Cima delle Pecore/Schaflahnernock

View from the summit

Cima delle Pecore/Schaflahnernock is a quiet rocky summit, easily accessible from the Forcella di Neves/Nevesjoch pass. Forcella di Neves/Nevesjoch pass is an old strategic traverse point on the main ridge of the Alpi Aurine/Zillertal Alps, connecting Valle di Rio Bianco/Weissbach valley and the Valle di Lappago/Lappach valley. Possible reasons for the ascending attempt:
- summit is only 3 hours or so by foot from the nearest parking lot at Neves reservoir
- easiest route is 50-70 minutes hike-up spiced with small scrambling portions over the northeast ridge
- views from the summit are very extensive, especially the view eastbound down the Val Aurina/Ahrntal valley, lined with  Zillertal/Aurine and  Rieserferner/Vedrette di Ries glaciated summits
- summit is actually a backyard mountain of the hut with shortest name in the Eastern Alps; Rifugio Giovanni Porro - Forcella di Neves/Nevesjochhute(ehemalige Chemnitzerhutte)
- it is a summit where one the most prominent alpine pioneers, namely Johann Niederwieser lost his life

Now, all the above with more details:
- ascend can be divided into 2 stages, to the Neves pass hut, then from the hut to the Cima Delle Pecore/Schaflahnernock
from the Neves reservoir (Lago di Neves/Neves Stausee) 1860m fork right (eastbound) and follow marked path no.24 taking shortcuts over the carriage road (closed to the traffic) till  Malga di Neves di Sopra/Obere Nevesalm pasture 2134m and further uphill toward east. After just under 2 hours, youll reach the Neves pass hut at 2416m. This  is the shortest and easiest access of all.
from the Riobianco/ Weissbach 1334m, follow the westbound path no.24 pass the Trattenbach valley and malga Goge pasture. It takes roughly 3 hours alltogether to reach the Neves pass hut
 - from  the hut, look behind the building (south side) for wooden waymark posted Schaflahnernock  shortly after fork left between large rocks and pass the water supply "mechanismus" of the hut (at the time of visit there was some rusty oil barrel there as  well) untill you reach small grassy plateau. From  here, again further to the left ascend  goes steep following  the quite narrow trail marked with bleached "Austrian" marks (horizontal red and white stripes), upper section now leads over shaky boulders and crashed blocks (careful) finally forking right between not much high yet quite bulky pillars. Summit is crossless, only small stone cairn on the top - and carpeted with square shaped loose rocks of all sizes. If you prefer stability with the views over the views from the instability, just throw your body backto  the north side of the summit. We found by accident a  flat and spacey ledge there, superb view towards Cima di Campo/Turnerkamp and Gran Mesule/Moseler. Ascend from the hut may take anywhere from 50 to 70 minutes.
- once back at the hut, it is worth to have peep inside (nice interiors).
Rifugio Giovanni Porro - Forcella di Neves/Nevesjochhute(ehemalige Chemnitzerhutte) is, actually, pretty much  self-explaining: Originally constructed in 1880., hut was reconstructed by DOAV sektion from town Chemnitz (thus Chemnitzerhutte - Chemnitz hut), taken over by Club Alpino Italiano sektion Milano in 1928. and  named after their prominent member Giovanni Porro killed in 1916. during Austro-Italian combat on Krn/Monte Nero, in todays Slovenia. Forcella di Neves (Italian) and Nevesjoch (German) are Italian and German names for Neves pass.
-  Johann Niederwieser, before losing his life on Cima delle Pecore/Schaflahnernock in 1902.,  completed a long list of serious climbs including the folowing first time ascends; Hochfernerspitze, 2nd Hornspitze, Zsigmondyspitze SW edge, Hochgall/Col Alto south wall in 1890., Sagernock over South ridge, Lenkstein South ridge, Fleischbachspitze over SW ridge
He also ascended Olperer, Tribulaun, Zuckerhütl, Königsspitze and Wildspitze  in 1881., completed winter ascends of Schwarzenstein and Zsigmondyspitze in 1890., Mont Blanc, Dent du Geant, Auguille du Midi, Grand Jorasses and Charmoz in 1891., Matterhorn, Ortler and Zebrù in 1901. Niederwieser was nicknamed "Stabeler", July 1892. he climbed for the first time one of the southern Vajolet towers and this one was  later named  Stabelerturm after him.

1.  By car from the north, over the Brenner/Brennero pass down the main road for Bolzano/Bozen, exit Bressanone/Brixen and drive for Brunico/Bruneck. At Brunicko/Brunneck leave road SS 49 for Val Pusteria and drive down (or rather up) the SS 621 and the Tures valley till the Molini di Tures/Muhlen village. Here you must make a decision: drive direction Luttago/Luttach and Aurina/Ahrntal valley, at Luttago fork left for Rio Bianco/Weissbach if you prefer to ascend Neves pass from the West, or at Molini di Tures/Muhlen fork left for Selva Molini/Muhlwald - Lappago/Lappach and further to Neves reservoir, if the easiest ascend is the one that you are after.
2. 
   From the South, drive Bolzano/Bozen  till  Bressanone/Brixen exit,  further same as described above in I
3. 
   From the East, classic gateway via Lienz in Austrian Carinthia - Dobbiaco/Tobiach - Brunico/Bruneck, further same as described above in I
   
   Nearest railway station is Brunico/Brunneck.

As said, Cima delle Pecore/Schaflahnernock is pretty much a backyard mountain of the Rifugio Giovanni Porro - Forcella di Neves/Nevesjochhutte.
Hut info phones: fixed +39 0474/653244 cellular phone +39/335/6898111
open mid June-early October
69 beds, 15 bunks in winter room
web site

Possible hut-to-hut traverse from the Neves pass:
 Rifugio Passo Ponte di Ghiaccio / Edelrauthütte  (web) 2545m, 3-3 and half hours, marked path no.1., easy hike. This trail is part of the so-called Neves high path (Altavia di Neves / Neves Höheweg) which starts at Neves reservoir, leads to Porro hut, over the path no.1 to Edelraut hut, and via the path no.24 loops back to the Neves reservoir.  Basically, you are getting back to the Neves reservoir, and your car if you left it there.

Other hike/scramble starting from the Neves pass and Porro hut:
 Cima dei Camosci 2869m, 90 minutes.

If you plan to  give a try to the other summits of the same ridge, here is the short list

• Weiße Wand / Croda Bianca (2717m)
  
• Tristenspitze / Cima dei Covoni (2716m)
  
• Ringelstein / Sasso Tondo (2451m)
  
• Zinnsnock (2459m)
  
• Gornerberg / Monte Corno (2475m)
  
• Fadner (2457m)
  
• Stoßkofl (2474m)
  
• Seewassernock (2433m)
  
• Speikboden / Monte Spico (2517m)

Weather:
 from the Ansa weather service: http://meteo.ansa.it/Regione.asp?Regione=17&Comune=021088
 for the whole  province of Bolzano: http://www.suedtirolerland.it/suedtirol/siteSLenSLwetter.phpQMQ.html

Map:  
Tabacco 036  Campo Tures/Sand in Taufers 1:25000

Security:
Emergency mountain rescue, dial 118