Mallnitz - Vordere Geislspitze / Vorderer Gesselkopf
Starting point: Mallnitz (1191 m)
| Lat/Lon: | 46,98182°N 13,17603°E |
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Time of walking: 7 h
Difficulty: partly demanding marked way
Altitude difference: 1783 m
Altitude difference po putu: 1845 m
Map:
Recommended equipment (summer):
Recommended equipment (winter): ice axe, crampons
Views: 303
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Access to the starting point:
Arriving by train to Mallnitz is a good option because you can walk over the mountains to the other side of the Hohe Taurn mountain range and return by train through the Tauern Railway Tunnel, which is the longest tunnel of the Tauern Railway system with the length of 8371 meters. The train is also used for a motor vehicles transport between Mallnitz and Bad Gastein. An alternative option by road is 178 kilometres long.
Information for arriving by car:
Drive to Spittal an der Drau and take an exit for Lienz. Follow the regional road via Lendorf, after which drive a few kilometres and then take a right turn in direction Möllbrücke, Mühldorf and Obervellach. Soon after Obervellach turn right in direction Mallnitz. In Mallnitz park at a railway station (with motorail connection with Bad Gastein via 8371 m long Tauern tunnel).
Path description:
Exit the train station (Hauptbahnhof Mallnitz) and follow a road to Mallnitz for 100 meters. Before a stream Seebach turn right to a footpath (also marked with "Via Alpina" signs). Walk along the stream until you reach the first houses of Malnitz. Cross the first bridge and turn right. After reaching the main road in Mallnitz continue to the crossroads with many green signposts and follow the left road with signs Jamnigalm and Hagener Hütte.
Follow the road out of Mallnitz. When reaching the last houses of this side of Mallnitz, turn right and ascend to a footpath (a less attractive alternative is to follow the road). The footpath will lead you through the forest at about 50 meters of altitude above the road, however you may only occasionally glimpse the road below. Since this path is also used for a nice summer walks just outside of the city, there are many benches and points of interest along the way. Follow the signs for Jamnihalm or Stockerhütte. Keep left at one point when the path is not marked. After that you will reach the road again. Cross the road and the path in the forest will begin to ascend more steeply. Soon the path to Stockerhütte will branch away (i.e. a hut near a boom gate and ticket machine). Follow a wide path and signs for Jamnigalm or a path number 110. The forest will thin and the slopes will get steeper. The path will lead you to a dusty road, follow it for 5 minutes until you reach Jamnigalm.
Since the forest ends with the Jamnigalm, the wide path offers excellent views all the way up to the destination. On the left side you can see two prominent mountains, i.e. Feldseekopf and Vorderer Geißlkopf, and Greilkopf on the right side. The winding path leads all the way to the Hagener hut. It is only necessary to take one turn left and this is five minutes before reaching the hut.
Continue west, descend a few meters to the signs and a bell, and follow a leisurely trail further west. The trail then reaches a spring that is emerging from the ground all around the area. From this point the trail gets steeper. After gaining cca. 150 meters in altitude you will reach the ridge. The trail is really steep the last few meters and caution is advised. A mountain Westerfrölkekogel (2727m) rises on the right side. From here continue left following a trail passing under the ridge into the basin, traverse a few giant rocks and from there ascend again to the beautiful wide part of the ridge.
At first traverse the plateau that is slowly ascending. The trail soon gets steeper until the ridge gets very narrow. From there on expect no more false summits, because the next peak is Vorderer Geiselkopf. In this final part of the trail expect snow and ice until late July and from September.
A summit can be reached from the east and the west side. The east side is slightly more difficult and add a 5 or 10 minutes of walking distance for the west side. A few meters of steel rope are fixed under the peak, but it is easier to go around it, since there is an easier passing to the top just about 10 meters away.
A summit cross and a metal box with a book will await you at the top. Enjoy excellent views to the neighbouring 3000-meter-high mountains, i.e. Hochalmspitze and Ankogel to the east and Schareck and Sonnblick to the west.
Mallnitz railway station – Jamnigalm (2h 30min), Jamnigalm - Hagener Hütte (2 h 30 min); Hagener Hütte – Vorderer Geißlkopf (2h).
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Discussion about the trail Mallnitz - Vordere Geislspitze / Vorderer Gesselkopf