PLOSE (Italy)
Plose - a tourist area in the summer, a ski area in the winter, above Brixen, in South Tyrol, the Dolomites. Is it worth a visit?
Address to the bottom station of the cable car: Seilbahnstraße - Via della Funivia 17, Brixen - St. Andrea
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We discovered this area by chance when we were staying in the nearby Natz-Schabs and were looking for excursions in the area. Plose is located on a hill above the town of Brixen, known to us Czechs thanks to the exile of H.K. Borovský (writer). I will return to Brixen in another article. Now let's go to the mountains.
Plose in winter
In winter, a comfortable ski area with 46 km of slopes, most also with artificial snow. Thanks to its location and south-facing pistes, it is the sunniest area of the Eisacktal. Blue pistes on wide plains predominate, but skiers who prefer red or black pistes will also find something to suit them. In winter, there are 6 cable cars. From 1,060 m above sea level, you can go up to 2,505 m above sea level. The Trametsch red slope is, with its 9 km, even the longest slope in South Tyrol! Well, I'll probably go here in the winter too :)
Plose in summer
And I go to the description in the summer. So enter the address above in the navigation and you will come along the switchbacks to the bottom station of the cable car - Talstation (Stazione a Valle) 1067. There is a large free parking lot at the cable car. Tickets are bought directly on the cable car, you can pay by card. I recommend taking a map of the area below, it was very helpful to us, because we did not research in advance which route we would take, we decided on the spot. Above you have several routes to choose from, you can choose according to difficulty or length.
A total of 3 cable cars ran in the summer. I thought we had to buy a separate ticket for each cable car, but 1 ticket worked for all the cable cars. It cost 20 Euros per adult. The main Plose cabin runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer, from 11 September to 5 p.m. The other two cable cars run until 5 p.m. The Plose and Palmschloss cable cars also transport bicycles, as there is a Bike Park with 4 routes of varying difficulty.
A new cable car has been in operation since 2023. There is an intermediate station in the middle, do not get off, it is suitable for skiers if they do not want to go all the way down. The upper station is at an altitude of 2050 m. There is a new La Finestra restaurant with outdoor seating, some attractions for children and maps. You can even go down on tricycles.
Attractions
Tricycles
Down at the cabin you can rent tricycles, ride up and ride down 9 km through the forest. But be careful, tricycles are only rented on certain days, so you better check it on the website, so you don't end up disappointed like us. In 2023, the carts will be rented from 2.7.-1.10. In July and August you can ride every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. From September on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Price 15 Euros incl. helmets.
Summer bobsleigh track
Track was just being built in the summer of 2023, it should be opened in 2024. And it will be quite cool, with a steep slope and an entrance to a tunnel, only for the brave.
Plose Looping
Looping is located at the upper station of the Plose cabin. In the huge PLOSE wooden sign, the looping is located in the letter O, you can sit on a bike here and ride the inner perimeter on the loop upside down. Of course you are attached. You have to register for the ride in the Info shop, it's free.
Rental
Don't have your bike in the Alps? Nothing happens, here you can rent a mountain bike, an electric bike, a downhill bike, including all accessories, a child seat, an off-road stroller and a mountain cart for the ride down.
Routes
The routes here are both tourist and trail (for mountain bikes). There are 4 trails in total, from easy to difficult - Brixen Bikepark. We didn't have bikes, so I'll deal with the pedestrian ones:
Woodywalk
A family trail designed especially for children's entertainment. Along the trail there are various climbing frames, slides, wooden obstacles, with beautiful views of the Dolomites. The route starts at the top of the Plose cable car and leads to one of the most beautiful cottage in South Tyrol, the Rossalm chalet at 2180m above sea level. It is route no. 17 where you reach the lake and from there continue up the 17A. The route from the cable car to the cottage is 5.6 km, easy difficulty. You can walk there and back in about 3 hours, even with stops. So you either go back the same way or you can continue on route no. 6 down to the second Pfannspitz cable car, go up to the highest peak, and then take it down to the Plose cable car, which will take you back to the car. Another alternative is to go above the cottage on route No. 14, where bicycles are also available, and you will also reach the Plose cabin. You should actually make a circuit of it, so you don't have to go back the same way.
Lorggen track
Circular trail designed for families. It has a length of 7.2 km and is considered easy. You should be able to pass it within 3 hours. From the Plose cabin, follow route No. 17 (Woodywalk). At the Ski Hütte junction, turn onto route 17C. You will descend slightly into the forest and reach the second Pfannspitz cable car. There is a hotel and many attractions for children. You take the cable car up (the cable car has a lunch break from 12:45 - 1:30 p.m.). There is also a restaurant at the top - Pfannspitz Hütte. You continue along ridge no. 7 to the next hut, Plose Hütte. There is an excellent selection of desserts and an amazing view, you would do well to have lunch here as well. And then you go down through the meadow along route No. 7 past the sheep and back to the Plose cabin.
Track according to Hamiczech
We more or less followed the Lorggen route, but didn't turn off at the Ski Hütte junction because we wanted to see the lake, so we continued up route #17. From the lake, we then followed a route not marked on the map of the area (marked as a forest path in Google) down right by the lake, and it was a very nice walk, then we continued on route no. 17 and walked down the slope to the second Pfannspitz cabin. We had lunch at the Berghotel Schlemmer on the terrace with a beautiful view of the valley and waited for the cable car's lunch break to end. The rest was the same as the Lorggen route.
Accommodation and restaurants
You definitely won't starve here. There are quite a few restaurants here, some with accommodation.
Plosestodl - Guest House Plose
Restaurant and apartments in one, in a nice mountain modern design. It is located right next to the bottom station of the Plose cabin. But there are only 4, so you have to hurry up to order. The restaurant is quite spacious and in addition to the usual South Tyrolean delicacies, they also have pizza.
La Finestra
A large-capacity restaurant at the upper station of the Plose cable car with a nice terrace. Local specialties and Mediterranean cuisine.
Geisler
Pension and restaurant in one, a short distance from the upper station of the cable car on Woodywalk route No. 17.
Rifugio Rossalm
To get to it, you have to walk along route no. 17 and 17A. It is located at 2180 m above sea level. In addition to the restaurant, it is also possible to accommodate here, and you have a sauna and a hot tub at your disposal.
Berghotel Schlemmer 3*
Mountain hotel located directly at the lower station of the Pfannspitz cabin at an altitude of 1900 m above sea level. Many attractions for children. The hotel also has a very nice restaurant with a large terrace, we had lunch here and it was very good.
Pfannspitz Hütte
The highest located restaurant in this area, it is located at the upper station of the Pfannspitz cable car.
Plosehütte Rifugio
It's very nice to sit here, like all restaurants it has a beautiful view and the dessert with coffee as a reward was very good! Then just go down the slope to the upper cabin of the Plose cable car.
Well, how do you see it? In my opinion, this area is definitely worth a visit, both in summer and winter. You can't get around it all in one day, so you could easily spend several days here and combine it with a visit to the historic town of Brixen, which is right below the hill. Happy hiking!
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