Europe 2010 - Via Ferrate of the Italian Dolomites

8 - 15 Aug 2010

 

All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2010. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

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Contents

Introduction

The Via Ferrata Marmolada

Sunrise from the summit of Marmolada

Via Ferrata Via Delle Trincee

Via Ferrata dei Finanzieri

Via Ferrata Brigata Tridentina

Via Ferrata Alfonso Vandelli

A climber on the Via Ferrata Brigata Tridentina in the Sella group

Introduction

Via ferrate are climbing routes in the Dolomites that are protected with cables, spikes and rungs. These routes would otherwise be accessible only to hard core rock climbers. But with the fixed cables, spikes and rungs in place, these routes are accessible to anyone with some rock scrambling experience and experience of using a harness and carabiner. There are dozens of these routes in the Dolomites, and many of them are thrilling one day or two day excursions in spectacular locations. For me, these via ferrate were one of the main attractions of the Dolomites and one of the most rewarding and enjoyable aspects of the trip.

After completing the Alta Via 2 trek in early August 2010, I hired a car and spent a week or so exploring some of these via ferrate. Below are listed the via ferrate and links to the photos. The gradings and references below are taken from the Cicerone Guide "Via Ferratas of the Italian Dolimites: Vol 1".

Unfortunately the latter part of my week of via ferrata climbing was curtailed by bad weather. These climbs are great fun in fine weather but certainly no place to be and potentially dangerous in poor weather. So the list of actually completed climbs below is regrettably less than I would have liked. But you can't help the weather! I was just lucky enough to enjoy the Via Ferrata Marmolada in fine weather and the amazing sunrise from the summit of Marmolada the following morning! Enjoy the photos!

Date Name of ferrata Cicerone Ref Cicerone Grading Comments
8 Aug 2010 Marmolada FASSA 13 4C Climbed the via ferrata Marmolada in the afternoon and stayed overnight in Capanna Punta Penia, the hut on the summit of Marmolada.
9 Aug 2010       Sunrise from summit of Marmolada (3343m).
9 Aug 2010 Via della Trincee ARAB 2 4B Did half of it on the afternoon of the 9th then went back on the 10th to finish it off.
10 Aug 2010 Dei Finanzieri FASSA 11 3C Superb climb! Led to summit of Colac (2715m). Thunderstorm on the way down.
11 Aug 2010 Brigata Tridentina CORV 4 3B Very popular route and rightly so. Located in the Sella group.
11 Aug 2010 Piz da Lech CORV 5 3B Challenging climb and poor weather. Raining. A the limit of what was permissible in the weather.
14 Aug 2010 Francesco Berti CORT 13 3C This is on the Sorapiss circuit, a 2 day hike I did, limited by poor weather. The weather was really too bad to be doing this very exposed via ferrata.
15 Aug 2010 Alfonso Vandelli CORT 15 3B Also on the Sorapiss circuit. Some very airy sections. Weather a bit better today.

 

The Via Ferrata Marmolada

This was my first true via ferrata and it was probably the hardest, longest and most memorable. I started at the car park at the bottom of Val de Contrin, near Canazei. I then hiked up to Rifugio Contrin and thence up to the Forcella de la Marmolada (2896m) where the via ferrata starts. The via ferrata was very exposed but straightforward because the protection was so good. It leads to the summit slopes of Marmolada which at 3343m is the highest peak in all the Dolomites. These summit slopes are covered in snow, even in summer, so crampons are necessary to complete the climb to the summit. Furthermore, the descent route is via the glaciated northern face of Marmolada, so even if crampons aren't needed for the ascent to the summit, they are certainly necessary for the descent via this route.

There is a small hut on the summit of Marmolada and I spent the night there so that I could photograph the mountain sunrise the following morning.

Here are the photos of the Via Ferrata Marmolada.

The ferrata starts at the Forcella Marmolada (2896m), a narrow notch in the ridge between the Marmolada Massif and the peak of Gran Vernel.

It starts with a climb up this steep rock face on these steel rungs.

The steel rungs continue further up the mountain, it is very exposed!
The ferrata reaches the main ridge, the forcella Marmolada is in the notch in the ridge in this photo.
Looking back down the via ferrata. Another group of climbers are below.
The ferrata reaches the summit slopes of Marmolada. Looking ahead, the ferrata continues up this ridge to the the summit beyond.
Now looking back from near the summit, gentler slopes are reached once closer to the summit.
On the summit itself is the Capanna Punta Penia. I stayed in this hut overnight, so as to enjoy the mountain sunrise the following morning. The Punta Penia summit is the steel cross in the background.
Looking at the hut from the cross on the Punta Penia summit.

 

Sunrise from the summit of Marmolada

I arrived at the summit of Marmolada on a cloudy afternoon and spent the night in the Capanna Punta Penia. Unfortunately the weather worsened in the evening with thunderstorms, hail, snow and lightning raging around the summit. So there was no possibility of photographing a beautiful mountain sunset. But the following morning was perfectly clear and I was able to capture the sunrise from this spectacular vantage point.

Here are the photos of the sunrise from the Punta Penia summit of Marmolada on 9 Aug 2010.

 

Via Ferrata Via Delle Trincee

After descending the Marmolada glacier on the morning of 9 Aug 2010 I walked back down to the car at the bottom of Val de Contrin and drove up to Lago di Fedaia. To the north of this lake is a ridge of volcanic rock, uncommon geology for the Dolomites. Along the crest of this volcanic ridge is the Via Ferrata Via Delle Trincee, a spectacular route which includes an airy suspension bridge between two rock pinnacles. I completed the first part of this via ferrata in the afternoon of 9 Aug 2010 in beautiful weather. It was getting too late to do the entire length of the ferrata so I came back the following morning to finish it off, in misty weather. The latter part of the ferrata includes some tunnels that were dug in WW1, as this ridge was a strategic front between the Italians and Austrians during the battles of 1917.

This photo was taken while walking down the Marmolada glacier. The glacier is in th foreground and the route of the Via Ferrata Via Delle Trincee can be seen on the volcanic ridge behind Lago di Fedaia.
After a sheer vertical pitch (which unfortunately I couldn't photograph) the ferrata continues along this knife-edge ridge.
Here is the suspension bridge crossing the gap between two spectacular rock pinnacles.
The ferrata continues along the knife-edge ridge.
Myself on the Via Ferrata Via Delle Trincee.
After a long day of climbing I went down to "Camping Marmolada" at Malga Ciapéla. Even though the campsite was officially full, my car and my tent were both so small they let me in!

 

Via Ferrata dei Finanzieri

In the afternoon of 10 Aug 2010 I squeezed in one more via ferrata while the weather held. I took the "Ciampac" cable car up to Rifugio Ciampac from the car park at the base of Val de Contrin, near Canazei. The Via Ferrata dei Finanzieri leads to the summit of Colac (2715m) and was very challenging and rewarding! It was a tremendous feeling to reach Colac after this exciting climb! The weather soon worsened though and on my way back down to Val de Contrin a thunderstorm broke. I was lucky to have completed this via ferrata before the storm hit.

Only 2 photos of this via ferrata:

 

Via Ferrata Brigata Tridentina

On 11 Aug 2010 the weather was still ok and I crammed in 2 via ferrate. The first of these was the very popular Via Ferrata Brigata Tridentina, which climbs into the Sella Massif, starting near Passo Gardena and ending near Rifugio Pisciadù. The second via ferrata of the day was Via Ferrata Piz da Lech, of which I unfortunately have no photos, because I did this ferrata in cold rain. Such conditions are not suitable for via ferrata climbing and this was going to the limit of what was safe and sensible to be doing this via ferrata in these conditions.

The Via Ferrata Piz da Lech was very exciting though, it had a series of long steel ladders to reach the summit of Piz da Lech (2910m) in the Sella Group. In order to do this ferrata in the time available I started from Passo Campolonglo, walked up to Ütia Lago Boè, then got the chairlift up to a point close to the via ferrata. I started the via ferrata just as the rain set in, and completed it and got back to the charilift minutes before it closed for the day.

Anyway, here are the photos of the Via Ferrata Brigata Tridentina which I did in the morning while the weather was still ok.

Another climber on the ferrata. The road up to Passo Gardena is in the background.
 
 
The suspension bridge at the end of the ferrata crosses a deep chasm between the rock pinnacle we had been climbing and the main part of the mountain.
This is the chasm crossed by the bridge. This photo is taken from the bridge itself.
And here is the bridge from above.
Views of the Sella Massif from the top of the Via Ferrata Brigata Tridentina.

 

Via Ferrata Alfonso Vandelli

On the 4 days from 12-15 Aug 2010 the weather was not good and this put a limit on what via ferrate I could safely complete. on 12 August I stayed in Corvara and climbed the nearby peak of Sassongher (2665m) which had some protected sections but these barely count as via ferrata. On 13 August I went to Passo Falzarego and walked to the base of Via Ferrata Tomaselli but the weather was too bad to attempt this difficult via ferrata and I was forced to turn back.

On 14-15 August the weather was still bad so I decided to do a 2 day hike around the Sorapiss Circuit, which included 2 via ferratas which were at lower altitude than most and therefore likely to be doable in bad weather. Despite the poor weather I completed the Sorapiss Circuit, spending the night of 14 August in a rain lashed bivouac hut (Bivacco Slataper). To get to this hut I completed the Via Ferrata Francesco Berti, an exposed traverse of narrow ledges on the side of the Sorapiss Massif above Cortina d'Ampezzo. On the second day I completed the circuit and the weather was kinder for the Via Ferrata Alfonso Vandelli, which had some massive exposure.

Because of the bad weather, I only have 2 photos of the Via Ferrata Alfonso Vandelli from these two days.

One of the very exposed parts of the Via Ferrata Alfonso Vandelli. In the background you can see a path traversing the steep mountainside. That was the path I followed that afternoon to complete the circuit.
Here you can see the path way below.

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All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2010. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

Page created 10 Oct 2010, last updated 13 Oct 2010.

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