Baumgartnerhof - Mallestiger Mittagskogel (climbing way)

Access to starting point:
A) Over the border crossing Korensko sedlo we drive to Austria and then we continue right towards Beljak / Villach. Still before we cross river Zilja / Gail, we leave the road which leads towards Beljak and we continue driving right in the direction of the lake Baško jezero / Faaker See. Further, we drive towards the mentioned lake, and in the settlement Bekštanj / Finkenstein we turn right towards Škocjan / Kanzianiberg and Stari Grad / Altfinkenstein. Further, we drive on local roads, which at the crossroads we follow in the direction of the hotel Baumgartnerhof. We park on a parking lot near the mentioned hotel.
B) Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria and we leave the highway at first exit. At the settlement Kot / Winkl we turn right and we continue driving towards the lake Baško jezero / Faaker See. At the end of the settlement Loče / Latschach we turn left in the direction of the hotel Baumgartnerhof. We park on a parking lot near the mentioned hotel.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on stairs following the signs »Mallestiger Mittagskogel«, »zum Wasserfall«. Already after few meters, we are at the crossing where we continue left following the signs Rotschitza Klettersteig. The path at first crosses meadows, few meters descends, and then turns right and brings us into the forest. Further path joins the cart track on which we are for quite some time ascending. At the ascent on the cart track we all the time follow the signs Rotschitza Klettersteig. At the hunting observatory cart track ends and we continue on a footpath which by the stream soon brings us to the waterfall where starts the climbing part of the path.
In front of the entry into a climbing part of the path, we equip ourselves with a helmet and self-belay set.
Below the waterfall we cross the stream and with the help of iron spikes and steel cables, we start ascending by the waterfall upwards. Above the waterfall we still continue on the left side of the stream and then follows the hardest part of the path (difficulty B/C), where with the help of iron spikes we ascend to the bridge (steel cable over the stream). On the steel cable we cross the stream to the other side and then we are still ascending by the stream. Further, we two more times with the help of steel cables cross the stream. In the last part climbing path brings us to another smaller waterfall above which the path becomes less demanding. We for some time walk by the stream and then we continue right and the path through the forest soon brings us to a crossing, where we join the easier path.
At the crossing, we continue left and we are ascending on the right side of the valley upwards. The path then brings us to the vantage point where there are also a bench and a cross. From the vantage point where there is a nice view towards some smaller waterfalls we continue right and we are ascending through the forest. Next follows hairpin ascent by a smaller stream by the edge of the forest. Due to the forest only rarely views open up on surrounding peaks. Higher, the path becomes slightly less steep and it brings us to hut Mitzl Moitzl Hütte.
At the hut we continue a little to the left and we start ascending through larch forest. Higher, the path turns slightly to the right and a short ascent follows to a crossing on the border ridge.
When we step on the ridge, we continue right (left Kresišče) and we start moderately ascending. The path, from which through occasionally quite thin larch forest, beautiful views opening up towards Austria, and partly towards the Julian Alps, we follow all the way to the top named Maloško poldne.
From the top, where there joins also an unmarked path from Slovenian side we continue right downwards. The path at first steeply descends, and then it flattens and passes on a ridge, where we get help from some fixed safety gear. Next follows a short ascent, and then the path turns to the right and it brings us to the top of Ostra peč / Mallestiger Mittagskogel, where there stands a cross.

On the way: Mitzl Moitzl Hütte (1639m), Maloško poldne / Mallestiger Mittagskogel (1823m)