Weinebene - Sprungkogel (Golica / Koralpe)

Access to starting point:
A) Over one of the border crossings with Austria (Korensko sedlo, Karawanks Tunnel, mountain pass Ljubelj, mountain pass Jezerski vrh, mountain pass Pavličev vrh) we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving on the so-called south highway towards Gradec / Graz. On the mentioned highway we drive to the settlement Wolfsberg, where we leave the highway, and when we get to an old or regional road we continue driving 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 18 km, and then we get to the mentioned alpine mountain pass, which is situated at an altitude 1668 meters. We park on a large marked parking lot by the mountain pass.
B) Over the border crossing Holmec or Vič we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards the settlement Wolfsberg. From Wolfsberg 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 18 km, and then we get to the mentioned alpine mountain pass, which is situated at an altitude 1668 meters. We park on a large marked parking lot by the mountain pass.
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 on, the road starts ascending steeper, and we follow it approximately 20 km to the already mentioned mountain pass, where we park on a settled parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot on the south side of the mountain pass Weinebene, we head onto a marked mountain path towards the summit Großer Speikkogel and several other destinations, including the mountain hut Großhöllerhütte, where we will later leave the marked path. At first, we moderately ascend along a rough macadam road that runs near the nearby ski slope. At the indistinct summit Weinofen, we stop ascending and briefly descend slightly. A little further on a flatter section, we veer slightly right from the road onto a parallel marked mountain path, which, after a few minutes of gentle to moderate ascent, leads us back to the road. We continue along the road, which ascends slightly further, then mostly traverses the slopes. During the traverse, we also cross one of the ski tracks of the ski slope Weinebene (passage is forbidden when the ski slope is open).
When we reach the eastern to southeastern ridge of the peak Moschkogel a little further (from here, a nice view opens up towards the highest summit of the mountain range), the path begins to descend noticeably. As we approach the saddle, a path joins from the left, starting from a slightly lower point on the eastern side of the mountain pass Weinebene.
Here, we continue a few dozen steps along the road, then arrive at a junction of several paths.
To the left, the ridge path continues towards the highest summit of Golica. Along or beside the road, the path leads towards the mountain hut Grillitschhütte. We, however, continue between these two paths along a cart track that gently ascends while traversing to the right. In the final part of the traverse, a slightly longer path joins from the right, passing by the mountain hut Grillitschhütte. We continue past the cross Schäferkreuz and, with nice views of Großer Speikkogel, arrive at a marked junction situated on an indistinct saddle.
We continue straight towards the mountain hut Großhöllerhütte (to the left is Großer Speikkogel) and cross a grazing fence. A few minutes of easy walking follow along the southeastern slopes of the peak Sprungkogel, and we arrive at the mountain hut Großhöllerhütte via the cart track.
Just a few dozen steps before the mountain hut, we notice an unmarked path on the right that begins ascending the slopes of the peak Sprungkogel, and we follow it uphill. Higher up, the path starts to fade, but in a few minutes of ascent over easier pathless terrain, we reach the panoramic peak, from which a beautiful view opens up, extending all the way to Italy.
During the grazing season, passage from the mountain hut to the summit is blocked by a fence.
Weinebene - Großhöllerhütte 1:30, Großhöllerhütte - Sprungkogel 0:15.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in December 2024.

On the way: Weinhofen (1726m), Großhöllerhütte (Koralpe) (1790m)