Ski tour: Großer Jaufen from the Brückele

Difficulty level: Easy
Elevation gain: about 1,000 meters
Total ascent time: about 3.5 hours (without breaks, good walking pace)

With their unique rock formations, the Dolomites give the Pragser Valley a characteristic and unique appearance, which, in a symphony with the idyllic natural scenery, ensures unforgettable holiday experiences. The ski tour to the Großen Jaufen brings you close to this beauty as you fight your way up forest roads, patches of woods, and rock gullies.

The start is at the traditional Gasthaus Brückele at 1,500 meters above sea level, which also offers rooms for overnight stays and has a larger parking lot in front of it.
Right at the bridge, keep to the right and follow the forest road. To the left of the stream, steep switchbacks lead up. Follow the path until you stand in front of the rock towers. In the next step, cross a gully to the right. This leads through a high valley, a patch of forest, and finally over a steeper section to the Obere Rossalm. Continue through a hollow with mighty Swiss stone pines towards Kleiner Jaufen. Below the Kleiner Jaufen, the snow-covered, white summit of Großen Jaufen moves into your field of vision – and you now move towards it.

Over a flat plain you first reach a weather station, before it then increasingly steepens towards the mountain peak. Once at the top, the Pragser Wildsee lake stretches out below you, which, together with the Seekofel and the Dürrenstein, reveals a fantastic panoramic view.

When it's time to head back down to the valley after a hearty dose of mountain air and panoramic enjoyment, simply follow the ascent route in the opposite direction and soon you will be back at the Gasthaus Brückele, where you can indulge in the traditional South Tyrolean cuisine in the warm parlor.

Ski tours require knowledge, experience, fitness, good planning, and appropriate equipment. Please also inform yourself about the current avalanche warning level before each ski tour and pay attention to the "Stop or Go risk management" by Michael Larcher and mountain guide Robert Purtscheller, which is recommended by the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV).