Monte Elmo Ridge Walk

Crazy crenelations across the valley

On the north-eastern fringes of the range, on just the European side of the Peri-Adriatic Fault, which divides the European Plate from the African Plate, the geology determines a different kind of mountain from the crazy, crenelated pinnacles of Dolomitic Limestone on the other side of the valley.

Here grassy slopes, broken with outcroppings of schist, rise smoothly to an undulating grassy/rocky crest running NW to SE, and marking the border between Austria and Italy. This is skiing country, above Sexten, and the gondola at Vierschach takes you effortlessly up to 2000m asl (above sea level). From the gondola station you can walk the ridge over Monte Elmo, past the Sillianer Hutte and continue to the Rotecksattel.

You begin with a climb and if you've been at sea level the shortness of oxygen makes you gasp a bit – the summit of Monte Elmo, with its disused hut is at 2434m. I suggest avoiding its steep and eroded SW ridge. I much prefer the NW ridge which is less used and breaks through some exposed and interesting rock bands around 2300m.

Up through the bands of schist - it looks a bit Scottish!

The ridge continues, an airy walk and on a clear day gives a succession of 360° views over grassy meadows full of alpine flowers to distant mountains; leftwards to the Austrian Tyrol and rightwards to the majestic Dolomites.

Along the ridge

Descending from the ridge through Alpenrose

Who's looking at whom?

The Sillianer Hutte is best avoided on busy days – earlier this year my group gave up waiting for their order after 45 minutes. Better to picnic amongst the marmots which swarm the slopes, their warning whistles heard long before they can easily be seen.

From the Rotecksattel we left the ridge and dropped into the valley to about the 2000m contour line before turning back towards the north-west and the Klammbachalm hutte, after which a short but leg burning burst takes you up to the Tre Cime Gondola. We were late after our failed hut stop and rushed, headlong - a bit like the previous sentence.

A pause between mountains

If you’ve had the foresight to buy a return ticket from Vierschach this gets you swiftly down to the roadside and a bus ride back to San Candido.