Climbing the Hochschober to the north is a superlative skiing adventure. What was, for quite a number of years, only the reserve of adventurous skiers, has these days more or less become a sought-after tour which is in vogue, one which can be tackled when avalanche conditions are safe even in the depths of winter and which is known far beyond the borders of East Tirol. Ideal snow conditions are often only found when the winter storms abate in the spring, when low-wind low pressure areas from the south plunge the summits into a fully coat of powder snow. Starting point is the parish of Lesach, around 1.5 kilometres before Kals. Head up by car to Oberlesach at the start of the forest road which heads into Lesachtal (marked car park area, 1415 m). Access to the blocked gate area is no longer permitted and via the pastures on the mountain side the route is truncated above the forest trail. Following the road in 1 ½ hours we get to the original Lesach Hütte (1828 m). The ski track now heads down to the river, bearing south to a hidden high mountain valley. At Bachgraben, which is filled with avalanche comes we painstakingly gain altitude, until we reach the bottom of the Ralftal valley. Via this we proceed inwards and proceed to the first slopes which head down to the right of the Hochschober (approx. 2500 m). In several hairpin bends we enter a flat area beneath the flanks of the summit. Whereas the westerly, steeper section is only tackled in the descent, we follow the tracks in the eastern section of the flank into Hohe Schobertörl. The steep ridge rise is bypassed by crossing via the south side, which is often windswept, where a short slope takes us into the uppermost wind gap beneath the summit cross (ski storage area, flank access). The final few metres to the highest point are tackled on foot. When there is hard snow it is recommended that you carry skis from the Hohe Schober Törl and store your skis there if you do not want to tackle the steep slopes. Descent either via the ascent track (flatter) or via the aforementioned adventurous, north-facing slopes. As for the entire our, absolute avalanche safety and technical skiing ability are required.
Additional ski tour tips can be obtained in the ski tour guides by Thomas Mariacher. These are available here: http://www.grafikzloebl.at/verlag/buecher/
