"There was an Alpine Hare here," says Lisa, pointing to some tracks in the freshly fallen snow. I followed the tracks with my eye, which were soon lost in the wintry landscape. Early this morning, we had been having a quarrel. A breathtakingly beautiful winter day had then announced itself, and – rather than going skiing together – I wanted to go strolling through the Alpe di Siusi with my girlfriend. That's because Lisa is a enthusiastic hunter, and is intimately familiar with the behavior and habits of wild animals. And I had always been fascinated by the animal tracks and spoors which I had seen crisscrossing the fresh blanket of snow far below while I rode the aerial lift up to the top in the morning. So I seized the bull by the horns in order to learn more about how our native fauna survives the relentless winter.
Recommended Winter Walking Tour
From
Compatsch via the motorized traffic road, ascending to the
Hotel Panorama. From there, a
snow hiking trail will lead you in the direction of
Goldknopf and
Mahlknecht Alpine Hut and down to the
Tirler Inn in Saltria (march time: approx. 2 hours). From there, you can take the snow-covered road for motorized traffic to the Saltria bus stop station (20 minutes.)
The hike can also be continued as a roundtrip by ascending from Saltria via a cleared hiking trail to the Rauchhütte Inn (bus stop) and then proceeding to the Ritsch Inn (bus stop). By taking the motorized traffic road, you can then return to your starting point, Compatsch (2 hours).