Königsjodler klettersteig I got to do last week -- great and long and hard.
For free climbing moves with hands and feet directly on rock, the best cable-protected route overall that I've done so far - (including some of the great routes in the Dolomites, though Via Ferrata Tomaselli has an particular section).
Follows a long ridge, up (and sometimes down) over several towers, some with a narrow top edge. Variety of situations and types of climbing moves superior to what I've down so far in the Dolomites. And most of the way there are big views to all the high snowy peaks of Austria.
Long approach hike. Two long Via Ferrata sections overall. Long difficult VF sections. Long overall descent, with much of that a long steep-ish descent.
Downside: the long steep-ish knee-and-ankle-pounding descent of the Birgkar.
Snow warning: The Birgkar valley holds much snow for much longer than I would have guessed -- even though it's generally South-facing, and even though the previous winter season tended to be low for snow.
The Koenigsjodler is in Austria on the south side of the Berchtesgaden mountains near Germany, roughly 60-80 km South of Salzburg, or 80-100 km East from Kufstein. GPS latitude/longitude (N47.412 E13.054).
I used the German-language guidebook Klettersteigführer Österreich (AlpinVerlag.at) by Jentszch-Rabi, a modern book with detailed topos and GPS coordinates, comes with a DVD.
. (more details at www.roberts-1.com/c/v/e/11a/#Koenigsjodler)
Ken
