Country: Slovenia
Mountain: Stol/ peak Veliki Stol/Hochstuhl
Length: 33 km
Elevation gain: 2200 m
Maximum elevation: 2336 m
Technical difficulty: 5/5
Download GPS Track: Veliki Stol_Karavanks_CycloTrail
Date of ride: 20.06.2019.
Suitable for E-bike: No
When I first got gpx file from one of the members from dropbike forum, I knew what to expect. 2200 meters of elevation gain in less than 35 kilometers, this will be one though ride, and first few kilometers on steep paved ascent are “easy” introduction. After this 5 km on paved road we left Javorniški Rovt and reached the part of unpaved road. 4.5 kilometers from Javorniški Rovt village we entered into pasture Pusti Rovt filled with herd of cows and for the first time on this ride experienced Alps atmosphere (one of the many to come).
Not so far from pasture we came to intersection. One path leads to Dovška Golica, and the second one (steeper with the barrier) leads to Veliki Stol (Hochstuhl). From this point begins steep unpaved road with nice views that leads to Belska Alpine meadow. After that we went along unpaved road to Seča Alpine meadow.
Belska Alpine meadow
From Seča Alpine meadow starts long singletrack with views and combination of bike&hike. At first terrain is loose, and at some parts it is very hard to ride.
Later started to rain, I forgot to carry long sleeves shirt or some wind jacket (which isn’t very smart if you are planning to bike/hike at high elevations) so I was very cold for the rest of the trip. If you don’t enjoy in technical descends or hiking then don’t go on this route because there is plenty of these two. After some time we reached the peak Veliki Stol at 2236 meters (Hochstuhl) which is on border between Slovenia and Austria.
View from Veliki Stol peak. Even on picture you can see rain clouds and rain above Jesenice. We avoided them, mostly.
Not so far from the peak, there is Prešernova hut which offers spectacular view, food and drinks (supplies are carried by helicopter) , what more do we need than a good rest before the descent which is very steep and technical, and at some sections with high exposure, so we had to be careful. It is very demanding to ride these kind of descends so the rider needs to know how much he is tired and which sections he is capable to ride.
Map of route:
Elevation profile:
