Weiße Gams - B/C (D)
Elevation: 130 m / Lenght: 160 m
Approach: 10 min / Duration: 1 hrs
Rating: 3/5
In the small Austrian village of Weißbach bei Lofer, you'll find four short via ferratas ranging from difficulty B to F. As a warm-up, we chose Zahme Gams – B/C, which I'd recommend mainly to beginners and kids. Personally, I'd rate it about 2/5 - climbing through trees and shrubs just isn't really my thing.
Afterwards, we moved on to the much more interesting (and also longer) Weisse Gams – D. Based on the reviews, I assumed it could be a slightly easier D-graded ferrata that Jana would handle without trouble — and that turned out to be true. The TOPO on the info board doesn't match the one on the Alpine Guide's website. Many of the C-rated sections are listed as D on the board, which might look a bit intimidating.
The very first section immediately tells you whether this ferrata is for you or not — it's a several-metre-high vertical wall that definitely deserves its D rating and is without question the most physically demanding part of the whole climb.
During the first half of the route you're climbing at treetop height, so the views aren't anything special yet. After the initial crux, you encounter a few more technical moves, but none that I would personally rate higher than C.
Every few dozen metres you'll find completely flat resting spots, and sometimes short walking sections carved right into the rock. The most exposed point lies just past the halfway mark — it might test your nerves a little, but it's still only C difficulty, and aside from the height itself, there's nothing to worry about.
The overall length of the ferrata was a pleasant surprise — long enough that we were slightly concerned whether Jana would still have enough strength for the final C/D section. But she pushed through and climbed it anyway. During the descent we found a small free parking area at the edge of the forest, designated for ferrata climbers.
Free parking is located by the trail junction next to the road turn-off.