– train (3hr 50min)
Vienna – train via Villach (5hr 30min)
Munich – train via Villach (6hr)
Innsbruck – train via Salzburg and Villach (6hr 20min).
When to go
The persistence of winter snow and the likely arrival of new snow in the autumn determine the relatively short length of the walking season in the Alps – from early July through to the third week in September. The huts only open when the snow disappears and walkers start to turn up.
Although it varies from year to year, lingering snow in July is possible. Alpine thunderstorms are more frequent in July and August, whereas September is the most settled month. The peak season, coinciding with holidays, is August, so if you’re not tied to the holiday season, timing a trip to make the best use of September makes a lot of sense. The only downside is that the alpine flowers will be past their best.
Accommodation and food
The Hochweißsteinhaus, nestled at the head of the Frohnbach Valley (Stage 3)
What makes the Alps in general and the Carnic Alps in particular especially accessible is the quality and extent of the accommodation. To walk the whole route involves staying in a mix of mountain huts and small hotels, although a strongly recommended option involves a couple of nights in farm stays, known in Italy as agriturismo. This interesting and varied ‘package’ forms a key part of the Karnischer Höhenweg experience.
The Karnischer Höhenweg is popular, so if you plan to walk it in August, it makes sense to book in advance. This is straightforward, although one of the huts (the Hochweißsteinhaus) asks for a deposit via bank transfer, which can be expensive outside the eurozone (although if you point this out, the requirement to pay a deposit may be dropped). If for whatever reason a booking can’t be honoured, then ring and explain. The booking systems for the huts are currently developing rapidly, with online booking steadily becoming available. A list of accommodation, with contact details, is provided in Appendix B.
If booking by phone:
To call an Austrian number from outside Austria, use the country code (+43) followed by the area code minus any initial zero, then the rest of the number. To call from inside Austria, include the first zero of the area code. This applies to both landlines and mobile numbers.
To call an Italian number from outside Italy, use the country code (+39) followed by the area code including the first zero. Area codes for Italian landlines always include an initial zero, whether you are calling from outside or inside Italy. Italian mobile codes begin with 3 (not with zero).
At least three nights on the Karnischer Höhenweg will be spent in mountain huts (Hütte in German, rifugio in Italian), of which there are hundreds scattered all over the Alps. If this is your first long-distance trip in the Alps, mountain huts may take some getting used to, but they are a key part of the alpine walking tradition and their origins date back to the explosion of alpine tourism in the 1890s. They were particularly popular in the German-speaking world, where they were promoted by the German Alpine Club (which at that time was a single club formed of affiliate clubs from Germany and German-speaking parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). The nearest non-alpine equivalent is a youth hostel. Accommodation is in open dormitories or slightly more expensive smaller rooms which, at busy times, will also be shared. The huts are very convivial (expect to meet the same people several times), never run out beer, and provide an opportunity for some sleep (depending on your room-mates) after a good day in the mountains.
As a minimum, three nights will be spent in huts on the Austrian side of the border, where German-style food is provided. Similar food is provided in the small hotels and is best described as ‘hearty’ rather than fine dining. Standard fare includes soup (Suppe) with large dumplings – either Leberknödel (liver dumplings) or Speckknödel (ham dumplings); Gulasch, often served with dumplings (Semmelknödel); spaghetti bolognese; and, of course, large sausages (Bratwurst) served with bread, mustard and sauerkraut. Less common in the huts but available everywhere else in Austria is the Austrian equivalent of fish and chips, a type of schnitzel cordon bleu, consisting of white meat (veal, turkey, chicken or pork) wrapped around cheese, with a covering of breadcrumbs and deep fried. This is not the best place for vegetarians. Vegetarian food may be available, but (even if you give advance notice) don’t expect the standard to be anything more than basic.
Austrian hut cuisine
It sounds like a cliché but the food just across the border (at Wolayersee there is an Austrian hut and an Italian hut within 200 metres of each other) improves dramatically. The full range of rustic Italian food becomes available – antipasti, pasta and rich main courses – and there is suddenly a choice of wine. The Rifugio Marinelli is my favourite hut anywhere in the Alps and serves wonderful food (restaurant standard), with an emphasis on friendliness rather than efficiency.
The two farmhouse stays are also wonderful – one (the Straniger Alm) is in Austria and the other (Casera Pramosio) in Italy – and they both win awards for cheese. Although I preferred the Austrian cheese, the food in the Italian farmhouse was particularly good, especially the breakfast. (Be warned that at Casera Pramosio they speak no English, and apparently few Italians understand their local dialect. The staff at Rifugio Marinelli will help you if you want to book ahead.)
Mountain Gasthof or Gasthaus accommodation represents a very broad spectrum, ranging from small hotels or inns to something altogether more primitive – primitive even compared to the mountain huts.
Budget
A reasonable rule of thumb is to budget 50–60 euros a day, although this depends on what you choose to eat and drink rather than the type of accommodation. There is little difference between the cost of a small hotel and a mountain hut, although sleeping in large and sometimes noisier hut dormitories can be cheaper.
All the huts recommended are owned by the Austrian or Italian Alpine Clubs, so Club members get a discount. If you’re British, the simplest option is to join the British section of the Austrian Alpine Club – the fee includes insurance. (See contact details in Appendix C.)
What to take
The golden rule is to take only what is needed. Weight is a key consideration and the greater the load, the bigger the strain on the body, particularly the knees. Weigh everything and restrict the total load (excluding water) to no more than 6kg.
When packing, prepare for wet and cold weather; snow, particularly above 2000m, is not unusual. In addition to good quality waterproofs, pack a fleece or a lightweight down jacket, a warm hat and gloves. If your gloves are precious, then a pair of old gloves to protect the hands on the cable stretches could also be packed.
Hopefully, the ‘problem’ will be the sun rather than cold and wet so make sure you have a brimmed hat, high factor sunscreen, lip salve and sunglasses. With any luck, the cold- and wet-weather gear will stay at the bottom of your rucksack, and shorts and T-shirts will be the order of the day. For emergencies, carry a head torch (also useful in the huts during ‘lights out’), a whistle and a compact first aid kit.
For the huts, as well as personal toiletries, pack a lightweight towel, a sheet sleeping bag and earplugs. Outdoor shoes aren’t allowed in huts; although indoor shoes are provided, you may still need to carry some sort of lightweight shoes for use in hotels and when travelling.
This
