The Riesachsee and the Riesach falls

The Untertal runs south from Schladming into the Schladminger Tauern, and at its head the Wilde Wasser path climbs beside the Riesach falls — the largest in Styria — on stairs, ladders and a suspension bridge strung across the gorge. It is about an hour on foot from the road end, steep but on a made path.

At the top the water flattens out into the Riesachsee, a rock-basin lake at 1,338 metres and 750 metres long, held between the Hasenkarspitze and the Mandlspitze. Two alpine huts stand on its shores and open in the summer months. The water is dark green, still in the morning and usually flat enough to hold the walls upside down.

The gorge itself is in shade nearly all day, which suits the falls — long, soft exposures without blown highlights — and the lake takes sun from mid-morning. Snowmelt in May and June makes the falls loudest and the spray heaviest; by September the flow drops and the rock is dry.

The Untertal road is closed to cars above the valley car park, so this is a walk in both directions. The path is wet, has metal steps and open drops, and the huts are seasonal — check opening dates and the snow on the upper section, and allow half a day for the round trip.