Schnee It is this year here in South Tyrol Yes, enough. Snow shoes have we concerned us already before Christmas, because we wanted to rely not on the Christ child. A gorgeous, cloudless, Blue day which means we must be sure the Roen hinauf .

View of the route of the Mendel railway from the old Mendel dough seen
My decision is clear. The best friend of all must submit. My plan: with the Mendel railway by St . Anton / Kaltern up to the Mendelpass and then with snowshoes over the Snowshoe dough up to the Roen.
The issue of cards of the Mendel railway looks somehow pretty much leave. It seems funny? Since what is:
Due to the strong Snowfall the last few days could not listed the planned maintenance. The Mendel railway can therefore operate not as most 21. Record December.
Stupid run! OK , then just jump into the car and up to the Mendola pass. The next final illusion can only be up to the Caldaro height wait: is it the Mendel passstraße is locked.
And now? After 10 min back and forth we decide again behind to go to the valley station of the Mendel railway, to park the car and walk up to the Mendel up-to-go.
It is twelve o'clock. We March with the Snowshoes on the back by St. Anton / Kaltern through, "the trail markers"Old Mendel dough"following". The old Mendel dough winds up right, about 1 km from the tracks of the Mendel railway, in towards the Mendola pass up.
The best friend of all is concerned whether we the Hin- and way back will create today on the shortest day of the year at all. I am not concerned, because I think me, the descent would be feasible if necessary also in the evening. If you know the way, then this is certainly not a problem.
It doesn't take long until we encounter snow. Too little for the snow-shoes, Therefore we trudge step by step, careful where we perform, the Mendola pass next, contrary to.
The hiking trail is well marked and various Traces in the snow quite tremendously facilitate navigation. After about an hour, we pass through a water reservoir. The snow is slowly deeper and we are looking for old footprints in which we can enter at each step. We are progressing rather slowly because of the snow and also the heavy backpacks.
After approximately 1,5 We pass a wonderful point of view hours. Here you can far beyond Überetsch also see. The market town of Caldaro with St. Anton and St . Nicholas just below us. Right, we see the still frozen Caldaro in thronenden with the Leuchtenburg , links of Appiano and behind it Alpine town Bolzano.
The mountain range ahead of us on the opposite side of the Valley is composed of the Schwarzhorn , the Weißhorn , the Latemar , the Rose garden with the Croda and the Schlern together. Further left behind Bolzano, which is located Rittner Horn .

View down to Lake Kaltern
After some photos we walk on. A second Vantage point, This time with interesting seating, advances in our field of vision. The view is the same as before but the round wooden bench and the table invite you to a short break.

The Kalterer See among us
Long we stay. Due to the low temperatures, it is not necessarily advisable to long standing or sitting to stay. We feel now like going cold under our heavy jackets.
A step at the time we go through the always deeper snow. Now we have to cross the Mendola Street. The last piece of old Mendel trail cut the sweeping the Mendola Street dramatically from. The snow is here somewhat softer and we drop down to the knees. We do not think it, that the snow so soft is here and try it further without snowshoes.
Fails as it turns out immediately. After 100 We are a meter) totally finished and (b)) completely soaked. It doesn't help for need to unpack the snowshoes for the last few hundred meters and attract. Even with snowshoes we break again and again by the Snow cover through but the going is still significantly easier.
After a good two hours we come up on the Mendola pass 1360 m. Greatly how much snow here.
We decide to go into to the Gulf, the Snowshoe experience due to. Of course we take not the road, but hiking through the forest, of the many holiday cottages the Caldaro und Traminer up to the Genziana hut and next to the Gulf. With Golf of course not a golf course is meant but, the area around the valley station of Mendel ski lifts.
Here we are one in the Guest House at the valley station and order a pizza and a Jagertee us. The pizza to the hunger and the Jagertee against the cold
High time for breaking up, If we want to create the way back before the dark. We trudge down the old Mendel dough with our snowshoes proceeding towards Mendel pass, and then. Even the rose garden on the opposite side of the Valley. The powerful Mountain
presents itself in a red orange dress. The sun goes down. Now it will be long until we obtain the darkness. We want to create at least the more dangerous in the winter some viewpoints before dark. It will work out!
The two panoramic lookouts are behind us. Which Snow shoes have we long since stripped. We are making very slow progress. It is now nearly dark. To all CAP we must circle always again across the trees of the Steig, What in the face of zero point of view is not just child's play.
Total darkness! From the front, it Shimmers us. Caldaro is wrapped in a lights among us.

Kaltern at night just before Christmas
How far will it still be? We continue cautiously step by step. After another 10 We have succeeded in minutes. We get soaked but alive and well in St. Anton on. Now there are only a few hundred metres up to the Valley station the Mendel railway.
A nice hike with two magnificent observation points. In the winter, as well as in the summer company value. In the winter in the snow are to pass through two more dangerous places.




Hiking in South Tyrol , is my hobby . Usually the best wife of all and I are on the way on easy hiking trails . While the camera of course never fails . On this blog you can watch the result of our hikes .
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