Some trips you forget as soon as you sit in the car. And some write themselves into memory because they challenge you, nearly overwhelm you here and there, and still leave you with something to be grateful for. For my Labrador girl Kira and me, the Sandling on Saturday, September 12th 2026, clearly belongs to the second category, and that day taught us more than many a relaxed Sunday outing.
It was to become our highest summit so far: 1,717 meters, right in the middle of the Salzkammergut. We started before daybreak: in the dark, in quiet, just the two of us and the trail. Via the Lambacher Hütte and the Vordere Sandlingalm, the climb first ran gently through the forest. I thought: this will be a relaxed day. I was to be proved wrong.
Das Erwachen am Sandlingsteig (Weg 250)
Trail 250, the Sandlingsteig, is described in some places as a kind of secured hiking trail. In truth it is a genuine via ferrata: difficulty A/B, about 850 meters long, roughly 400 vertical meters of continuously cabled steep terrain between dwarf pines and rock. For experienced via ferrata climbers probably a pleasure. For a dog: something entirely different.
The problem was not fitness. Kira is fit, she has proven that often enough. The problem was traction. On the smooth rock slabs a dog's paw simply finds no grip, and some cable sections climb almost vertically. At one or two spots I could lift and place Kira, at others that was impossible. There it meant: patience, piece by piece, always watching for the next hold. We fought our way up. But honestly: if the descent had been the same route, I would have regretted the tour.
At the summit, and a new record
All the greater was the joy up top: 1,717 meters, our new altitude record. The view over the Salzkammergut on a clear September day made up for a lot, and Kira seemed to know that something special was up there.
The descent over the Nordrücken (trail 251): the relief
The descent became the complete opposite of the ascent: trail 251 over the Nordrücken: hiking level T3, only two or three short cable sections, the rest a normal, well-trodden mountain path. For Kira no comparison: she trotted along briskly and relaxed, and I could simply walk instead of planning and steadying. Honestly the most relaxed phase of the whole tour, and I kept thinking: this is how the whole day should have been.
Unser Fazit
The Sandling is a beautiful mountain, but with a dog there is exactly one sensible route: the 251, up and down. The 250 is and remains a via ferrata, meant for those who take it with a ferrata set and a climb-proof dog. For everyone else who simply wants to hike with their four-legged friend: the Nordrücken. Always.
For everyone planning the Sandling with a dog
• Take trail 251 (Nordrücken), up and down. The 251 is a bit longer but clearly more relaxed.
• Avoid the 250 (Sandlingsteig) with a dog: genuine via ferrata terrain, far less dog-safe than it sounds.
• Be extra careful in wet conditions: on wet rock there is zero traction for dogs.
• In Seilstellen kurze Leine, danach wieder frei laufen lassen.
• Wetterfenster checken, wer es verschieben kann, sollte es tun.
If this helps someone currently planning a Sandling tour with a dog, then our climb was worth it too. 🐕⛰️
Tour data: Sandling 1,717 m · Salzkammergut (Salzburg/Upper Austria) · Ascent via Sandlingsteig (trail 250, via ferrata A/B) · Descent via Nordrücken (trail 251, T3) · With a dog: only trail 251 is suitable.