Schlinig valley: the side valley below the Sesvenna group

The Schlinig valley, in Italian Val Slingia, branches off the Vinschgau near Schleis and leads, with a gorge-like entrance, north-west into the Sesvenna group. The stream that drains it is called Metzbach or Schlinigbach and is twelve kilometres long. Around the small clustered village of Schlinig the valley widens into a U shape, followed by a flat meadow floor as far as the Schliniger Alm, and at the head it ends abruptly at the Schwarze Wand, over which a waterfall drops.

Above the head of the valley rise, among others, the Piz Rims at 3,067 m and the Muntpitschen at 3,161 m; for mountaineers the Sesvenna hut opens up this area. The valley is closed off by the Schlinig Pass at 2,309 m, from which a path leads into the Swiss Val d'Uina.

Schlinig was first mentioned in a document in the years 1161 to 1164 as Sliniga. From 1220 Marienberg Abbey was almost the sole landowner of the valley, and until 1875 it also exercised the lower jurisdiction. A municipal ordinance of 1532 from the Marienberg archive is remarkable for being written in German. Since 1928 Schlinig has belonged to the municipality of Mals.

In the 15th century the village received a Gothic church, dedicated to St Anthony the Abbot, which was rebuilt in 1775 and has had an onion-domed tower since. An old watermill is also part of the village scene. Schlinig used to live almost entirely from mountain farming; alpine tourism began around 1900, and in winter it is above all cross-country skiing that brings visitors.

In 1901 the Pforzheim section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club built the Pforzheimer Hütte near the Schlinig Pass. Around 1910 the crossing into the Engadine was made passable by the rock path through the Uina gorge. After the war Italian customs officers used the hut until 1972 against smuggling over the pass; the Sesvenna hut at 2,256 m was built for guests.

The easiest hike is the alp trail to the Schliniger Alm, also called Alp Planbell. It starts at the car park of the cross-country centre at the end of the village and follows the forest track on the left of the Schliniger Bach. Along the way you pass several play stations for children. There and back it is, according to the house figure, about 5.2 km and 130 metres of ascent in about two hours; the way out takes, according to the information on the Sesvenna hut, just under 40 minutes.

Further into the valley a hiking trail branches off the forest track, climbing at medium gradient to flat grass plateaus, past the old Pforzheimer Hütte and almost level to the Sesvenna hut. The Watles operator gives from Schlinig 5.3 km, 547 metres of ascent and 2.5 hours. Continuing to the Schlinig Pass and the Uina gorge is only possible in summer; the Uina gorge page explains the requirements.

The Nordic Center Schlinig is the cross-country centre of the valley. The Watles operator describes a 22 km circuit for classic cross-country skiing and skating at medium difficulty, which leads from Schlinig at 1,726 m to the Schliniger Alm and covers 230 metres of height difference. International competitions have been held here, including the Italian championships in 2009; in 2008 Schlinig hosted, at short notice, the junior world championships in cross-country skiing. Several tracks in the valley are named Sesvenna, Rasass, Fölla and Monterodes.

Even without cross-country skis the valley is a winter destination: winter hikers and snowshoe walkers find quiet trails, and you can borrow snowshoes from us at the hotel. Track reports are available from Südtirol Marketing.

In summer and early autumn the trails are free of snow; the Schliniger Alm is not open all year. In October the larches change colour. High-mountain tours and the Uina gorge are usually possible from the end of June to early October. In winter the valley belongs to the cross-country skiers.

The alp trail is almost level and, thanks to the play stations, a good family day; to the Sesvenna hut the last stretch is more demanding. Dogs are possible on the trails, and animals graze on the alpine pastures, so dogs belong on a lead there. The Uina gorge is not suitable for dogs on a lead.

You can stop at the Schliniger Alm, which offers alpine inn cooking and products from its own dairy, at the inns in Schlinig and at the Sesvenna hut, which also offers overnight stays. Opening times change with the season, so ask the operator beforehand.

The Schlinig valley goes well with a day on the Watles, whose summit bounds the valley to the north, and with the Pfaffensee hike. Marienberg Abbey in Burgeis is also on the way. The Sesvenna hut and the Uina gorge have pages of their own.

From the house it is about ten minutes by car to the village, or you take bus no. 277. The car park at the cross-country centre is at the end of the village, and the trails start there.

By car: From the hotel in Prämajur you take the road into the Schlinig valley to the car park at the cross-country centre at the end of the village. The alp trail to the Schliniger Alm and trail no. 1 to the Sesvenna hut start there.

By bus and train: Bus no. 277 stops, according to the Watles operator, in Prämajur and in Schlinig. With the Reschensee Guest Pass, trains and buses across South Tyrol are included in your stay; timetables are on suedtirolmobil.info.

Parking: Car park at the cross-country centre at the end of Schlinig village