Snowshoe walk on Inner-Resciesa

When people talk about ‘Resciesa’, they usually refer only to the westernmost part of the long alpine pasture situated to the north of Ortisei, where the popular funicular, toboggan run and two mountain huts are located. But farther east, the pastures go on and are referred to as Inner-Resciesa. There are no lifts here and visitors are faced with untouched nature and a spectacular view of the Geisler mountains in the Puez-Geisler Nature Park. A true paradise for snowshoe lovers!

Coming from the Autostrada del Brennero (A22) highway, drive into Val Gardena (SS242) to Ortisei. We advise parking at the valley station of the Seceda lift, where you’ll find a big parking lot (subject to payment). It’s just a 5 minute walk to the funicular.

Val Gardena is also excellently served by public transportation. Line 350 departs from Ponte Gardena or Chiusa to Ortisei every 30 minutes. From “Piazza San Antonio” (Anthony Square) stop it is only a 10 minute walk, partly along a comfortable escalator, to reach the Resciesa funicular. For detailed schedules, see SüdtirolMobi.

Start by taking the Seceda cable car until you reach the intermediate station. It’s usually very busy with skiers here - lucky you, you’re about to put on snowshoes and venture into the silent woods of Resciesa!

From the intermediate station, follow the prepared track northwards along a small hill until you reach the first trees. From here you can already catch a glimpse of the immense area that comprises Inner-Resciesa. By following the path, you’ll first cross a shallow valley, then continue along wide open spaces all the way to the summit. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Keep walking uphill along the track until you reach a left turn that crosses a bridge (see Outer-Resciesa snowshoe walk variant 2). Don’t cross it - go right, leave the track and, keeping the frozen stream to your right, continue for about 500 meters slightly uphill, until the stream makes a right turn. At this point, you’ll have to descend to the bottom of the river bed and cross the shallow stream that could be partially frozen.

On the other side you’ll find trail Nr. 5 - this path is well maintained and recognizable even under the snow. After about 150 m in altitude a path leads to the left directly to the prepared slope that goes to the mountain station of the Reciesa funicular. If you want to keep going and reach the highest point of Resciesa, on the other hand, turn right and continue walking uphill. After 500 m you will reach and cross a wooden bridge that leads across a riverbed.

If you keep going eastwards from here, you’ll reach the wide spaces of the Brogles Pass (2,119 m / 6,952 ft.) where you’ll find an incredible view of the nearby Odle peaks. This is completely optional – if you prefer to keep the tour short, turn left at the tree line.

Inner-Resciesa does not offer spectacular peaks but features a long ridge that acts as a border to the valley beyond. It’s not so easy to understand where the highest point is located! Once you reach the edge of the forest, we recommend continuing up diagonally to your right (West) until you reach the ridge.

Be careful: don’t go too close to the edge, the ground could be brittle and cave in. Once you reach the top, you should be able to make out the highest point (2317 m), marked by the summit cross. Just walk along the ridge until you get there.

The easiest way to get back consists in reaching the mountain station of the Resciesa funicular, which will take you back to Ortisei. To get there, start walking down diagonally to your right (West). Once you reach the edge of the forest, you’ll soon come cross a forest road that links Resciesa with the Brogles pastures. Follow this road past the Cason hut (2,111 m / 6,925 ft.) and all the way to the mountain station.

If, on the other hand, you want to get back to where you started (Seceda intermediate station), you have two options: follow the same path you took up, or cut directly through the woods - this requires some orientation skills to avoid getting lost, however! Looking from the summit towards the edge of the forest you should be able to make out two banks – we recommend following the left (East) one to descend. The forest here is not dense and can be traversed easily. Keep going until you reach another forest road - continue along it in Western direction (slightly downhill) until you reach the prepared track that will get you back the intermediate station of Seceda.

Inner-Resciesa is a wide alp and does not present major technical difficulties. On the other hand, there are not many points of reference to help orientation. It’s a good idea to prepare in advance, to avoid getting lost. And should you be surprised by the fog, keep to the marked trails!

An interesting and shorter variant of this tour consists in reaching "Eur de Bredles" (2154 m / 7066 ft.), located very close to the South of Brogles Pass. This little peak has likewise been adorned with a summit cross. If, earlier on, you have decided to add the optional detour to Brogles pass and are no longer sure you want continue all the way to the top, you can call it a day with this alternative destination.

Equipment can be rented from the alpine guides of the Catores school (10 € for snowshoes and sticks). They can also give you great first-hand information on snow and weather conditions. If it’s your first time with snowshoes, we recommend hiring a guide! Another option consists in joining a group excursion - these are organized daily and have different lengths and degrees of difficulty (price starts from 35€ per person). Snowshoeing equipment can also be rented at Sport Gardena in St. Anthony Square in Ortisei.

• Tabacco Nr.05, Gröden-Val Gardenaor Nr. 07, Alta Badia, Arabba, Marmolada. The tabacco maps are available in their app. 
• AV-Map Nr. 52/I