The Loser Plateau (also referred-to as the Loser-AugstEck plateau) is part of the

Totes Gebirge The Totes Gebirge is a group of mountains in Austria, part of the Northern Limestone Alps, lying between the Salzkammergut and the Ennstaler Alpen. The name ''Totes Gebirge'' is derived from the German words ''tot'' meaning "dead", referring to ...

mountain range in the

Salzkammergut The Salzkammergut (; ; bar, Soizkaumaguad, label=Central Austro-Bavarian) is a resort area in Austria, stretching from the city of Salzburg eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mounta ...

of Austria. It is most easily accessed up a toll road from the town of

Altaussee Altaussee (Central Bavarian: ''Oid Aussee'') is a municipality and spa town in the district of Liezen in Styria, Austria. The small village is nestled on the shores of the Lake Altaussee, beneath the Loser Plateau. Occupying an area of 92 ...

. It is a Nature Reserve, notable for its caves and unspoilt alpine

Karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ecosystem. Hunting permits are issued to control

Chamois The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Ril ...

. The central plateau area is relatively flat, at an altitude of 1500-1600m, rising gently to the north and east, and covering about 4 km². The whole massif is approximately 12 km². The area drops steeply on all sides, and is bounded to the SE by path 234 from the Wildenseehutte down to Altausseer See, to the south by the lake itself, then to the SW by the road to Blaa-Alm. The Western edge is marked by the valley of Grüne Bichl, and the northern limit is the ridge crest of Schönberg, then a rather ill-defined line back to the Wildenseehütte. Recently its southern (Loser) face has been heavily developed for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

. Access to the area is relatively easy at its southern edge, due to the Loser Panoramastraße toll road. This climbs the southern slopes of Loser to reach a large parking area and self-service restaurant at 1600m just below Augst See. From here, good paths reach both the southern slopes of Vd. Schwarzmooskogel, and also north to a col overlooking the extensive pathless central plateau. Both the further reaches of the central plateau and the areas around the Schönberg, Gries Kogel and Augst-Eck ridges are remote - being large pathless areas of rough karren with little or no water supplies except for snowmelt. The plateau is full of caves - with over 230 catalogued so far in the area 1623 in the Austrian cave Kataster. Several caving clubs, including

Cambridge University Caving Club The Cambridge University Caving Club was founded in 1949. The club organizes single rope technique (SRT) training, social events, and weekend caving trips as well as longer expeditions. Currently, annual expeditions are carried out to the Ardèche ...

and ARGE Grabenstetten, discover and explore the caves on the Plateau. Notable discoveries include: Steinbrückenhöhle, Kaninchenhöhle, Stellerweghöhle, Schwarzmooskogeleishöhle, and Raucherkarhöhle (19th longest cave in the world). A painting by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh c ...

belonging to the Rothschild family was hidden in a salt mine near the Loser Plateau during the German occupation until 1945.

References

External links

Loser Webpage
{{coord, 47, 39, 39, N, 13, 46, 16, E, display=title Landforms of Austria Nature reserves in Austria Plateaus of Europe da:Loser de:Loser fr:Loser (montagne) nn:Loser