Alba di Canazei - Colac (path 646)

Access to the starting point:
a) From Kranjska Gora via the Koren saddle to Austria, where at the first major junction continue left towards Podkloštro / Arnoldstein and Trbiz / Tarvisio. At the end of Podklošter, signs for Šmohor / Hermagor direct you to the right on the regional road, which takes you past the town to the end of the Ziljska valley, or more precisely to Kötschach-Mauthen, where you turn right towards Oberdrauburg. The road continues over the Gailbergsattel Alpine pass (982 m), after which you descend into the above-mentioned town. After crossing a bridge over the River Drava, turn left towards Lienz. At the main roundabout in Lienz, turn left towards Sillian and Itali. Next, cross the national border between Austria and Itali and follow the main road to Dobbiaco/Toblach, where you turn left towards Cortina d'Ampezzo. Once in Cortina d'Ampezzo, follow the signs for the Passo Falzarego Alpine pass. At the Falzarego Pass (2105 m) there is a crossroads where you continue straight down towards Marmolada and the Passo Fedaia Pass. At the following junctions, follow the road towards Marmolada and the aforementioned pass. After the Fedaia Pass (2057 m), which is located by the artificial lake Lagho di Fedaia, the road starts to descend again and we follow it to the beginning of Alba, where we will see the Ciampac cable car (swing) on the left. Park in the large parking lot at the bottom station of the cable car. From Kranjska Gora to the starting point is about 280 km.

b) From Kranjska Gora via Border crossing Rateče to Trbiz / Tarvisio and then on the motorway to Udine. Leave the motorway at Tolmezzo, from where we continue driving towards Ampezzo and on to the Alpine pass Passo della Mauria (1298 m). The road then starts to descend and leads into the Cadore valley, where we continue to the right towards Auronzo di Cadore. At the next crossroads follow the signs for Cortina d'Ampezzo. When you arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo, follow the signs for the Passo Falzarego Alpine pass. At the Falzarego Pass (2105 m) there is a crossroads where you continue straight down towards Marmolada and the Passo Fedaia Pass. At the following junctions, follow the road towards Marmolada and the aforementioned pass. After the Fedaia Pass (2057 m), which is located by the artificial lake Lagho di Fedaia, the road starts to descend again and we follow it to the beginning of Alba, where we will see the Ciampac cable car (swing) on the left. Park in the large parking lot at the bottom station of the cable car. From Kranjska Gora to the starting point is approximately 270 km.


c) From Nova Gorica, drive into Itali and continue on the motorway to Portogruaro, where you will take the motorway fork towards Belluno. Follow the motorway to the Belluno exit, and after Belluno follow the road towards Agordo and then Marmolada and the Passo Fedaia Alpine pass. After the Fedaia Pass (2057 m), which is situated by the artificial lake Lagho di Fedaia, the road starts to descend and we follow it until we reach the beginning of Alba, where we will see the Ciampac cable car (swing) on the left hand side. Park in the large parking lot at the bottom station of the cable car. From the Slovenian border to the starting point is about 245 km.

Path description:
At the end of the parking lot, bear slightly left after the "Locia de Contrin" signs onto a forest road closed to public traffic. The road is mostly through the forest and only occasionally offers views of the nearby peaks. The road then soon crosses a bridge and leads to a marked crossroads where the footpath from Penia joins from the left. Further on, the road climbs mostly in switchbacks and, higher up, a few cart tracks branch off the road. We continue straight ahead on a well-maintained road. Later the road turns left and soon a footpath branches off to the right towards the ski resort of Ciampac. We continue along the road and after a short climb we reach the Locia de Contrin hut.
From the hut we continue along a gravel road which soon crosses a forest. The road continues to lead us through the valley along the Ruf de Contrin stream and leads us to a marked crossroads by the pastureland.
Leave the road here and turn right onto route 646, following the Colac signs. The path climbs again and leads into the forest. Continue for some time climbing through the forest below the slopes of Colac Peak. From the trail we have a few views towards Marmolada. Higher up, the path crosses a fence and then leads us through a thinner larch forest to grassy slopes. Continuing up the grassy slope, the path leads to the Ruf de Gian de Mez stream. Here the path begins to climb slightly steeper towards the Forcia Neigra saddle. Higher up, when you reach the steep grassy slopes, continue to the right on a slightly less beaten track and start climbing steeply up towards the walls of the summit of Colac. Alternatively, continue on a slightly less steep path over the Forcia Neigra saddle. If you continue to the right, you will first climb quite steeply along a stream, followed by a climb up a steep scree slope. This path then rejoins the path from the Forcia Neigra saddle.
At the crossroads, continue to the right and start to climb cross-climbing under the Colaca walls. The slope you cross becomes steeper as you continue and the path soon turns left and starts to climb up the rubbly slope. The path then becomes a little steeper and soon you reach the first cable-stays. Here the path climbs alongside a steel cable on the left side of a wide gully. Higher up, the path turns slightly to the right and continues to climb up the crumbly slope alongside the glacier. The gully we are climbing then becomes narrower and slightly steeper. In this part of the route, in addition to the steel beam, we are also helped by a few staples. From the ravine the path leads us to a ridge with a view to the north. The slightly less steep path then runs along the north-west side of the mountain for a short time and then climbs back up to the south side with the help of the ropes. Here the path climbs up a slightly less steep but rather crumbly gully. Once out of the gully, continue left and there is only a short climb along the ridge to the summit.

On the way: Locia de Contrin (1736m)

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