Tinčkova koča - Vertatscha/Vrtača (via Smuška planina in saddle Šija)
Starting point: Tinčkova koča (1070 m)
Starting point Lat/Lon: 46.4228°N 14.1991°E
Path name: via Smuška planina in saddle Šija
Time of walking: 3 h 30 min
Difficulty: partly demanding marked way
Difficulty of skiing: very demanding
Altitude difference: 1111 m
Altitude difference (by path): 1111 m
Map: Karavanke - osrednji del 1:50.000
Access to starting point:
From highway Ljubljana - Jesenice we go to the exit Lesce and follow the road ahead in the direction of Žirovnica and Jesenice. After few km of driving, we will get to a crossroad, where the road in Žirovnica and Moste branches off to the right (from the direction of Jesenice left). Only few meters ahead in the next crossroad, we turn left in Moste (right Žirovnica). Further, we drive past a monument to fallen soldiers, where the road starts ascending on a hill below the railway track. On top of the slope, we turn right (at the sign Vila Karin), and then drive towards the lake Završniško jezero and Valvasorjev dom. The road then flattens and it brings us to a crossroad, where the road towards the mountain hut Valvasorjev dom branches off to the left, and we continue straight on at first still asphalt road. The road soon becomes a macadam, and we follow it to a parking lot near the mountain hut Tinčkova koča. The road in the upper part is often in quite bad condition.
Path description:
From the parking lot at the mountain hut Tinčkova koča we continue on a wide rocky cart track in the direction of the mountain hut Koča pri izviru Završnice. Already after few steps of walking blazes point us slightly right, on a little steeper footpath which ascends on a panoramic grassy slope, and then it returns on the before mentioned cart track which we follow to the right. Cart track, which is relatively steeply ascending through the forest, after few minutes of additional walking brings us to a grazing fence, behind which we come at the marked crossing.
We continue straight (slightly right Roblekov dom) on still rocky cart track which higher out of the forest brings us on ample grassy slopes of Smokuška planina. Here the steepness decreases and the path with increasingly beautiful view in 15 minutes of additional walking brings us to the hut Koča pri izviru Završnice.
From the mountain hut, we continue left on a marked footpath in the direction of Stol. The path already after few minutes leaves the cart track and passes into a smaller valley between Srednji vrh on the left and Vrtača on the right. A moderately steep path which runs through a thin forest, higher for a short time steeply ascends and after few minutes of additional walking brings us on a saddle Šija, where there is a marked crossing.
We continue right in the direction of Vrtača (left Srednji vrh, straight Stol bottom path) on the path which ascends through a lane of dwarf pines and after few minutes of additional walking brings us to the upper path Zelenica - Stol.
Here we continue left in the direction of Stol, but only few steps, and then we will notice a poorly beaten footpath which continues on a slope almost straight upwards (if we don't find the turn-off of the path, we can continue also in the direction of Zelenica and then at the marked crossing left upwards). The path ahead starts ascending steeper and steeper and after few minutes of additional walking joins a wide marked path from Zelenica. We go left and we continue the ascent on the path which is steeply ascending towards the side ridge of Vrtača. Higher, the path turns slightly to the left, crosses a steep partly rocky slopes and after few minutes of additional walking brings us on the before mentioned ridge, where the path turns sharply to the right. The path ahead starts ascending steeply on very steep and for slipping dangerous slopes. Higher, the path brings us on the main ridge of Karawanks, where it flattens. Next follows approximately 20 minutes of walking on and by the ridge, which is in parts slightly exposed, and in the entire part dangerous for slipping. This panoramic path we then follow all the way to the top of Vrtača.
Because of steep grass, in wet there is a great risk of slipping.
The starting point - Koča pri izviru Završnice 1:00, Koča pri izviru Završnice - Vrtača 2:30.
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