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SpotCheck | Lungiarü - the Gallic village in the heart of the Dolomites

Couloir festival "by fair means"

by Tobias Hipp 03/08/2018
It's 2018 and the whole of Dolomitija is occupied by ski resorts. Really all of Dolomiti? No, a small village in the heart of the Dolomites proudly refuses to join the snowmaking circus: Lungiarü, surrounded by the sharp Dolomite peaks of the Puez and Odle groups.

4 kilometers with a big impact

You can almost feel like you're in the famous surrounded Gallic village when you set off on the journey to Lungiarü. We turn into Val Badia and follow the signs to Plan de Corones, Alta Badia, Corvara and Val Gardena. It's Saturday, the carnival vacations and departure day: a continuous line of cars is making its way north at walking pace. Doubts arise as to whether we have done ourselves a favor here on this very weekend with the idea of heading to the Dolomites to find untracked steep gullies and some peace and quiet.

But before these thoughts get too serious, we turn off, leave Val Badia and head up to the "Gallic village", our home base for the next three days. As the crow flies, it's less than 4 kilometers to the après-ski bars in Alta Badia and noisy snow cannons. Here in Lungiarü, on the other hand: absolute peace and quiet, towering mountains, plenty of space for your own tracks, no hustle and bustle.

"Dahoam" we are with the Clara family on the Confolia farm. 7 freeskiing boys on vacation on a farm - something new!

Like kids in a sweets shop

Our chosen goal: to ski as many (steep) couloirs - known here as canals - as our thighs, fitness and the weather allow. Lungiarü lies at an altitude of 1,400 meters and is surrounded by the Puez and Geisler groups. Between the countless needles and peaks, there are just as many couloirs of varying steepness and difficulty - there is something here for couloir beginners as well as for absolute pros. The selection makes you feel like a little kid in a sweet store!

But of course, as is so often the case, there are two sides to the coin: there are no lifts around, after all, we are in a nature park here. The couloirs all have to be conquered "by fair means" and a little "Talhatscher" - hard work. The clear advantage: the chance of catching such a couloir untracked is significantly greater than with its well-known neighbors, such as the "Canale Holzer" or "Canale Joel" in the nearby Dolomiti Superski area.

Fulminant start on the eastern Puezspitze (2.913 m)

One of the highest peaks in the region with the longest northern gully is the Eastern Puezspitze: just below the summit, the "Canale Nord" runs straight down to the north at 40° - 45° for over 500m. After the exit, another 400 vertical meters of the finest north-facing slopes await as an encore. The almost 1,500 vertical meters of ascent are not without their challenges, but it never gets boring: gentle alpine meadows at the start, larch forests, rugged dolomite peaks to the left, a steep narrow section and a large south-facing summit slope as the finale. The reward is a magnificent 360° panoramic view of the Heiligkreuzkofel, Sella massif, Langkofel and Marmolata. The view of the upcoming steep descent sucks you in and makes you want to enter our first Canale Nord of the weekend.

What is not written in the book

The cows and the rooster from the neighboring farm wake us up a little early. We don't mind, the sun is shining and untracked powder won't be long in coming. However, our lovely hostess at the Confolia farm has other plans for us first: a huge breakfast with home-made bacon, eggs, milk and butter from the farm and homemade jam is served. Resistance is futile...

Nevertheless, we manage to set off: once again we head into the shady valley towards the Puez peaks. This time, however, we first ascent southwards into a couloir at the foothills of the "Ciampac". A couloir without a name, no tour description to be found and no tracks: the spirit of discovery is awakened. Will the couloir go all the way to the ridge?

Those who search will be rewarded with a narrow exit onto the plateau with a view of the Sella massif and fine powder against the backdrop of the north face. A second sunny ascent takes us to the Antersasc / Zwischenkofel (2,471 m). Along the ridge towards Piz Somplunt we find the entrance to the Antersasc Canale Nord. Disbelieving faces in the group: apparently the large ski tour group that we saw at the entrance in the morning has turned back and kindly left us the couloir untracked! The coin decides the lucky first one and off we go.

Lungiarü - a real mountaineering village in Ladin

Those who come to Lungiarü can be prepared for a lot: a different wind blows here. Absolute tranquillity, untouched Dolomite mountains, a multitude of tour options from the doorstep, good food and a good dose of hospitality hit the aspirant with full force. Lungiarü will soon be officially named a "mountaineering village" by the South Tyrolean Alpine Association in August. Nature, tradition, mountain sports and gentle tourism have a well-deserved home here.

And the language also makes you feel like you're in another world! Ladin is still spoken with pride here - an old Rhaeto-Romanic language. The village sign greets guests with "Ben Gnüs" (Welcome), a hearty "bon dí" (Good day) starts the day and "ce fesa ncuei?" means something like "What are you doing today?". "

Conclusion

Lungiarü is a small oasis in the Dolomites for anyone looking for peace and quiet, ski tours without lifts and untouched Dolomites. There is something for everyone when it comes to ski tours: in addition to the steep north couloirs, there are also easy and moderately difficult tours, such as the Kl. Peitlerkofel (2,813 m, 1,200 m) or Zendleser Kofel (2,418 m, 750 m). In addition to the well-known and described descents, the mountains here offer much more, just let the spirit of discovery out!

" I se confortun da gni indo " - We'll be back!

Highly recommended

  • A stone oven pizza in the "Pizzeria Fornata" with homemade pasta made by the locals or stuffed potato pockets in the rustic "Tlisöra" bacon restaurant after the tour. Here you can replenish your reserves!

Touring tips

  • Piz de Puez / Östl. Puezspitze Canale Nord (variant: descent along the ascent)

  • Crep da la Dodesc Canale Nord

  • Antersasc / Zwischenkofel Canale Nord (variant: descent along the ascent)

  • Peitlerkofel

  • Roa-Scharte / Forcela dla Roa

The authors would like to thank: Contour Skins; Melt Skis; NorthernPlayground

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

Show original (German)

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