Has anyone on this board actually done the hike around the Sasso Piatto/Plattkofel and Sasso Lungo/Langkofel? There look to be a ton of access points from Seiser Alm to Ortisei to driving up to Sella Pass. How have you hiked it, e.g. where did you start, which direction, best hut to stop at for lunch, etc.? We're going to be up there in early September and are strong hikers but have seen insanely varying info out there on this hike. I'd love any first hand experience you'd care to share!
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
I have done part of this!
We hiked around the Langkofel Gruppe on a two night stay. First night was spent at the Langkoffel Hutte...highly recommend! It's a very old hutte with thick stone walls at the base of sheer rock...you can climb up behind the hutte to a gap in between the peaks...it's very otherworldly. We got stuck in a thunderstorm up there and I will never forget the sound of the thunder ricocheting off the rocks...terrifying! After that we hiked southish to another hutte but off the top of my head I can't remember the name...it was just a couple hours away so we were there by lunch and had time to hike around to see the Sella Gruppe... the next morning we took a gondola down and took a bus to where our rental car was parked at the base of the gondola at Seis am Schlern.
I'm going to be back there the first week of September as well. It's true there are so many ways to get up into that area of the peaks by gondola. We are staying in Ortisei and will focus on the Seiser Alm this time around the northern side of the Langkofel peaks. It really doesn't matter which gondola you take...anywhere you end up will be spectacular!
I always find that, when in doubt, the tourist office is a fantastic resource if you are looking for something specific...they are very helpful in that area and Ortisei especially is used to hikers wanting info on routes.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17590 posts
I have done half of it, around Sasso Piatto, because we got a late start. We caught the first bus from Compatsch to Saltria, rode a lift up and started the circuit anti-clockwise. But it was 10 am by the time we started and when we got around to the back side ( Sella Pass) we realized we did not have time to complete the whole circuit before the last lift down.. Somwe rode a lift with funny little 2-person lift---the gondola cars we about the size of a phone booth--- up to Toni Demetz Hütte in the cleft between the two peaks. Then walked down through a moonscape to meet the circuit Trail and hike back to the lift, arriving just before it stopped running for the evening.
Next time I would stay in or near Saltria to get an earlier start. There is a mountain inn up there that looks very appealing.
Posted by
6 posts
I did a small portion of it a few years back, but the portion I did - from the Saltria up to the Langkofel hut is gorgeous!
Posted by
OP
Kansas City
462 posts
Thanks for the insight! I've been in the area twice, but this is the first time we're trying the circuit. It looks like you both did different portions of the circuit. What is the terrain like? Is it grass/dirt paths or hiking over boulders and scree? If it makes any difference we've made it up to the Schlern and also to Refugio Vicenza (I believe thats what its called) between the Langkofel and Platkofel and felt very comfortable. The latter was all scree and I can't say that it was the easiest hiking, but insanely gorgeous!
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
The section I hiked started out as scree with a narrow packed dirt path through it. It transitioned to a dirt path running through very lush grass dotted with Edelweiss flowers...I remember a young boy out with his cows who was practicing cracking his whip. The things you see in the Dolomites!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17590 posts
We started at Saltria and rode the Florian lift up. Between there and Sella Pass the trail is known as the Friedrich August Weg.
As you can see from the photos, this section is mostly packed dirt through grassy ( steep) meadows.
We did encounter some scree in what I called the moonscape between Toni Demetz hut and the next one ( I believe that may have been Refugio Vicenza). Then back to l so rugged terrain on the way back to the Florian lift.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11845 posts
rode a lift with funny little 2-person lift---the gondola cars we about the size of a phone booth
LOL, Lola! We call those the "Flying Refrigerators" although I have also seen them called "Coffins." We totally screwed up our trip up, not realizing we were both supposed to be launched in the same car. So we ended up in separate cars for the upward bound journey. What a fun ride!