Gasthof Pfeifferstocker - Handalm

Access to starting point:
A) Through one of the border crossings with Austria (Korensko sedlo, Karawanks Tunnel, Ljubelj mountain pass, Jezerski vrh mountain pass, Pavličev vrh mountain pass), we drive into Austria, and then we continue driving on the highway towards Graz. On the mentioned highway we drive to the settlement Volšperk / Wolfsberg, where we leave the highway, and when we get to the old or regional road we continue driving in the direction of the settlement St. Gertraud. In the settlement St. Gertraud, we notice signs for the Weinebene Alpine mountain pass, which direct us to the right onto an ascending asphalt road. On the mentioned road, we drive approximately 12 km, or to the parking lot below the inn Gasthof Pfeifferstocker.
B) Over the border crossing Holmec or Vič we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards the settlement Volšperk / Wolfsberg. From Volšperk we continue on a regional road in the direction of the settlement St. Gertraud. In the settlement St. Gertraud we notice signs for Alpine mountain pass Weinebene, which point us to the right on an ascending asphalt road. On the mentioned road, we drive approximately 12 km, or to the parking lot below the inn Gasthof Pfeifferstocker.
C) First, we drive to Maribor, and then we continue driving on the highway towards the border crossing Šentilj and ahead on Austrian highway towards Gradec / Graz. We leave the mentioned highway at exit for settlement Lipnica / Leibnitz. When we leave the highway at the roundabout, we continue in the direction of the settlement Lipnica / Leibnitz and further we drive south from the village Gralla, which is today already some kind of peripheral part of Lipnica. Further, the road leads us past industrial zone, and at the roundabout by store Hofer we continue "straight" on the second exit in the direction of the settlement Lonč / Deutschlandsberg. Further, we for some time drive on the main road, and after the village Graschach we turn right in the direction of the settlement Lonč / Deutschlandsberg. In a roundabout right next to the settlement Lonč / Deutschlandsberg, we continue "straight" in the direction of the alpine mountain pass Weinebene. From here, the road begins to ascend more steeply, and we follow it to the mentioned mountain pass, which we reach after approximately 20 km of driving from the start of the settlement Lonč. From the mountain pass, we continue driving forward and begin descending, descending approximately 6 km, when on the right side we notice the parking lot below the inn Gasthof Pfeifferstocker.

Path description:
From the parking lot by the main road, we first walk to the inn, then bypass the inn and other nearby buildings on the right side. We continue on the macadam road, which leads us along the left side of the transformer, then diagonally ascend to a private house a few minutes away, where we turn left onto a footpath, ascending the slope to a marked crossing on the periphery of the forest.
Here we go right toward the Wildbachsattel saddle (left the Weberwirt guesthouse) and continue briefly along the edge of the forest with beautiful views on the right side. When the path enters the forest, we turn left from the cart track onto a marked path, which ascends more steeply for a while, then flattens higher up and continues without significant changes in altitude to the next crossing near the hunting cottage.
Here we go left (right Weinebene) and follow the signs for Wildbachsattel and Barofen, continuing on the macadam road, which mostly runs through the forest, with a shorter section crossing a panoramic slope, offering a beautiful view of the highest peaks in the Lavanttal Alps and the nearby partly forested Barofen. A little further, at a smaller crossroad, we go slightly right and start ascending. From here we continue on the road for a short time, then turn right into the forest onto a marked footpath in the direction of Wolfstein. After about two minutes of walking through the forest, we arrive at Wolfstein.
A little further, we leave the forest and walk to the marked crossing on the Wildbachsattel saddle, where we turn right toward the Weinebene mountain pass. Before the path enters the forest, it splits once again, and we continue in the same direction (left Osterwitz). Next follows an ascent through a strip of forest, and when the forest ends, we ascend alongside a wire fence. Higher up, we reach informative and warning signs indicating that we are entering the area of the wind farm Windpark Handalm.
Before reaching the wind farm, we notice on the right a small hill with a cairn and a small cross, standing on the indistinct summit of Weberkogel.
We continue along the grazing fence, lightly descending with beautiful views towards the nearby Golica / Koralpe, and in good visibility, the view extends all the way to the Julian Alps. When we start ascending again, we reach the first wind turbines, and we follow the marked path for a few minutes. When the marked path begins to veer slightly to the right from the indistinct ridge, we leave it and continue on easier pathless terrain to the highest point of the Handalm peak.
The starting point - Jagdhaus Straßerhalt 0:35, Jagdhaus Straßerhalt - Wolfstein stone 0:35, Wolfstein stone - Wildbachsattel 0:05, Wildbachsattel - Weberkogel 0:35, Weberkogel - Handalm 0:35.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in November and December 2023 and February 2025.

On the way: Jagdhaus Straßerhalt (1522m), Wolfstein am Wildbachsattel (1611m), Wildbachsattel (1605m), Weberkogel (1805m)