# 1623: Gschwandt Alm area

# Gschwandt - NW of the Loser-Bräuning wall

This is a comparatively out-of-the-way area with few known caves. It lies NW of the Loser to Bräuning Zinken ridge, below the cliffs of these peaks and above another steep drop, the Stöckl Wand, which falls to the head of the Rettenbach - the stream which takes the Naglsteg water and flows WNW to Bad Ischl.

Three approaches are possible, though one is much longer than the others, unless you are based at CUCC's Top Camp, in which case it is by far the shortest!

From the toll road, starting at the Loser Hütte, a path heads west, parallel to and just above the road. It is joined by a track which leaves the road at Kehre 11, just above the ski area parking and bus stop. Immediately beyond the junction is the small resurgence of 1623-6, worth knowing about if you boil your radiator going up the toll road! The track continues west, dropping slightly to reach the top of a big ski lift coming up from the valley at Ramsau. A path now continues, following the contours round NW, then N, and finally turns east below the wall of Loser. This leads above the top of Stöckl Wand, and below the slopes and screes falling from Greimuth, to reach a large group of huts situated just above a permanent spring. This is Gschwandt Alm.

From the Bergrestaurant, follow path 201, and take any of three left turns, the first two leading over Sommersitz or Lackerbichl, but all eventually reaching Bräuning Alm. From here, the voie normale of Bräuning Zinken leads west as a clear path just above and NE of Gschwandt Sattel. From this point, a much less used route zig-zags down steep slopes directly to Gschwandt Alm.

The third route starts by approaching CUCC's Top Camp (Camp 3) just to the NW of Schwarzmoossattel, or, for the very intrepid, by crossing the steeper Bräuning Sattel, leading down directly to the camp. A cairned route over karren and through dwarf pine leads roughly west until a better defined path materialises and turns more southwest and descends gently to Gschwandt Alm.

5 | Holzknechtbrünndlloch
6 | Quelle (Wasserloch)
10 | Spalthöhle
11 | Höhle in der Loserwestwand 1
12 | Höhle in der Loserwestwand 2
52 | Sennerkeller & Sauloch
60 | Schacht I-IV bei Gschwandtalm

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