Hohe Wand (Norbert Schluga Via Ferrata)
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| VanSims2. 12. 2013 11:29:29 |
The Monday before last (18.11.) I drive into the Gail Valley and just before Hermagor (Šmohor) turn into the village of Obervellach. There, with the help of a local's advice, I find the starting point for Hohe Wand and the via ferrata. I park by the stream and head for the signs (Hohe Wand Klettersteig), which lead along gravel to the fork of the forest path to the via ferrata on the left. From there, access to the via ferrata is marked with red dots. At the entrance I have a little refreshment then put on the gear and let's go! 
Whoever judges the entire via ferrata by the beginning would say it's quite demanding (of course no via ferrata is to be joked with). Less experienced might even turn around because of the first 5-10 (hardest) meters. Maybe that's right too - we know that via ferratas abroad are often deliberately designed that way so that a difficult start deters the inexperienced, even though the via ferrata itself isn't that hard. The start is rated B/C (even C according to Alpintouren.com). Well, the via ferrata itself continues at A/B, in some places even A, in some B or by my estimate max about B+. But especially in the upper part, rock friability is problematic. Maybe not so much during climbing (the via ferrata despite relative ease anyway isn't the type where you can free climb a lot without pulling on the cable) but more because we don't dislodge rocks, which is really hard to avoid. Helmet is of course mandatory, even if we're alone on the via ferrata!
About two-thirds up the path there's a box installed but just that. No logbook!  After it there are still some B difficulty spots and a bit more exercise and the cable ends. From here on you have to be (especially at this time of year when there's lots of leaves on the path) careful with the red dots, which in about 10 min bring you to the forest road and junction. Right I assume to Spitzegel, left shows a sign to Obervellach.
Views? Nice! Roughly around eleven something when I started climbing Hermagor was nicely visible, but the Carnic peaks opposite the valley were still in fog. Only the top of Ojstrnik could be guessed. But the higher I went toward the summit, the more the fog lifted. Poludnig, Krniške skale (Gartnerkofel), and the famous iron of Veliki Koritnik (Trogkofel) started to appear.  As I descended the view got even better in the already slightly setting sun. Really fantastic view of the eastern Carnics, especially the spires and peaks of Krniške skale that rise majestically above the Gail Valley. To the east you could see the descending ridge of Karavanke (Tromeja), behind it (if I'm not mistaken) the Julian Alps were rising.
At the above-mentioned junction I go left then. After some 200-300m a forest path branches into the valley. Then just follow the marks and I'm back in about an hour (actually about 45 min without stopping for nice views of the Carnics ) on the asphalt road, there left and already after another 5 min at the car.
Lunch this time was in Beljak, in the shopping center where I went to snoop a bit if they have anything better in stock for textiles and technical products than in Ljubljana's City Park where almost everything is Made in Far East. They don't!  But something else I like there. Namely that when you enter the store and start looking at the goods, there's no intrusive saleswoman right away: "Caaan I heeelp youuu, siiiir!", who then tries to dictate the whole purchase.  No, there they nicely let you look and choose yourself, and if you need help they of course gladly assist. Maybe us Slovenes are also less self-confident to ask for help or don't know what we want to buy and merchants happily exploit that. For ice cream I could have made a detour to the Italians in Trbiž (from the Austrians we sadly inherited that mentality that in months with R you don't eat ice cream and even here you find it in shopping centers in winter too) but I still turned straight home.
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| Kita3. 12. 2013 21:41:00 |
In this Hohe Wand chain I climbed Wildenauer klettersteig, HTL klettersteig and Gebirgsferain klettersteig, the path to the starting points
is really a bit awkward... Otherwise there are about 20 via ferratas in Hohe Wand, from difficulty A all the way to E, and Blutspur (bloody trail) klettersteig has rating E... The HTL via ferrata D/E 210m is also very twisted...
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| VanSims3. 12. 2013 21:51:22 |
But this is the other Hohe Wand, somewhere near Wiener Neustadt. Yeah there are some tough vias ferratas. I was there already and on neighboring Rax but on normal routes or easier (max B) vias.
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| Kita3. 12. 2013 22:04:48 |
Aja Gailtal Alps... Norbert Schluga 150m B/C... There are also two BGV vias that reach C only on those two ladders and EXTREM klettersteig that reaches D/E on that traverse, but the pegs there are quite loose and the route not the most enjoyable and safe...
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| Kita3. 12. 2013 22:11:45 |
On Rax there's that really good Haid steig...
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| VanSims4. 12. 2013 15:55:25 |
Yeah, that BGV I might try too. C only on one of the ladders, rest is max B.
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| VanSims9. 05. 2016 18:01:46 |
@Kita: Yeah really good that Haidsteig, checked two days ago.
Only downside long queues (60-70% Czechs) and that already now in pre-season (admittedly weekend), on not quite ideal day when it even got us a bit wet, though only light shower and when it wasn't even clear if it's dry yet. But it is, completely, if someone goes there in coming days.
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