Lienzer Dolomitenhütte - Kleine Gamswiesenspitze

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and forward towards Lienz (a little after Spittal highway ends). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through Drau valley. Few kilometers before Lienz (near the settlement Unterdorf), we will notice signs for mountain hut Lienzer Dolomitenhütte, which point us to the left on a local road. The road then over a bridge crosses the river Drava / Drau and then it brings us in the village Lavant, where we continue right in the direction of village Tristach. Between village Lavant and Tristach we will come to the next crossroad, where we continue left in the direction of "Lienzer Dolomitenhütte". This road which starts ascending steeper we then follow to a large parking lot near mentioned mountain hut. The road is payable (July 2009 7€).
To Lienz we can also come, if instead of through the valley Dravska dolina we drive through the valley Gailtal (Korensko sedlo, Hermagor, mountain pass Ziljsko sedlo/Gailbergsattel), in this case, we get to valley Dravska dolina at settlement Oberdrauburg.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on the road, on which in 2 minutes we get to the mountain hut Lienzer Dolomitenhütte.
From the mountain hut, we cross the fence and we continue the ascent on a panoramic road (a nice view towards serrated ridge - highest is Spitzkofel 2717 meters), which is in the initial part exposed to falling stones. The road then crosses a short lane of a forest and then it brings us on an indistinct saddle Premstall (1625 meters), where there is a smaller crossing.
We continue straight past a trough with water (left upwards Weißtein Alm) on the road which after few minutes of additional walking brings us to a smaller mountain pasture Instein Alm, on which we notice a smaller wooden cottage and a little above it chapel.
We still continue on the road, and it quickly brings us to a marked crossing, where we leave it.
We continue the ascent on a wide mountain path which starts ascending a little steeper, through a thinner forest. The path from which very nice views opening up, few times crosses a mountain road and higher brings us to a smaller wooden cottage.
At the cottage, we again leave the road and short time we walk on a footpath towards the mountain hut Karlsbader Hütte, and then we go on a footpath which leads sharply right towards the saddle Kerschbaumer Törl. At first, we still walk through a grassy valley and then we start ascending on the scree towards the saddle. When we come below the mountain walls of the peak Törlkopf, from the left joins the path from the mountain hut Karlsbader Hütte. After that, the path turns slightly to the left and then follows a shorter ascent to a saddle Kerschbaumer Törl. At the saddle where there is a crossing, we continue right slightly downwards following the signs “Madonnen Klettersteig”. After a short descent, we come again to a crossing where we continue right and still in descent we cross slopes below Kleine Gamswiesenspitze. When the path brings us into dwarf pines soon signposts “gr. Gamswiesenspitze” point us to the right upward. The path is then ascending on a partly grassy slope and soon brings us to another crossing and with that to the entry of a climbing part of the path.
We continue right following the signs “Normalweg”, and left leads extremely demanding path “Madonnen Kletersteig”. The path further at first crosses a slope by the steel cable to the right, and then turns left upwards. This part of the path is quite steep and also very crumbly, so it is recommended also to use self belaying. After that, the path becomes a little less steep and also fixed safety gear are no longer needed. In further ascent we come on grassy slopes, and then again follows a little more crumbly part all the way to the notch between the peaks Große Gamswiesenspitze and Kleine Gamswiesenspitze.
From the notch, we continue right, left leads the path on Große Gamswiesenspitze. The path from the notch becomes extremely demanding and already on the very beginning steeply ascends by the steel cable and crosses through steep walls on the northern side of the mountain. Here the path turns to the right and starts ascending steeply on a smooth wall towards the summit. This part of the path is marked with difficulty level C. Such steep path then brings us on the secondary peak from which we slightly descend, after that a short ascent follows by the steel cable to the top of Kleine Gamswiesenspitze.
The described path is extremely demanding and it is appropriate only for most skilled mountaineers with enough strength in arms and with mandatory self belaying.
We can descend on the ascent route or we continue on the path ahead and we descend on a little easier path to a saddle Kerschbaumer Törl.

On the way: Instein Alm (1669m), Kerschbaumer Törl (2285m)