Lienzer Dolomitenhütte - Teplitzer Spitze

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 we continue the ascent through gently sloping high mountain valley, which is surrounded by high peaks. A gently sloping path which runs by the torrent stream, higher turns to the right and for a short time steeply ascends. This panoramic path, we then follow all the way to the mountain hut Karlsbader Hütte (by the mountain hut is also lake Laserzsee), which we reach after few minutes of additional walking.
To the hut, we can also come on the mountain road.
From the mountain hut, we continue right on a marked path, which at first slightly descends, crosses the stream and then brings us to an unmarked crossing. We continue on the left upper path, which is marked with blue circles (bottom path leads towards the saddle Kerschbaumertörl). The path ahead starts ascending steeper and after few minutes of walking, it brings us in a little more plain terrain, where by the edge stands already from the far visible cross.
At the cross the path gradually passes on the scree and a little higher flattens. Next follows crossing of the slopes towards the left and then the path turns a little to the right and starts ascending steeply on very steep scree. A very steep path higher flattens and brings us on a saddle Odkarscharte, from where a view opens up towards the southwest.
On the saddle, we continue right (left Seekofel) on a slightly exposed ridge path, which only a little higher brings us to the next crossing. We continue straight (left downwards Kerschbaumertörl) towards the steep tower, where also blue blazes lead us. After few meters easy path ends and changes into quite difficult and exposed climbing, which reaches second grade of climbing. After approximately 20 meters of ascent we step on one of two (third is a little further) steep towers of the peak Teplitzer Spitze.

On the way: Instein Alm (1669m), Karlsbader Hütte (2261m), Odkarscharte (2596m)