Pecol - Jôf di Montasio/Montaž (over Pipan's ladder)

Access to the starting point:
a) From Kranjska Gora, drive through the Rateče border crossing to Trbiž / Tarvisio. In Trbiz, turn left towards Bovec and follow the road to the crossroads near Lake Rabeljsko. Here, turn right towards the Neveje Pass (Na Žlebeh) / Sella Nevea. As the road starts to descend towards the Reclan valley, a sharp left turn to the right leads to a narrow and steep road towards the Jôf di Montasio high plateau / Altopiano del Jôf di Montasio (there are signs in Italian at the crossroads). Follow this road to a large marked parking area located a few 100 m in front of the Pecol cheese cottage (no further driving).
b) From Bovec, drive to the Predel border crossing, from which you descend to the Italian side. Just after Lake Rabelj, you will reach a crossroads where you turn left towards Neveje Preval (Na Žlebeh) / Sella Nevea. As the road starts to descend towards the Reclana valley, a sharp left-hand bend turns off to the right onto a narrow and steep road towards the Jôf di Montasio high plateau / Altopiano del Jôf di Montasio (there are signs in Italian at the crossroads). Follow this road to a large marked parking lot located a few 100 m before the Pecol cheese cottage (no further driving).

Path description:
From the parking lot at mountain pasture Pecol, take the narrow road on the right towards the Rifugio di Brazza. Soon, signs direct you left onto a footpath which takes you across meadows to reach the hut in just over 15 minutes. At the crossroads, which is only a few tens of metres above the hut, take the left path which leads to the saddle Forca dei Disteis (2201m), and the right path leads to Cima di Terrarossa (2420m). From the crossroads, descend first a few metres, then cross the meadows below the walls of Jôf di Montasio in a gentle ascent, and if you are lucky you may also spot the Alpine marmots, which are abundant around here. Soon, a direct trail with mountain pasture Pecol joins from our left, which is a few minutes shorter than the one past the hut. Here the path climbs a little steeper and soon leads us to the aforementioned saddle where there are usually many ibex. It takes about two hours to reach the saddle from the starting point. At the saddle, the path turns to the right across the scree and we soon come to the crossroads again. The left path, which is less frequented and slightly more difficult, leads to the Suringar bivouac (2430m). We take the right path, which continues to cross the scree and leads us to the memorial slabs, where we enter the rocky part of the trail. Here the route becomes more difficult, some easier climbing is required, and we are helped by a few ropes, but much less than we might be used to in the Slovenian mountains. The trail then turns slightly to the left, where we cross a small scree slope and soon we are in front of the most challenging, but also the most protected part of the trail. First, we climb almost vertically for about 10m with the help of crampons and ropes, and then there is the 60m high Pipanova ladder, which is slightly raised from the ground and also almost vertical. After climbing the ladder, you have only a few metres to the ridge on which you head left. The route along the ridge is no longer very difficult and takes us to the top in 20 minutes. However, caution is needed on the way along the ridge, as the ridge is quite exposed, and care must be taken not to break rocks, of which there are many on the way. The summit is very scenic and has plenty of space. There is also a cross and a bell at the top which mountaineers ring for good luck.

On the way: Rifugio di Brazza mountain hut (1660m), Forca dei Disteis (2201m)

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