Dolomites Via Ferrata update

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 AJH 14 Sep 2018

Just got back from an excellent holiday in the Dolomites. Can't find anything on here so thought others might find an update to the rockfax 2015 guide useful:

Sandro Pertini - there is a sign in the car park saying this was closed and unequipped in 2016

Via della Trinc?e - there is a fun little addition up and down the pinnacle south of the end of section one, of about the same grade. Looks like it was added this year.

Tomaselli - the bivouac hut mentioned in the guide (della Chiesa) was dismantled in 2013. If you want to bivvy, then there is a world war one tunnel about 50m away which does the job nicely with only a few drips of water through a night of rain...

Hope that's useful to someone

Andy

 mbh 14 Sep 2018
In reply to AJH:

Shame about the Sandro Pertini. We did it in 2014. A lovely day out, in a beautiful area, still worth visiting, even without the VF.

The Via della Trincee is fantastic. We were anxious about the beginning, but somehow did it, and after that I loved that it is a beguiling sequence of ups and downs and WW1 stuff, a cafe then a a flower bedecked easy walk back. 

 James Rushforth Global Crag Moderator 14 Sep 2018
In reply to AJH:

Thanks very much for the updates Andy, much appreciated. I'm just starting work on the second edition so I'll make sure these get updated. 

I hope you had a good trip! 

 paul mitchell 14 Sep 2018
In reply to AJH:

A friend told me that steel karabiners are a must on via ferrata.Alloy karabiners rapidly saw through on Tyrolean  cable traversing!

 yelotango 14 Sep 2018
In reply to James Rushforth:

If you`re updating the second edition I think a few routes need re-grading, Alleghesi should be a grade lower than Tissi - both 4 at the moment. Fiamme Gialle on Civetta has a hard section to start which does not really fit the guidebook description, the difficult climbing at the top is great fun. The direct gully descent is loose, unpleasant and generally awful. Monte Albano has been re-equipped and feels much easier than described. Descent route on Rino Pisetta is wrong.

 Gone 17 Sep 2018
In reply to AJH:

Rio Secco has been recabled a few years ago and the difficulty has gone from hard to moderate.

Punta Anna/ Aglio has been improved - the final pull through the scree and the avalanche fences to the summit of Tofana and the cable car has been replaced with a cabled section on rock.

Two new Ferratas on Tofana with easy access from the cable car. Ideal when the weather is too bad to do a high VF. The harder one, Ra Bujela, has a nicely exposed summit.  youtube.com/watch?v=o7R_5BPHZjA&

Post edited at 22:06
 Toerag 19 Sep 2018
In reply to yelotango:

> Descent route on Rino Pisetta is wrong.

How does the book show it, and what's the right way?

 

 yelotango 19 Sep 2018
In reply to Toerag:

Looking back at my logbook (May 2017) entry the descent suggest heading right at a picnic area which is a path to nowhere. Heading straight down allows you to descend to the Castell Toblin on Lago Toblin which is a very pleasant place to reflect with an Aperol Spritz before getting a bus back to Trento or Arco.

I`ve lent my guidebook to someone so can`t double check the entry. 

 kenr 19 Sep 2018
In reply to Toerag:

> How does the book show VF Rino Pisetta, and what's the right descent?

The better descent is very carefully described (with GPS waypoints) in the UKC logbook description for VF Rino Pisetta. http://ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=475161

GPS track can be downloaded from this page:
http://mountainproject.com/approach-trail/113590395

I suspect there's a slight improvement (shortcut) to be made in that descent (hinted at in the logbook description).

. . . (For those who prefer to avoid downhill pounding on their knee and ankle joints, spot a bicycle near the top).

What the Cicerone VF guidebook shows, I don't know, since I'm in the Dolomites right now, and I always leave that guidebook home because the German-language VF / klettersteig guidebooks are so obviously superior. . . . (I sure hope James Rushforth's next revision of volume 2 will bring the Cicerone guide to at least within shouting distance of the AlpinVerlag guidebook).

Ken

Post edited at 20:08
 kenr 19 Sep 2018

Monte Agner: VF Stella Alpina / Edelweiss klettersteig

Did it a week ago, found the Parking instructions in the current Cicerone edition unhelpful.
. . . (though otherwise the description was fairly good).

 

 AndyCook 20 Sep 2018
In reply to James Rushforth:

Another slight update of a route you might be interested in - Delle Mèsules  (Sella Pass) - With regards the descent, the cables and their fixings down the large gully of the "shorter route down which bypasses much of the walk across the plateau" described in the Rockfax book have recently been replaced. It's start is still no better marked out, other than the occasional cairn, but on a clear day it's easy to see the start of the cables once the right gully is found.

 James Rushforth Global Crag Moderator 20 Sep 2018
In reply to AndyCook:

Superb, thanks very much Andy. 

 yelotango 20 Sep 2018
In reply to James Rushforth:

Just googling Fiamme Gialle to compare my view of the route with other reports, seems it was closed 2/9/18 due to a loose rock pillar.

 

Northern Star 21 Sep 2018
In reply to AJH:

Guessing you are all aware that sadly the historic Valgranda – Forcella Staunies cable car (the single person eggs) that served the VF Ivano Dibona and VF Marino Bianchi has been permanently closed.  Such a shame and now it's a 700m vertical height scree climb to reach either VF or the refuge (which has also now shut I believe).  Not the most difficult VF's but the most classic so fingers crossed a new lift will be built in the future.

 Jenny C 21 Sep 2018
In reply to Northern Star:

> Guessing you are all aware that sadly the historic Valgranda – Forcella Staunies cable car (the single person eggs) that served the VF Ivano Dibona and VF Marino Bianchi has been permanently closed......  Not the most difficult VF's but the most classic so fingers crossed a new lift will be built in the future.

I thought at 2 VF Marino really hard for the grade, it's the only VF I've fallen on having done a fair few 3s previously and since. Only did the start of VF Dibona but thought the initial section soft for the grade. 

I believe the cable car closed due to the pylons becoming unstable due to the premafrost they are built into melting/moving. A path to allow access has been built and is signposted locally, but as you say the ascent up scree looks evil (I have watched people walking up it and even though it was an expensive lift I didn't regret paying once).

 

Northern Star 21 Sep 2018
In reply to Jenny C:

The lift was an event in it's own right, tiny red and yellow egg shaped capsules bobbing up the valley, single person, pushed in whilst still moving with a friendly shove by the lift attendant, amazing views, real James Bond type stuff.  Wouldn't want to walk up that scree now if you paid me a lot of money, particularly with no chance of a beer at the top any more.

 yelotango 21 Sep 2018
In reply to Northern Star:

The chap I front of me fell as he stepped on the lift and was dragged a short distance before it was stopped. The Ferrata could be done in reverse - starting at Ospedale with a scree run to finish. There`s still a lot of ascent but `kinder` gradient.


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