-
2940 Hits
-
74.01% Score
-
4 Votes
Page Type:
|
Route |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
46.87733°N / 11.31386°E |
Route Type:
|
Hiking |
Season:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall |
|
Time Required:
|
Half a day |
|
Difficulty:
|
Hike |
|
Overview
 View along the east ridge into the Sterzing / Vipiteno Basin |
Though both the north and south faces of Mareiter Stein are very steep, nevertheless quite a number of routes lead to its summit. One starts from the marble quarry in the north west, one starts in Innerratschings in Val Racines, but the most popular and probably easiest route starts in Pordaun to the east of the mountain. Make no mistake - though the route is easy it scales more than 1000m so that a certain amount of fitness is required.
Most of the route leads through the forests along the east risge with several clearings offering better views to the north. Only about 200m beneath the summit will you cross the timberline from which point the views really are impressive. Several false summits have to be scaled until you reach the summit cross.
Getting There
Follow the instructions on the main page. You can start from Stange / Stanga or Mareit / Mareta in Ridnaun Valley / Val Ridnana but this means an additional 300m in elevation gain.Route Description
Crossing the timberline on the way to the Mareiter Stein Summit- Start altitude: 1143m
- Summit altitude: 2192m
- Prevailing exposure: N and S
- Type: 2 1/2h either way
- Protection: None
The hike to Mareiter Stein starts at the village of Pordaun / Pratone wich is located on a bacony overlooking the confluence of the Ratschings- and Ridnaun Creeks (and valleys). The village is rather small and parking places are very limited. The first part of the climb follows the road up to the hamlet of Platz, already on one of the shoulders of Mareiter Stein. The roadhas been built for the marble trucks which serve the quarry in the north face of the mountain so take care when hiking to Platz!
From Platz a marked trail leads southward, steadily climbing and heading for the east ridge. It soon runs beneath the omnipresetnt trees but after a short while a large clearing is reached. Attention: Follow the eastern (low) edge of the clearing the trail will hide in the forest again but the marks will lead you on a switch-backing way to the east ridge. If you cross the clearing (there is a hay hut in it's middle which also carries a trail mark) you will lose the trail and will have to struggle through the underbrush. We did just that and had to do a real heavy scramble to regain the path.
On the eastern ridge, which at first is barely distinct, follow the path through the forest. It quickly gains elevation and exposure (though moderate). After some 2h you'll reach a lookout spot with good views towards the Sarntal Alps in the south. From here the trees thin out until you cross the timberline. A first false summit is climbed, then a second until you reach a small saddle just in before the top. The summit cross is located a bit to the north of the summit some 10m lower than the highest spot itself.