Peitlerkofel

My CouchSurfing host Kurt suggested a hike on the Peitlerkofel. At 2875 metres above sea level, there was still some snow to be expected, but he expected the south-facing ascent route to be fine. And going high was not a bad idea, with a heat wave bringing temperatures of 35°C to Südtirol. It proved to be a great plan. The conditions on the route were fine, while the mountain was still a lot less busy than it will be later in the summer.

---

We start at Zanser Alm (5 euros for a parking spot). An alternative route from the Würzjoch would be shorter and with less ascent. However, Kurt claims that the route from Zanser Alm is more beautiful, and indeed the views of the Geisler group from near the Gampenalp are quite stunning. On the downside, the Peitlerkofel itself only comes into view after passing the Schlüterhütte. Even then, we only get to see the southern side of the mountain, not its more iconic north face.

The actual ascent of the Peitlerkofel only starts at the Peitler Scharte, where our route joins with the people coming from the Würzjoch. We zigzag through a wide gully. The maintainers of the footpath took the effort to put up some wooden fences to stop people from cutting corners and causing erosion. Unfortunately, snow fields mean that we have no other option than to leave the official path ourselves in some places.

The summit of the Peitlerkofel is a crag, which is ascended in via ferrata style, with a steel cable providing extra protection. Experienced hikers will be fine without a via ferrata set. The via ferrata section is entirely free from snow. The last metres to the summit cross are across scree-covered ground. Warning: in bad visibility, it might be difficult to find your way back across the scree to the top of the via ferrata section! We however enjoy perfect visibility and a wonderful Dolomites panorama at the summit. Thanks to the heat wave, the temperatures at 2800 metres are perfect. We take a long break on the summit. Things would have been really quiet except for two women chatting non-stop in the local Ladin language, and an enthusiastic paraglider who yells "beautiful!" as flies by us.

On the descent, a local shower with heavy rain and hail starts just as we reach the Gampenalm, so we enjoy an Apfelstrudel in the restaurant waiting for the shower to pass. We're in no hurry to return to the 35°C temperatures in Bozen anyway...