The Katschberg is a modest pass in height, at 1,641 metres, but a serious one in character, since the old road over it has some of the steepest gradients on a main route in Austria. It links Carinthia with the Salzburg region of Lungau, crossing the ridge between the Lieser valley and the upper Mur, and for centuries it was an important crossing for traders and pilgrims. Today, most traffic uses the long tunnel beneath it, part of the Tauern motorway, which leaves the old road quiet and a good deal more rewarding.
The climb from the Carinthian side is steep, with sustained gradients that make a heavy bike work, and a series of tight bends through spruce forest. At the top, the landscape opens into a high basin of meadows and woods, with a small ski resort, a few hotels and a chapel. On the Salzburg side, the road drops into the Lungau, a high, quiet region of wide valleys and old villages, often called the Austrian Siberia because it gets very cold in winter. Frost can occur here in any month, which is a good reason to wear a warm layer.
Lungau has its own traditions, and one of them is the Samson parade, in which huge figures of the biblical giant are carried through the villages by men in costume during the summer festivals, accompanied by brass bands. It is recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage, and it is a joyful, slightly surreal sight. The Mur river, which rises in the nearby Tauern mountains, flows through the region and on to Slovenia and Croatia.
Nature is abundant. The forests hold red deer and capercaillie, and the high pastures are full of alpine flowers in early summer. The air is clear, and in autumn, the larches turn gold on the slopes. The weather can change quickly, and snow can close the road in winter, or make chains necessary.
Services at the pass are limited, though a few hotels serve coffee and food in season. For fuel, St Michael im Lungau, about five kilometres from here, has stations and shops, and Spittal an der Drau, thirty kilometres away on the Carinthian side, is much larger. Rennweg, closer to the pass, has a few basic services. From here, the road continues toward Obertauern and its high pass, making a fine loop.