Großer Jaufen & Kleiner Jaufen

Panoramic and challenging ski tour in the picturesque Braies Dolomites - with a magnificent, sweat-inducing descent and a dashing counter ascent through a gorge-like narrow section. Idyllic and moderately difficult ski tour in the middle of the Braies Dolomites, the endorphin release is massively accelerated!

Those who complete it are rewarded with impressive panoramic views of the surrounding and magnificent Dolomite peaks. You can expect moderate climbs in terms of skiing technique, garnished with some delicate individual sections up to just over the 35° mark!

The highlight of this tour is the magnificent and pulse-pounding 700-metre descent through the Stadeltorlähne. Powder is guaranteed here for almost the entire season.

The steep entrance to the fun-filled cirque requires a confident downhill technique in order to enjoy the powder orgy that follows. For the subsequent steep ascent through the Nabige Loch, a solid and uncompromising hairpin technique is required. All in all, a very rewarding ski tour which, with a distance of 17 km, does make certain physical demands on its participants. Due to the mostly gentle slopes, it is a tour with a well-calculated risk potential. One of the most beautiful and rewarding pleasure tours in this area!

On the basis of the customary five-part difficulty scale (I=easy / II=moderately difficult / III=difficult / IV=very difficult / V=extremely difficult), the maximum technical skiing requirements of this tour are rated III.

Route description: Start at the parking lot next to Gasthof Brückele. We head in a southerly direction - initially without any significant elevation gain - and immediately pass the Alpini memorial chapel. Continue to the end of the valley, then left along the forest path uphill in serpentines to below the striking rock towers. At the first narrow section, we cross a short steep step and reach a wide high valley, the so-called Kaserle.

Here the path flattens out into the valley, then ascends in a wide left-right curve and over another short steep step into the wide, hilly basin of the Rossalm.

Continue straight ahead through a hollow (solitary stone pine) and south of the Kleiner Jaufen - in an almost direct line - to the summit of the Großer Jaufen, which is now already visible. The last few meters are a little steeper up to the spacious summit.

Descend first in a north-easterly direction, then turn sharply to the west directly into the Stadeltorlähne (upper part narrow and steep). This narrow cirque offers a breathtaking 700-metre descent with guaranteed powder until late March and gets the pulse racing. Once we reach the bottom, we skin up again and head south through the Nabige Loch - a steep, gorge-like narrow section. A solid hairpin technique is required here in order to get through with good grades.

Once you have conquered this key section, keep to the left of the small mountain lake (mostly frozen over, but don't cross the lake anyway) and now climb up the ridge in an easterly direction over rugged and sometimes quite confusing terrain. A few short steep steps follow, the rest of the way up the Kleiner Jaufen is quite easy - always following your nose to the summit.

From there, descend via beautiful south-facing slopes directly to the Rossalm. A stop at this cozy hut is recommended in any case, the rustic South Tyrolean hut landlord is extremely hospitable and also has very good schnapps to offer...

The rest of the descent from the Rossalm is identical to the ascent route and hard to miss.