Leitersteig (ladder climb) – Fölzstein – Fölzkogel (SG I+)

A wide, flat forest path begins at the Karlschütt parking lot, leading north towards Karlgraben with several variants. If you keep as far right as possible, you will reach the edge of the "Karlschütt," an exceptionally large gravel fan. Upstream, you reach an old track shortly before its end, then a clearly visible path leads along the western edge of the fan and finally into the stream bed, which you now follow until you reach the first rock step over which water flows almost all year round.

Just before this step, a clearly visible path climbs steeply into the forest on the eastern edge of the stream bed. This is the start of the Leitersteig. You follow the path uphill and stay right or straight ahead at two junctions while ascending. Soon you reach a light pine forest over tight hairpin bends and a small ridge which you follow. Where the path leaves the ridge to the left, you encounter a "warning sign" from the forestry administration (see picture), marking the beginning of the (formerly) secured section. Shortly thereafter, the warning is justified, as in a steep gully the path has completely disappeared and its outer boundary post floats in the air. This is probably the most delicate section of the entire ascent and can only be mastered with the help of the remaining steel cables, whose reliability should be thoroughly checked beforehand. Soon after, you reach the first of two ladders, now made of metal and in good condition. The second and longer ladder a bit higher up is wooden and was recently repaired. Then follows an exposed section secured with an old steel railing.

Behind the steel railing, you leave the ridge to the left and climb very steeply along the edge of the dwarf pines. Here the path is completely eroded and transformed into a rocky water groove. Further up, you reach another ridge. It is relatively gentle and not exposed. Directly above the ridge stands a striking ridge gendarme—a tower that can already be seen well from the valley. You follow the ridge a short distance and then leave it to the right to cross a water groove. Cairns mark the route here. The path on the other side of the groove is indistinct. You climb beside a dwarf pine field without entering the groove again and almost reach the ridge top. Just below the ridge, path traces lead diagonally right uphill until another water groove is crossed. Shortly after, it goes steeply and heavily eroded between dwarf pines and rock straight upwards, then you reach the ridge, which here is densely overgrown with tall dwarf pines. The path leads along the ridge straight through the dwarf pines up to the Brennsattel.

At Brennsattel, turn left (northwards) and follow the ridge uphill over a hump to another saddle. Here, a hunting path comes up from the Fölz from below on the right, and from this junction, the path to the Fölzstein is clearly defined and impossible to miss. Follow the ridge uphill until you reach the plateau. On the front right, you reach the slightly lower summit cross on the Fölzstein.

From the Fölzstein, a gentle meadow path leads up to the Fölzkogel.

For the descent to Karlalm, turn north at the Fölzkogel to descend into the Windscharte, stay a little right at the bottom, and cross the first hollow on a meadow path to soon reach another hollow where the path suddenly turns left (west) toward a meadow saddle. On the other side of the saddle, leave the path, which here leads right and soon uphill again, and descend pathless along the edge of the rocks on the steep meadow. Where the rocks run out, keep a bit right in the further descent to head toward a flat ridge that leads down into a small cirque. At the lower exit of the cirque, the terrain becomes steeper and slightly rocky. You soon recognize the remains of an old path that leads diagonally right over a gully and then disappears again. Here you descend into the cirque floor below and cross it to meet path traces on the other side which you follow downhill. From a hunting hut clearly visible on the right side of the slope, a distinct path soon leads down. Here you reach the hunting path in the Karlgraben, which initially passes a water source and then goes over a rock step to the former Karlalm, from which only a few foundations remain.

The further descent continues on this hunting path, which is clearly marked and impossible to miss until you reach the Karlschütt again at the bottom and return to the parking lot via the forest path.