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Viewpoint

Dachstein Krippenstein

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A white metal summit cross stands on the Krippenstein plateau above Obertraun, with the Five Fingers viewing platform on the shoulder to the left and the Hallstättersee lying far below in the valley.
A rust-red steel sculpture shaped like a shark breaching out of the limestone rears above a gravel path on the Krippenstein, with the glaciated Dachstein summits behind it under a clear sky.
A small weathered wooden hut sits on the grassy Krippenstein plateau in early morning light, facing the long snow-topped wall of the Dachstein range with a pale moon overhead.
A small white cable car station building sits on the grassy edge of the Krippenstein plateau above Obertraun, its haul rope dropping away past a red lattice pylon while the Dachstein massif and its glacier fill the horizon.
The Lodge am Krippenstein sits half buried in deep snow on the Dachstein plateau, its roof loaded white, with the snow-covered massif rising behind.
A shingled chapel tower topped by a cross stands on the Krippenstein ridge above a curving path, with the angular metal Welterbespirale viewing platform on the skyline behind it.
Looking straight up at a yellow Dachsteinbahn cabin gliding along its cables against a deep blue sky, with two wooden huts on the ridge below.
The Krippenstein summit ridge with its cable car top station and long lodge building, seen from across a bowl of pale karst rock and dwarf pine, with a blurred boulder in the foreground.

Snapshot

The Five Fingers platform at the Krippenstein summit is five steel walkways cantilevered over a 400-metre drop, with a glass floor on the outermost arm and nothing but air between your feet and Hallstättersee far below. It is one of the most visceral viewpoints in the Alps, and it is one hour from Salzburg city.

The Story

The Krippenstein cable car lifts visitors from the lake village of Obertraun at 609 m to the Dachstein plateau at 2,109 m, a vertical climb of 1,500 m in three cable car sections. The journey takes roughly 15 minutes and terminates in a world that bears almost no relation to the forested valley below.

The Five Fingers (Fünf Finger) viewing platform sits at the top station, a short walk from the cable car arrival. Five steel arms extend over the cliff edge; the outermost is barely a metre wide, with a glass floor that makes the 400 m drop visible beneath your feet. On a clear day the view takes in Hallstatt directly below, the full arc of Hallstättersee, and the layered ridgelines of the Salzkammergut extending in every direction. The platform is visible from the valley on clear days, a small steel glint on the cliff face.

The plateau itself rewards longer exploration. A shark sculpture on the Heilbronner Circular Trail marks the geological fact that this limestone was once a seabed. The Giant Ice Cave and Mammoth Cave are both accessible from the Schonbergalm middle station on the way up, each requiring a separate guided tour. A separate World Heritage View platform near the summit is flat and accessible, with labelled peaks and a full 360-degree panorama for visitors who prefer not to walk the exposed cliff edges. The third cable car section runs to Gjaidalm for plateau hiking when conditions allow.

The Krippenstein is the natural approach to Dachstein from the Salzburg direction. The village of Obertraun sits on the eastern shore of Hallstättersee, making it possible to combine a morning on the plateau with an afternoon in Hallstatt on the same day.

Visiting

Cable car departs from the valley station at Winkl 34, Obertraun, on the eastern shore of Hallstättersee. Three sections ascend to Krippenstein at 2,109 m; the ice cave is at the middle station (Schonbergalm). The Five Fingers platform is a 15-minute walk from the top station. Cable car operates daily May through October; first ascent at 8:40 AM. Restaurant at the top station. Combined cable car and cave tickets offer the best value (around EUR 22 for three cable car sections). Warm layers needed at the summit regardless of valley temperature. Obertraun is 75 minutes from Salzburg by car; bus 543 from Hallstatt covers the final stretch in 10 minutes.