The Sarntal Alps are the central mountain group in South-Tirol. They are a hiking area in summer and popular with ski tourers and snowshoe hikers in winter. At Reinswald and on the Hirzer (Meran 2000) there are ski areas.
Regions
- The mountains themselves can be divided into a western ridge and an eastern ridge.
- The central mountain valley is that Sarntal with its side valleys Penser Valley and Durnholzertal;
places
- On the high plateau Rides the community Rides, with the famous earth pyramids;
in the Sarntal: The towns and hamlets in the Sarntal together form the political municipality Sarntal
- Sarnthein (Italian: Sarentino), capital in the mountains, with the hamlets of Nordheim and Astfeld;
in the Dürnholzertal:
In the Pensertal:
- Weissenbach
In the northwest adjoining Passeier Valley (from N. to S.):
- St. Leonhard (Italian St. Leonardo);
In the southwest adjoining Etschtal (from N. to S.):
- Meran (Italian Merano);
- Hafling (Italian Avelengo);
- Verano (Italian Verano);
- Burgstall (Italian Postal);
- Mölten on Tschögglberg, a high plateau above the Etschtal (approx. 1000 - 2000 m, Italian Meltina);
- Terlan (Italian Terlano);
- Jenesien (Italian S. Genesio);
- Bolzano (Italian Bolzano);
In the east side adjoining Eisacktal / Wipptal (from N. to S.):
- Sterzing (Italian: Vipiteno);
- Franzensfeste (Ital. Fortezza);
- Brixen (Italian Bressanone);
- Velturno (Ital. Velturno);
- Klausen (Ital. Chiusa);
- Villandro (Italian Villandro);
- Waidbruck (Italian: Ponte Gardena);
- Oberbozen (Italian: Soprabolzano);
Other goals
background
The Sarntal Alps are that central mountain group in South Tyrol, it lies between Sterzing, Bolzano and Meran. The Sarntal Alps are clearly delimited, they are connected to the south-east and north-east side Eisacktal / Wipptal and the western dolomites on, on the northwest side it borders Passeier Valley and the Jaufenpass from the Stubai Alps off, and that separates them on their southwestern side Etschtal of the Ortler Alps.
The mountain range itself encloses the system of des in a horseshoe shape Sarntals with the side valleys Penser Valley and the Dürnholztal, the opening of the horseshoe is the south-facing mouth of the Talfer Bach in the Eisack near Bozen.
In the Sarntal Alps there are a total of about 140 peaks, the highest is the Hirzerspitze at 2,781 m. The lowest point in the mountains is the mouth of the Sarntals in at Bolzano at a height of approx. 600 m. In terms of character, the mountains of the Sarntal Alps are somewhat lower, not glaciated at all and overall not as rugged as the neighboring mountain groups. The more gentle mountain formations are therefore recommended for mountain tourists who are not looking for the very big extremes. The physical requirements in the high mountains should not be underestimated, for the summit tours almost always over 1000 meters in altitude are estimated.
If the Sarntal Alps are described as "lonely" in various older area guides, this is no longer the case today, without the summits being described as overcrowded. Lately the tracks of snowshoeers in the snow can often be seen in winter.
Geologically the mountains are made up of crystalline rock, the red porphyry in the Sarntaler Gorge in the southern part of the mountains is particularly striking. On the east side towards Brixen there is a quartz phyllite zone, the west ridge near Merano consists of granite, in the north to Sterzing there is a gneiss zone.
The southern part of the Sarntal is one of the most densely populated regions in South Tyrol, and another Settlement history see in the article Sarntal;
language
getting there
In the street
- Of north or south via the Innsbruck-Brenner-Brixen-Bozen-Trient motorway (A 13 - Brenner motorway, in Italy A 22);
By train
The next train stations are in Sterzing, Klausen and Bolzano, they are a station for Intercity and Eurocity trains (train timetables under www.trenitalia.com). Meran is a stop in local transport.
By plane
The nearest airport is that of Bolzano (www.abd-airport.it), other airports are located in innsbruck, in Verona (approx. 2 hours by car) and in Munich (approx. 3-4 hours by car).
mobility
- in the winter Access to the Sarntal is only possible from the south from Bozen, the pass road over the Penser Joch in the north (2211 m) is closed.
Tourist Attractions
- Black Lord of Latzfons (2,305 m) at the Latzfonser Kreuz mountain hut, the highest pilgrimage site in Europe;
Mountain peaks
The highest mountain peaks (all of them excellent panoramic mountains) are:
- Hirzer (2781 m);
- Alplerspitz (2752 m);
- Hochwart (2746 m);
- Jakobsspitze (2741 m, Italian Cima di San Giacomo);
- The Ascent takes place in summer and winter on the normal route Thornwood as a medium-difficult mountain tour with a total of approx. 6 1/2 hours of walking. The Flag shadow hut at the Flaggerschattensee can be used as a base.
- Tagewaldhorn (2708 m);
- Sarntaler Weißhorn (2705 m);
Mountain lakes
- Lake Durnholz. At Thornwood.
- Flagshade Lake
activities
- See also the article Rockclimbing, it also contains information on the topic Mountain hiking;
Mountain railways
summer
- Horseshoe tour marked high path through the whole mountain range;
winter
Alpine skiing
- Ski Area Reinswald and ski area Merano 2000 (on the Hirzer): see the article Ski resorts in Italy the section Meraner Land;
Nordic skiing
kitchen
accommodation
List of mountain huts of the Alpine Club South Tyrol (AVS) and des Club Alpino Italiano (C.A.I) as well as private huts for hikers and mountaineers. Most of the huts are only open in summer (from May / June to October). Before the ascent, it is best to call the hut staff again to make sure it is really open. A reservation is useful and welcomed, but then please, too cancel againwhen coming is not possible.
Accommodation in the valley: see under Localities;
Merano hut
(1960 m, AVS Meran);
Radlseehaus
(2257 m, AVS Brixen);
Penser yoke house
(2215 m), at the top of the pass)
Flaggerschartenhütte
(2481 m, CAI, at the Flaggersee), built as Marburger Hütte in 1914 by the Marburg section of the DÖAV and "completely renovated" as Rifugio Forcella Vallaga in 1976 by CAI Franzensfeste. The hut has approx. 45 beds divided into double rooms, four-bed rooms and a dormitory of 22 beds.
opening hours: depending on the weather from the beginning of June to mid-October;
Approach from the south Thornwood (1568 m) through the Seebbachtal and over the Flaggerscharte (2436 m) in approx. 3 hours with an altitude difference of 960 meters.
Approach from Mittewald (803m (im Eisack Valley in the north of Franzensfeste) in around 5 hours
1 Flaggerschartenhütte. Tel.: 39 0471 625 251.
Radlseehütte
(2284 m, AVS);
Klausener Hut
(1923 m, CAI), under the Lorenzispitze;
Rittner Horn House
(2261 m, CAI) on the Rittner;
Schutzhaus Latzfonser Kreuz
(2311 m, private);
Hirzer Hut
(1938 m, private) on the Tallner Alm;
Rotwandhütte
(1817 m, private) on the Hafinger plateau;
nightlife
In the mountains themselves, it gets very quiet in the evenings outside the accommodations. There is some entertainment in the evening SarntheinOtherwise Bolzano is recommended.
security
- Avalanche and weather report. Tel.: 39 0471 271 177, 39 0471 270 555.
climate
The northern part of the mountain range is exposed in the area of influence of the north-south currents of the main Alpine ridge (north foehn or south foehn), resulting in long, cold, snowy winters and short, cool summer months.
The southern part of the mountains is lower and more protected, so it has a much milder climate.
literature
- : Sarntal Alps / Small Guide. Bergverlag Rother, 1982 (2nd edition), ISBN 978-3-7633-3362-2 ; 144 pages. even the "youngest" edition is no longer brand new and only available in second-hand bookshops
cards
- Sarntal Alps, winter hiking map: ski tours, snowshoe hikes, winter hiking trails, cross-country ski trails (M = 1:33 000). Eppan: mapgraphic, ISBN 88-86102-30-5 .
- compass Sheet 056: Sarntal Alps, (1: 25,000, hiking / cycling / ski touring);
Web links
- Tourist association Sarntal: www.sarntal.com;
- Tourism association South Tyrol's south: www.suedtirols-sueden.info;
