From Lake Neves to the Ponte di Ghiaccio hut

The hike starts at the last car park at Lake Neves, which is on a gravel road. Looking at the lake, in front of us is the slope that we tackle first to reach the Rif. Ponte di Ghiaccio (Edelrauthütte or also Eisbruggjochhütte), which is on the other side of the lake. We follow the road and reach the Untermaureralm hut in a few minutes.

Immediately afterwards we come to a junction where trail no. 26 branches off to the left over a bridge. We take this path and reach the Neves Alm, where we turn left again towards the lake and keep to the right at the junction with the sign "Edelrauthütte". The ascent is already quite steep at the beginning, but easily doable. After half an hour, we leave the forest behind us and come to a green meadow with some rocks, a landscape that will accompany us for a while longer. The path winds along the river, which we sometimes have to cross, but this is no problem. Suddenly we leave the grassy landscape behind us and rocks and stones prevail. Above the path, in the middle of the saddle, the Rif. Ponte di Ghiaccio hut, newly built in 2015, now appears in front of us.

The ascent becomes more arduous and requires surefootedness, more because of the uneven terrain than the steep slope. After about 2.5 hours we reach the hut, from where other hiking trails start, including the famous Neves High Route and the tour to the Cima Cadini (Napfspitze). From the hut we can also see Lake Ponte di Ghiaccio (Eisbruggjochsee).

Author: CB