Overview
Geographical Classification : Eastern Alps > Carnic Alps > Carnic Alps Main Ridge (West) > Schulterhöhe
Schulterhöhe is located on one of the northern side ridges of the Carnic Alps Main Ridge. It can be reached easily from the village of Maria Luggau in central Lesachtal Valley. The steep ascent leads through dense forests before it reaches the timberline. From there on the views towards the Lienz Dolomites and the surrounding parts of the Carnic Main Ridge make the mountain a deserving destination. On clear days (we were not lucky) you can see as far as Hohe Tauern in the north and the Ortler Cevedale Group in the west.
Schulterhöhe shows a nice north-eastern face towards Lesachtal, which is where some of the pictures have been taken. It is a great mountain for sunrises and sunsets so I could experiment a little. The two best pictures are included below.
For us the climb of Schulterhöhe was "accidental". We had planned to climb its neighbour, Zwölferspitz, on the last day of our vacation. But when the weather report called for stormy weather with snow and hail down to 1500m we decided on the easier, but only 150m lower Schulterhöhe (the grassy Zwölferspitz summit block is supposed to be dangerous in wet conditions). Making it to the summit just in time (we had found shelter from a hail shower in one of the cabins made for storing hay). I shot the last views down into the valley before the wind changed and clouds started chasing up the valley from the east. More hail, snow and rain caused a fast retreat.
Getting There