Koča pod Košuto - Koschutnikturm (Košutnikov turn) (via Cjajnik / Lärchenturm)

Access to starting point:
Over the border crossing Ljubelj we drive to Borovlje / Ferlach, where we turn right in the direction of the village Sele / Zell-Pharre. A little before the sign which marks the settlement Sele / Zell-Pharre, a road branches off to the right towards the mountain hut Koča pod Košuto / Koschutahaus. We follow this road all the way to the mountain hut, where we park on a large parking lot.

Route description:
From the parking lot, we head southeast following the signs Lärchenturm / Cjajnik, Koschutnikturm / Košutnikov turn. At the beginning of the path, we will also notice a large board with a picture of Košuta and accurately drawn paths to Cjajnik and Košutnikov turn. The path then runs through the forest towards the east for some time and brings us to a junction where we turn right following the signs Cjajnik. We soon come out of the forest to a scree field which we then cross in ascent towards the west (in the direction towards Cjajnik). When crossing the scree, we follow the red-white blazes; the large yellow blazes on the rocks should not confuse us, as they lead upwards on the scree towards the gully which leads towards Cjajnikova škrbina.
At the entrance to the climbing section of the path, we must equip ourselves with a helmet and a self-belay set; the use of climbing gloves is also highly recommended. The path already at the beginning ascends steeply and then crosses a steep wall to the right. The path is secured throughout with a steel cable, and occasionally some pegs assist us, but far fewer than one might expect. There are not many footholds, and much of the work during the ascent must be done with the hands. The path then proceeds slightly to the right for quite some time and ascends almost vertically several times. Later, the path turns left and ascends a somewhat easier, slightly vegetated slope. For a short time, the summit of Cjajnik also appears to us, then we re-enter the wall. We ascend very steeply again, and the exposure becomes greater. The steepness rarely eases further on, then the path turns slightly right and brings us to a junction below the summit tower. We have two paths to choose from that lead to the summit; regardless of which one we choose, very demanding climbing awaits us. The left path is marked with difficulty level D, the right with difficulty level C.
Austrians rate the difficulty of climbing paths with grades from A to E, where A is the easiest and E the most difficult.
The right, easier path first bypasses the summit on the right side, then ascends to the summit from the west side. The left path ascends vertically from the junction towards the summit. The climbing here is really very demanding as there are not many holds in the rock. Only a few pegs and the vertical steel cable assist us.
From the summit, we then descend a somewhat easier but still extremely demanding path of difficulty level C. First, we must step over the narrow notch from the northern tower with the aid of the steel cable, then we begin descending the almost vertical wall. Soon we reach a junction of paths in the western wall of Cjajnik. We head left towards Cjajnikova škrbina (Lärchenscharte); right leads the path towards Koča pod Košuto. From the junction, we then cross slightly towards the south; the steepness does not ease until Cjajnikova škrbina. When we step onto firm ground in the notch, we can breathe a little easier as the worst is behind us. In the notch, we will also notice old blazes which from the notch lead down the eastern gully into the valley. This path is not suitable for descent as it is closed due to great crumbliness.
From the notch, we continue along the trail which first leads southwest, then begins to ascend steeply on steep grass towards Užnik. A slightly crumbly ascent in a narrow gully follows, and we soon reach the main ridge of Košuta.
On the ridge, we turn left and continue along the south side of the ridge. The path initially runs along relatively steep grassy slopes; later, when we return to the ridge, the path becomes somewhat exposed, and some steel cables assist us. From the left side, the climbing path to Košutnikov turn from the Austrian side (ÖTK Steig Neu) then joins us; a few meters later, the western path from Planina spodnja Dolga njiva joins from the right side. We continue along the south side of the ridge and, on the path which becomes somewhat steeper, soon reach the panoramic summit.
The described path is extremely demanding, especially the ascent to Cjajnik and the descent to Cjajnikova škrbina. This section of the path is suitable only for the most experienced mountaineers with sufficient arm strength and mandatory self-belaying. The path to Cjajnik is among the most difficult in the Karawanks and harder than most Italian extremely demanding paths in the Julian Alps.
We can descend along the climbing path to Košutnikov turn (ÖTK Steig Neu).

Along the route: Cjajnik / Lärchenturm (1965m), Užnik (2079m)

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips, panorama, summit register