Until 2012, before the publication of this guide, the Julian Alps were a little-known and rarely visited area: who would have thought that these long-secluded and hidden mountains would one day become a true paradise for winter sports enthusiasts?

And so, after more than a decade of carefree exploration, the authors had to resume their forays and excursions to produce a second edition of this guide, enriching and completely updating it. It includes all the reasonably feasible ski routes in the four major mountain ranges of the western Julian Alps: Montasio, Jôf Fuart, Canin, and Mangart, and aims to make them accessible to a wider audience.

For each itinerary, the characteristics have been highlighted, following the time-tested standards of previous guides in the same series, illustrating the technical parameters using a conventional international scale. However, it is important to remember that when it comes to mountain sports, it is always up to the mountaineer, and only him, to correctly assess his own abilities and motivation and to adapt his activities to the circumstances.

Paul Ganitzer lived in Carinthia for over twenty years. He began exploring the mountains of Upper Styria in the Großarl Valley. A passionate runner, climber, and paraglider, he discovered his passion for ski mountaineering and the allure of the Julian Alps in Villach. Paul was known here for his passion for extreme sports and his incredible physical endurance. Unfortunately, Paul was unable to participate in the revision of this guide because he passed away in June 2022 following a serious illness.

Christian Wutte was born in 1964 and lives in Feistritz, in the Rosental Valley, at the foot of the Karawanken Mountains. It was these environments that instilled in him a passion for the mountains, and from a young age he began practicing, in addition to ski mountaineering in the Austrian mountains, also and especially climbing in the Alps, repeating classic routes on the walls of the Western Alps and the Dolomites. However, Christian has always considered it important to diversify his experiences, broadening his horizons to include ice climbing, canyoning, sport climbing, mountain biking, and paragliding. A long stint in the mountain rescue service in Ferlach and several instructor courses have rounded out his knowledge of the mountains. He is co-author of both volumes of Skitourenführer - Kärnten Süd & West, published by Rother.

Robert Zink was born in Styria (Austria) in 1970. Since 1999, he has lived in Villach, his base camp for the numerous adventures he undertakes, sometimes alone, in the magical landscape of the Julian Alps. In addition to having practiced ski mountaineering in Europe, Africa, North America, and the Caucasus, his personal agenda is filled with classic climbs in the Alps, on the rocks of Colorado, and in Yosemite. In particular, Robert is proud to have retraced the footsteps of Walter Pause and his classic book 100 Extreme Climbs. Robert Zink is the author and co-author, respectively, of the two volumes of Skitouren in den Südalpen, published by Carinthia.