Hexenturm, Mountain summit in Styria, Austria

The Hexenturm is a mountain summit in the Ennstal Alps standing at 2,172 meters with steep rock faces and grass-covered ridges. The route to the peak crosses mixed terrain and demands solid climbing skills.

The first recorded ascent was on 7 September 1877, when August Martinez, Franz Rumpel, Josef Draxler, Jakob Friedl, Marie Pachmayer and botanist Gabriel Strobl reached the summit from the Grabneralm via the Natterriegel and Rosskar, finding a triangulation pole set up a month earlier for the St. Gallen forestry office. Heinrich Heß followed on 16 August 1885 with the first traverse of the ridge from the west over the Kesselgrat. In 2002 the Admont-Gesäuse section of the Austrian Alpine Club built the Hexensteig via ferrata on the south-east ridge.

The mountain's usual local name is Bärenkarmauer; the name Hexenturm, taken from the general staff map, was spread among tourists by the 1879 guide of Martinez and Rumpel, as Heinrich Heß noted. Locals long applied Hexenturm to the Hochturm (1,958 m) to the west. Both names refer to the steep rock walls, -turm and -mauer.

The climb requires solid hiking experience and should only be attempted in stable weather since the rocky sections are exposed and can be slippery. Sturdy boots and layered clothing are essential to move safely.

The Hexensteig, built by the Admont-Gesäuse section of the Austrian Alpine Club in 2002, is a secured via ferrata on the southeast ridge with passages graded B and a short B–C section. Because the rock is poorly suited to it, the Hexenturm has no climbing routes.