the wrong footwear will give you blisters on your feet; if you’re a bit unlucky, you’ll twist your ankle and injure yourself. And we don’t even want to think about what happens if you lose your footing on a steep slope. So: only head out into the wilderness with sturdy, well-treaded hiking boots!
What many beginners don’t realise is that for every thousand metres of altitude, the intensity of UV radiation increases by 10 per cent. That’s why you’re much more likely to get sunburnt at the top of the mountain (for example, you’re already over 1,500 metres above sea level at the Rax cable car summit station) than down in the valley. So use a higher sun protection factor than usual, apply sun cream to all exposed areas and protect yourself from sunstroke with a hat or baseball cap.
Have you ever called the mountain rescue service in tears because you got lost in a thicket of mountain pine or reached the end of your tether on a slippery scree slope? You’d be better off avoiding that experience altogether. Experienced mountaineers don’t just plan long tours, but also short mountain walks, using (up-to-date!) apps, offline maps, GPS devices or paper maps. Bear in mind, too, that you’ll often have no mobile signal out in the countryside, or that your smartphone battery might run out.
There are more than 50 mountain huts and refuges around Schneeberg, Rax, Wechsel and Semmering. Nevertheless, on any mountain hike you’ll have to manage without a refreshment stop for an hour, two hours or more. (After all, unspoilt nature is the very reason you’re there.) That’s why you must always carry your own drinks with you. Rule of thumb: drink at least half a litre, or better still a litre, per hour before you feel thirsty. In hot weather you’ll need more (chilled) fluids; in cold weather, hot drinks from a thermos bag or flask will warm you up.
Barbecues are great, campfires are romantic, and smoking is, well, unhealthy. But you should refrain from doing all three of these things in the Vienna Alps. Even a single discarded cigarette can set an entire forest alight, and even a single discarded bottle can ignite dry leaves and twigs due to its magnifying glass effect. Such carelessness triggered Austria’s largest forest fire in the Rax region in 2021. You wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of the tourists responsible…
Littering in the countryside is absolutely not on: please leave the mountain just as you found it. And don’t for a moment think that off-road rubbish collection jeeps or binmen and binwomen in orange climbing gear will be there to clean up after you: There’s no rubbish collection beyond the summit stations. So you’ll have to carry your rubbish back down to the valley yourself and dispose of it there, unless you want to trudge through a rubbish tip on your next trip.
“You should avoid oak trees and seek out beech trees” – unfortunately, that’s nonsense. If you get caught in a thunderstorm in the mountains, you should quickly find a safe shelter, ideally a hut. This is especially important if the storm is already very close – that is, if there are fewer than ten seconds between the flash of lightning and the clap of thunder. No hut in sight? Rocky outcrops or hollows can also provide protection. If neither is to hand, stay away from exposed areas (such as ridges and slopes, trees and summit crosses) and crouch down with your legs together on an insulating surface, e.g. your rucksack.