For centuries now, the inhabitants of St. Martin im Kofel, located above Laces/Latsch, have been making the pilgrimage over the Niederjöchl pass (2,662 m a.s.l) to the pilgrimage site of Madonna di Senales/Unser Frau, in order to pray together with the people of Senales for a good harvest.
The ski lift is situated in the valley, next to the valley station of the cable car. It brings you up to two easy ski runs (blue) - ideal for beginners.
A beautiful winter hiking tour on the Lauzaun plateau (2,430 m. a.s.l). Here you are rewarded with a fantastic view of several 3,000 m peaks.
The Lazaun high plateau is marked by the power of the glacier, for example, by an active block glacier and a high moor. You will find very distinctive Alpine flora here, including the dwarf willow (Salix herbacea), the smallest tree in the world. With any luck, the attentive observer will also be treated to rare sightings of local fauna. Numerous marmots live up here in addition to rock partridge and snow grouse.
The chairlift with four seats brings pedestrians and skiers up to 3.212m to the mountain station of the glacier cable car.
The mountain pasture Lafetz lies on 2,015 m a.s.l in the middle of a magnificent natural landscape. There you will be rewarded with an exclusive view of the Similaun, the Ötztal Alps and the place of discovery Ötzi.
The chairlift brings skiers and pedestrians in only six minutes directly to the Teufelsegghütte mountain hut at 2.453m. a.s.l.
Starting point: Madonna di Senales/Unser Frau (1,508 m a.s.l)
Ascent: 1,586 m elevation gain, 5 hours
Best time: March to May
A double summit (western summit 3,083 m a.s.l, eastern summit 3,094 m a.s.l) to the west of the Mastaun summit and the Mastaunjoch pass. Take the trail upwards from Madonna di Senales/Unser Frau through the Mastauntal Valley, as with Tours 9, until you reach flat ground having negotiated the steep slope. Then, take a right in a north-westerly direction until you come to the Mastaunjoch pass (2,927 m a.s.l) and the quite difficult climb up to the western summit. You can also turn off towards the north beneath the Mastaunjoch pass and climb to the eastern summit, which is the easier one. The descent is similar to the ascent.
For practised skiers with Alpine experience
According to oral tradition, after the dissolution of the Carthusian monastery of Allerengelsberg in 1782, the farmed Alpine pastures of Klosteralm (open from the beginning of June to mid / end of October, depending on the weather) at 2,152 m became the property of a number of families in Certosa/Karthaus who set up a syndicate which has thirty members today. The farm was only accessible by a narrow mountain path until a transport cable car was built in 1959. Thanks to the avalanche barrier beneath the Kreuzspitze, a road link was provided as an “ancillary benefit”. Due to its steep and stony pastures, the farm has been used almost exclusively as a typical farm for young cattle.
The Gletschersee ski run is an easy, blue slope and brings from the glacier to the glacial lakes. From there you can continue on the valley descent to Maso Corto/Kurzras, reach again the glacier with the chairlifts or reach the glacier opposite slopes by Hintereis chairlift.
The Teufelsegg slopes offer challenging ski-runs with spectacular views. At theirs end the Teufelsegg mountain hut invites to a culinary break.
The Teufelsegg slopes offer challenging ski-runs with spectacular views. At theirs end the Teufelsegg mountain hut invites to a culinary break.
This tour, that can be done from early spring to late autumn, depending on the weather, takes us along the highest grain farm in Europe. Grain was cultivated at this altitude right up to the second half of the last century, when the construction of the dam and reservoir also changed the climate of the Schnalstal Valley. There are archaic structures along this trail that have only changed slightly during the development of mountain farming over thousands of years.
On the wide Grawand glacier slopes you find a light and two medium-difficult ski-runs. Ideal to start your ski day on a length of 850 meters. At the end of the Grawand slopes it is a must to stop for a bite to eat at the Ötzi Biwak with its generous sun terraces.
The untouched Lagauntal Valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in South Tyrol. The trail up to the former Heilbronn hut and the Tascheljöchl provide a breathtaking long-distance view of numerous 3000m-peaks. On the way to Berglalm Mountain Hut, we pass through idyllic high mountain terrain with expansive larch forests.
This route follows the forest road, along an old and gradually ascending military route (easy route), with some Alpine terrain (individual snow fields are possible).
The crossing of the Eisjöchl ridge is only advised when the Stettiner Hütte Alpine hut is open (normally between 1 July – end of September, depending on weather conditions). Information about the opening hours can be obtained from the Schnalstal Valley tourist office or the Passeiertal Valley tourist office, which can also inform you about current conditions on the ridge.
The Stettiner Hütte was swept away by an avalanche in 2013/14. It was rebuilt in 2020/2021 and has been open again since summer 2022.
Hiking time:
Eishof–Eisjöchl–Stettiner Hütte · 3 hours
Stettiner Hütte–Plan · 3 hours
(4 hours ascent)
Total hiking time: about 6-7h
The castle of the Noblemen of Senales once stood where the parish church of Monte Santa Caterina/Katharinaberg now stands with its tower reaching for the heavens was once. However, the Carthusians had it destroyed in 1350. In earlier times, there was a proto-historic human settlement here. A Bronze Age sickle element with silica and Iron Age ceramic artefacts are proof that this area has been used for thousands of years. It would appear that a pre-historic trail ran along here coming up from Vinschgau.
The new black-labeled run is a training track for slalom and giant slalom specialists, offering the international elite in Alpine skiing the possibility to complete challenging workouts at the Senales Valley glacier skiing area in early autumn. But watch out: with a drop of 200 meters and an inclination of almost 60%, the Leo Gurschler ski slope is for experts only! It is in fact named after the local pioneer and visionary Leo Gurschler, who built the only glacier skiing area in South Tyrol, here in Senales Valley, 40 years ago.
Ski lift at the border of the glacier with access to the easy, sunny and flat Finail ski run (blue).
The high mountain valley has always been an important crossing from Laces/Latsch and Kastelbello/Kastellbell in Vinschgau Valley, where there were already settlements during the Copper Age, as seen with the menhir in Latsch. Recent archaeological finds in the ground around the Penaudalm Mountain Hutand the old mountain farm suggest that this area had been used as a hunting ground not only since the Mesolithic Age but that the high plateau already had a seasonal settlement from the Bronze Age on. We are still waiting for the results of analyses to see if the buildings discovered were connected to milk processing, that is to say, cheese production.
The sunny Finail ski runs are about one kilometer long and classified as blue runs. Therefore they are also suitable for beginners. Tip: unfasten skis at the mountain station, hike up to the level, and then enjoy the view to the south.
This chairlift gives you access to the most demanding but panoramic ski runs of the whole area. Passing by the Teufelsegghütte mountain hut you reach, always on black ski runs, the village Maso Corto/Kurzras.
This archaeological trail begins with a ride on the glacier train from Maso Corto/Kurzras to the summit station, then there’s a short climb to Grawand and its imposing summit cross; it passes over the ridge and drops down to the small Finailsee lake, goes on to the Finailhof farm, once the highest grain farm in the region, passes unhurriedly by Raffeinhof farm to Tisenhof farm and then into the village of Vernago/Vernagt with its wonderful dam and reservoir.
The ski lift is situated in the valley, next to the valley station of the cable car. It brings you up to two easy ski runs (blue) - ideal for beginners.
The starting point of the sun-drenched slopes is located at 3,115 meters above sea level. The medium-heavy red slopes bring skiers to the Bella Vista mountain hut and lead into the valley descent to Maso Corto/Kurzras.
The chairlift brings you from the glacial lake back to the glacier and the Ötzi Biwak. There you can choose between the easy, blue ski run S1 or the Leo Gurschler steep. Here you can find also connection to the Grawand chairlift and following to the Schnalstal Glacier Cable Car which brings you back to valley.
A lovely gentle meditation or pilgrimage path which takes you through the fragrant larch woods of Madonna di Senales/Unser Frau to a sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary. There are a number of quiet, shady resting places with carvings and statues by local artists and craftsmen.
The untouched Lagauntal, one of the most beautiful valleys in South Tyrol, and the mountain pasture Bergl are also a popular place of excursions in winter. You hike through a snowy, idyllic high mountain landscape with extensive larch forests.
