Schladminger Tauern

Schladminger Tauern Mountains, upper Styria, gneiss mountain range of the Niedere Tauern mountains south of Schladming, consists of crystalline rock of the Central Alps, in the north also of Ennstal phyllites of the greywacke zone. Its western part represents the border between Styria and the province of Salzburg; the Oberhüttensattel pass (1,866 m) connects the Schladminger Tauern mountains with the Radstädter Tauern mountains and the Sölkpaß pass (1,788 m) forms the connection to the Wölzer Tauern mountains. Highest elevations: Hochgolling (2,862 m), Hochwildstelle (2,747 m) to the north. In the north the Schladminger Tauern mountains are accessible via the Preuneggtal, Schladminger Obertal and Schladminger Untertal valleys and via Großsölk and Kleinsölk (all located in Styria), in the south via the Weißpriachtal, Lignitztal, Göriachtal and Lesachtal valleys (province of Salzburg) and via Prebergraben and Rantengraben and the Etrachtal, Schödertal and Katschtal valleys (Styria). Numerous mountain lakes: Giglachseen lakes with Ignaz-Mattis-Hütte mountain refuge (alt. 1,986 m), Riesachsee lake (alt. 1,338 m) below the Preintalerhütte mountain refuge (alt. 1,657 m), Sonntagskarseen lakes, Zwerfenbergsee lake (alt. 2,024 m), Schwarzensee lake (alt. 1,163 m), Klafferkessel mountain with numerous small kar lakes. Skiing regions (Schladming/Planai with world cup course, Oberhaus). Other mountain refuges: Landawirseehütte (alt. 1,985 m), Schladminger Hütte (alt. 1,828 m), Gollinghütte (alt. 1,641 m), etc. In the north-east of the Schladminger Tauern mountains lies the Großsölk reservoir of the STEWEAG power company (alt. 901 m, 385.7 km² catchment area, 1.4 million m³ useful capacity, dam 39 m high and 105 m long), Stein am Sölkbach power house, took up operation in 1978. Sölktäler nature park (277 km²) since 1983, comprises the municipalities of St. Nikolai im Sölktal, Großsölk and Kleinsölk. To the south, Krakau-Schöder nature reserve.