UKH

Hi - want to go to the dolomites Monday! 
has anyone been recently and / or know whether huts, refugios , campsites , places to stay are open in the dolomites with Covid going on etc? 

There at the moment, Corvara, Misurina and below Falzarago campsites open. Huts open. Everything seems to start closing end of Sept. We’ve experienced good weather...

Not particularly crowded, masks required everywhere with folks complying. 

Thank you extremely useful (and needed!) 

We are certainly open as Casa Alfredino. Places start to shut mid september as do some lifts. September weather is often some of the best all year.

Finding this chat useful, thanks! I am planning to visit Corvara next week (flying Sunday 27th Sep). It will be my first Via Ferrata and first time in Italy. I chose Corvara because the Via Ferrata "Piz da Cir V" does not depend on lifts/gondolas being operational, as I read in the guidebook that they can start to shut down in September. We're flying into Marco Polo, renting a car, roadtripping to Corvara. Got our masks, got our sanitiser. Do you think our plan sounds alright? 

Strictly speaking all via ferrata is not dependant on lifts 😂. You just have to use the long gangly things at the bottom end of your body called legs. Yes, not a bad plan. Sass di stria too which has a nice new easy route on it aswell as the old route which is easy but worthit fir the history. And if you want to step it up, the tridentina is great especially late seasin when there are less crowds...

There's also a fun VF out of Val de Lunga, above Val Gardena, just over the pass from Corvara.

The campsite in Corvara is expensive, but very good facilities.

The VF in Vallunga has been dismantled as new fixed routes in the confines of national park are prohibited and it was constructed without permission. Lots of other options though. Nuvolau, Averau, Col dei Bos, the Possnecker amongst many others.

Just an update from my previous comment, I wanted to share the information we gathered: 

We got back yesterday from an amazing 3 day stay (28th - 30th Sep).

Most hotels seemed to have just plain shut because of Covid but due to their websites not having the functionality to announce a closure they seem to have attempted to manually fudge the system by (almost) filling the booking calendars. The sites are showing a confusing mix of "Not available" with the odd few days available to book. This makes it look like they are operational but busy however all our enquiries resulted in receiving a response saying "Sorry we are closed". This forced us to abandon trying to book through the various hotels own ill-equipped websites and move over and use AirBnB which was a reliable and pleasant booking experience. The owner also upgraded us to the nicest apartment at no extra cost as a token of appreciation. 

Several buddies said our original plan was too easy so we climbed the more difficult Brigata Tridentina (VF) (VF3B) first and then the much easier Gran Cir (VF1A) on the following day. 

The snow in the valley made the descent time from the rifugio 2.5 hours instead of the estimated 1.5 hours. An experienced German hiker we met told us he'd done a Via Ferrata slightly further North the previous day and he'd never seen so much snow in September. Only 8 other people climbing Tridentina resulting in a 1:1 marmot-to-climber ratio. As for the easier one, we actually had the summit of Gran Cir to ourselves only passing 2 people on the way up and 2 more on the way down. 

The few shops and restaurants that were still open were warning us "Tomorrow is last day! We close until winter" so we definitely snuck in a trip as late as possible. They had also started digging up pavements and roads for improvements so each day we queued at a different set of temporary traffic lights. But oh boy do they lay road quick! Impressive. 

Although we didn't stay to eat or drink, Rifugio Pisciadu was buzzing with about a dosen people inside. A helicopter tour had stopped for a coffee which was surreal. We were put off going inside by the frosty greeting from a bolshie member of staff at the Rifugio who was mocking my questions and then sarcastically suggested we go ice skating on the barely frozen lake. I got the sense his colleague was embarrassed by his attitude toward us as she was very quiet and literally hanging her head. Is that attitude normal for rigugios? The guidebook describes them as "Plush Alpine Hotels" but is that coded language for a playground for rich wankers reluctantly served on by gap-yar pricks? As my first and only experience I'd love to know if it was representative of other rifugios. 

We didn't visit any bivacci.  

And Beardy Mike, yes I now understand that most lifts run up gentle inclines that can easily be walked. When I commented before, the guidebook had got me imagining steep cable-cars bridging impenetrable terrain, but now I see they are not required and even the big ones tend to have zig-zag paths below them. The long gangly things at the bottom of our bodies got a lot of use   

Thanks all for the info. Your comments were helpful. We're definitely going back similar time next year, maybe a couple of weeks earlier. 

I’m not bothered by restaurants closing but surely shops stay open? I’m considering a trip in the second half of October, if I can find a partner. I think the huts and lifts will be shut, which again is fine, but does anyone have any experience of past trips in late October and any view on likely weather? I’ve only been in September before. I know the days will be shorter, but the Rockfax guide suggests it ought to be warm enough and only 6 days in the month with rain, which seems fine, if your comparison is with Scotland, which mine is!

Thanks in advance for any replies, David

A few years ago we had our best ever weather window in the dolomites. But despite it still feeling like full summer everything closed down the last week in September, really disappointing as otherwise we could have easily stayed on a week or more.

So personally, regardless of the weather I wouldn't look to plan a trip that extends beyond the 20th sep unless you have prebooked accommodation and are not reliant on any tourist infrastructure (ski lifts, public transport, cafes, etc) 

Yeah the local shop really was shutting down for the month of October. For those last few days they'd run down their stock of perishables, 2 very sad looking carrots were the only veg and they'd stopped baking all the fresh bread apart from brown baps. There surely must be big supermarkets within a half hour drive because people do live there. If I was going back in a couple of weeks I'd plan all my meals and lunch boxes, write a list and stock up with a big shop on the first day. 

I hope you get answers to your other questions and find a buddy. Have a wonderful trip! 

Glad you had a good time and made use of the leg units Huts in the Dolomites are massively variable. There are plush alpine hotels which service the ski industry and yes those are a playground for "rich wankers reluctantly served on by gap-yar pricks", although usually service is not by gap year pricks, but professional waiters, food is generally excellent and you'll have a good time. At the other end of the scale you have huts like Capanna Boe which is at the very summit of Piz Boe, has 20 spaces in "sardine tin" beds, you have to pay a non refundable 100% deposit on booking and is genuinely a proper mountain hut. I think personally that you just had a bad experience with a wanker - they get everywhere these days, even into the mountains. I think re snow, you were just unlucky. This time last year it was absolutely glorious weather and it is most years. Yes lifts shut but the advantage is that you don't have to deal with as many hut wankers, bus wankers, lift wankers or Via Ferrata wankers who are omni present - I don't do much any more as it makes me feel physically ill watching some of the shit that takes place especially during the busy "every wanker and their dog is on holiday season" when anybody who owns a harness (and some who don't) think its a good idea to descend on the place.

It depends on where you go. Basically all hotels and huts will be closed, most restaurants and touristy shops too, especially in places like Corvara. Go to a normal village and supermarkets will be open as normal to serve the locals. Casa Alfredino will be open all year, so if you are looking for somewhere to stay, drop me a line. It IS a quiet time of year though. And who knows whats going to happen with the snow this year...

I agree, in fall most of the touristic facilities have shut down, but people still lives in the valley.

Even if October is holiday period (for the locals!) few food shops, B&B are still open, supermarket are open.

The main issue is weather, it could be pretty miserable for days

c.

That is very true. Especially the end of october the snow arrives in earnest sometimes. And it can be damned cold. Last year we did some routes on Piccolo Lagozuoi and when we left the car it was -1. There were icicles on the routes. So you have to be prepared:

1) to suffer

2) to do routes which you can move rapidly and farily continuously on so you keep warm

3) prepare by carrying more warm clothes 

4) accept you may get nothing done

5) accept you may have to change plans

6) research lower climbs. 

The day after we were freezing out nuts of on Lagozuoi, we went to Tognazza which is 600+m lower, catches the morning sun and climbed on perfect Porphyry in the sun and we were too hot. IV the days was the limit. On that day we were climbing VI A0 and 6b+.