Resort Weißsee
Freeride under High Tauern summits
Insert: 13.12.2012
We have discovered this tiny resort in 2009. It is located deep in the valley near Uttendorf village. This village is on the direction from Zell am See to Mittersill. You have to make about 800m elevation to about 1500m above the sea. There is a parking lot which belongs to the resort.
The Alpizentrum Rudolfshütte is called the area near the parking lot. There is couple of older Bed and Breakfast hotels and older cabin which is 4 kms long. During our first visit we have jump off in the middle station of the resort without any knowledge that the rop eis leasing to the top of the resort. So we took another cabin and continued with our journey to the top. After our small mistake we arrived to the hotel Rudolfshütte which is the dominant building in the valley. There is a glacier lake under this hotel. There is an incredible view to the High Tauern summits which are around 3000m.
Weißsee is famous ski touring resort and people are starting the tours right from the Rudolfshütte hotel. There are a lot of tracks towards summits like Hochfürlegg, Granatspitze and famous Sonnblick. If you are passionate skialpinist this is the right place for you.
Regarding the freeride part of this resort we can say that is not in the middle of freeriders community interest. When you are in the Zell am See area and most of accessible lines are riden make sure you will visit Weissee. You will find some free lines in here. The whole resort has only one cabin which is serving the whole valley and about 4 chair lifts and T-bars. So do not expect any queues in here. You can ride all day long.
But let´s go to the resort more in detail. We could divide it into 3 main parts. The first part is just around the chair lift. The second part is around the top of the chair lift which is within walking distance. The third part is a hike above the lake Weißsee and a line to the middle station or directly to the lake.
1. Freeride under Medelzkopf
There is a chair lift which leads directly to the saddle under the Medelzkopf. The lift will také you to the 2550 m. above the sea. At the time when we have been there this was the only option how to get to the saddle between Medelzkopf and Tauernkogel and after that to ride some nice lines directly to Weißsee lake. The lines are marked as 1 and 2. The new lines are openning this year because there is a new lift Tauernmoos. This leads from lake Eisbodenlacke to the saddle near hotel. Well we could go there last time but the idea of a long hike was not a good one. There is a official ski touring track marked on the offical map of the resort. But when you will look at it from bottom you will find a way how to make it from slope (line marked as 3 on our map). We would like to HIGHLIGHT one thing. IF THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SNOW BE CAREFULL. THERE ARE A BIG HOLES AND ROCKS
2. Riding around the top of the chair lift
The cabin is leading from the middle station through valley and then above the ridge and dnes above the Weißsee lake. Here are next two areas where you can ride a few nice lines. The right side is composed by nice small couloirs. The best way how to read the terrain is to check it directly from cabin. If you are lucky and you have enough snow then you can ride a line near the black slope. (marked as yellow on the map).Very interesting part are forests above the bottom station. This is a part for real riders. This is hard terrain which is steep and full of pillows. So you have to know how to ride it. We had a lot of snow so it was a cool line. But we still had to také each other from some holes. But the forest is protecte by the local law. So make sure you will not meet any forest guard.
3. Hike and Ride
If you are the one who likes to hike, do not wait a minute and choose one from ski touring track which is most of the times already climbed up. The track is leading around the lake and after that crossing nice powder field to the saddle between Hochfürlegg and Sonnblick. The easier track is only to the ridge above the lake and then nice powder line down.
I have found on the Internet very nice panorama Picture where you can find the parts of our guides. Well one very importatnt note. There is big information table near the road in the Uttendorf. Right when you are turning the Weissee direction. This digital billboard is saying if the resort is ope nor not. Because after that you will drive at least 10kms up to the mountains. And as we found out last time that there is about 150km/h strong wind and nothing is working. So make sure you do not miss this. If you have a plan to visit Weißsee you will be satisfied and amazed.
Martin Klika
Weißsee is famous ski touring resort and people are starting the tours right from the Rudolfshütte hotel. There are a lot of tracks towards summits like Hochfürlegg, Granatspitze and famous Sonnblick. If you are passionate skialpinist this is the right place for you.
Regarding the freeride part of this resort we can say that is not in the middle of freeriders community interest. When you are in the Zell am See area and most of accessible lines are riden make sure you will visit Weissee. You will find some free lines in here. The whole resort has only one cabin which is serving the whole valley and about 4 chair lifts and T-bars. So do not expect any queues in here. You can ride all day long.
But let´s go to the resort more in detail. We could divide it into 3 main parts. The first part is just around the chair lift. The second part is around the top of the chair lift which is within walking distance. The third part is a hike above the lake Weißsee and a line to the middle station or directly to the lake.
1. Freeride under Medelzkopf
There is a chair lift which leads directly to the saddle under the Medelzkopf. The lift will také you to the 2550 m. above the sea. At the time when we have been there this was the only option how to get to the saddle between Medelzkopf and Tauernkogel and after that to ride some nice lines directly to Weißsee lake. The lines are marked as 1 and 2. The new lines are openning this year because there is a new lift Tauernmoos. This leads from lake Eisbodenlacke to the saddle near hotel. Well we could go there last time but the idea of a long hike was not a good one. There is a official ski touring track marked on the offical map of the resort. But when you will look at it from bottom you will find a way how to make it from slope (line marked as 3 on our map). We would like to HIGHLIGHT one thing. IF THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SNOW BE CAREFULL. THERE ARE A BIG HOLES AND ROCKS
2. Riding around the top of the chair lift
The cabin is leading from the middle station through valley and then above the ridge and dnes above the Weißsee lake. Here are next two areas where you can ride a few nice lines. The right side is composed by nice small couloirs. The best way how to read the terrain is to check it directly from cabin. If you are lucky and you have enough snow then you can ride a line near the black slope. (marked as yellow on the map).Very interesting part are forests above the bottom station. This is a part for real riders. This is hard terrain which is steep and full of pillows. So you have to know how to ride it. We had a lot of snow so it was a cool line. But we still had to také each other from some holes. But the forest is protecte by the local law. So make sure you will not meet any forest guard.
3. Hike and Ride
If you are the one who likes to hike, do not wait a minute and choose one from ski touring track which is most of the times already climbed up. The track is leading around the lake and after that crossing nice powder field to the saddle between Hochfürlegg and Sonnblick. The easier track is only to the ridge above the lake and then nice powder line down.
I have found on the Internet very nice panorama Picture where you can find the parts of our guides. Well one very importatnt note. There is big information table near the road in the Uttendorf. Right when you are turning the Weissee direction. This digital billboard is saying if the resort is ope nor not. Because after that you will drive at least 10kms up to the mountains. And as we found out last time that there is about 150km/h strong wind and nothing is working. So make sure you do not miss this. If you have a plan to visit Weißsee you will be satisfied and amazed.
Martin Klika
Attachment : Map of Weißsee 
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