Plamortboden from Nauders

Limited by a bike injury (me) and some extra weight to carry around for some months (Dani) we decided to start our weekend holidays easy with an downhill cross-border walk through the Plamortboden. From the cable car's top station the hike starts by following a nice but weird fitness trail and passing a brand new party-style alpine cabin before approaching an artificial lake that fuels the snowmaking machines in winter. Not too much romance left along the alpine main valleys ;)

Plateau

The Plamortboden is an elevated plain at around 2.000 meters altitude on the Austrian-Italian border. Up there you will not just find beautiful moorlands, but also an old defensive fortification. The Italians built a massive anti-tank wall and several bunkers in the 1930s – however handed it over without a struggle to the German invaders in WWII. Today it's an historical monument, a pasture for cows and horses and last but not least a huge playground for hikers and bikers.

Schlinig to Sesvennahütte

On day 2 we were ready for some ascend as well. From the small village of Schlinig the trail follows the steep slopes of the Mäuerl – a lonely path winding through a dreamy forest. After crossing the timberline, the trail continues through an open alpine pasture high above Schlinig valley. With an panorama that probably is the definition of picturesque!

Pforzheimer- and Sesvennahütte

Underneath the Vernung Peak the trail finally descends to the old Pforzheimer Hütte – that is now a freshly refurbished museum – and the Sesvenna alpine cabin for a well deserved lunch break. From here you can either go for a 5 hours side trip on top of eponymous Piz Sesvenna and its glacier – or hike back to Schlinig. We took the easier option and followed the main route back into the valley, passing the Schwarzwand with its impressive waterfall.

Bye bye Mals

Basecamp for our weekend trip and worth a visit – we will be back :)