Koschutahaus - Koschutnikturm (Košutnikov turn) (ÖTK Steig Neu)

Access to starting point:
Via the Ljubelj border crossing we drive to Borovlje / Ferlach, where we turn right towards the village Sele / Zell-Pharre. A little before the sign that marks the settlement Sele / Zell-Pharre, a road branches off to the right towards the Koča pod Košuto / Koschutahaus mountain hut. We follow this road all the way to the hut, where we park on a large parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we head southeast following the signs for Lärchenturm / Cjajnik, Koschutnikturm / Košutnikov turn. At the beginning of the path, we will also notice a large board with a picture of Košuta and precisely drawn paths to Cjajnik and Košutnikov turn. The path then runs through the forest towards the east for some time and brings us to a junction where the path to Cjajnik branches off to the right. We continue through the forest towards the east and in less than half an hour we reach another junction. We turn right following the signs for Košutnikov turn; straight, slightly downhill, the path leads towards the village Trkelj / Terkel. The path then ascends through the forest for some time and brings us to the scree slopes below the flanks of Košuta. After a short traverse to the east, we reach signposts where our path branches right and ascends somewhat more steeply across the scree. The left path continues to traverse the slopes towards the east. At this point, I should point out that the path leading to Košutnikov turn from the northeastern side is closed. After ascending the scree, we enter the climbing section of the path. From here on, we will need a helmet, and the use of a self-belaying device is highly recommended. The path steeply ascends the right side of the gully and brings us above the notch. The path is well secured with a steel cable throughout, and a few pegs assist us. Above the notch, our path turns right upwards; to the left (towards the north), above the notch, there is a hanging bridge over which we can cross to the other side of the notch. Our path does not cross the bridge but steeply ascends along the steel cable with the aid of a few pegs towards the south. On the left side, we can already see the precipitous northern wall of Košutnikov turn, followed by a shorter ascent along the steel cable to the main ridge of Košuta. Here we reach the less steep southern slopes of Košuta. We head left towards Košutnikov turn, and after a few meters, the western path from the Planina Spodnja Dolga njiva joins from the right. We continue along the southern side of the ridge and, on the path that becomes somewhat steeper, soon reach the panoramic summit.