Val Senales Glacier

How does an Alpine glacier look like from close quarters? And what about nature in 3,000 m a.s.l.? The answers are no longer reserved to experienced Alpinists. The Val Senales Cable Car (Schnalstaler Gletscherbahnen) connects the village of Maso Corto in Upper Val Senales (2,011 m a.s.l.) with the Croda delle Cornacchie/Grawand mountain station at 3,212 m a.s.l. The funicular ride up to the highest mountain station in South Tyrol, close to the place of discovery of Ötzi, takes about 6 minutes! The summit, only 50 metres higher than the mountain station, can be scaled in a walk of a few minutes.

There the Giogo Alto Glacier extends on a surface of about 185 hectares from the Punta delle Cornacchie (3,251 m a.s.l.) and the Punta di Finale (3,514 m a.s.l.) to the Giogo Alto (2,750 m a.s.l.) and the Rofental valley in the surroundings of Vent in the Oetztal valley. An amazing 360 degree view can be enjoyed! Far away on the horizon the Ortles and the Tessa mountain group, almost within one's grasp the summits of the Oetztal Alps. In the south west there is the Finale Lake.

The landscape in this altitude is rather sparse, but at a second look in this stone desert you might discover some heralds of the high Alpine flora, that use the short summer season for thriving. In summer, from the mountain station several Alpine tours start, such as to the Finale Lake, or to the Bellavista Mountain Hut. Those who seek a real challenge can walk to Vent in the Oetztal valley via the Giogo Alto, which takes at least 7 hours. From autumn to late spring, however, the Val Senales Glacier offers a skiing area with 35 km of well-groomed ski slopes for every level.