UKH Hills - 'Via Maria/Mariakante'

250m, 9 pitches.

Rockfax Description
The classic route on the south side of Sass Pordoi. An excellent route at the grade. Don't be put off by the super-polished first move off the ground! Take your time with it or, if all else fails, stand on your friend's shoulders. The climbing is easier above and the final mantelshelf over the cable car wall provides an interesting finish.
Start in a chimney-gully directly below the right corner of the roof by a leaning yellow pillar on the right.
1) IV, 20m. Climb the chimney-gully which has a very polished start, particularly for the feet (slightly less polished alternative on grey rock to the left). Continue to a good stance - be careful you don't dislodge stones onto climbers below.
2) IV+, 40m. Climb direct then follow a crack on good holds to reach the face, and climb this towards a large ledge above.
3) IV, 45m. Climb the orange crack above the belay direct on slightly friable rock for 5m then move left. Cut back right following some ramps and passing an intermediate stance. Continue right, following the natural ramp of the rock to a stance below the right edge of the roof.
4) IV, 10m. Move up and right around the edge of the roof then make a short traverse right. Step up to a stance in a small niche round the corner, left of the gully which separates the subsidiary and main towers.
5) III, 50m. Traverse easily rightwards following the ledge then climb the wall to the left of the gully. Cut across easily on loose rock to a block/pillar on the right of the gully, next to the main wall. Belay on a thread. The Piaz Arete joins here.
6) IV, 35m. Step over from the block to the right wall then traverse right past a cemented ring. Follow polished yet good rock right, making a rising traverse on good holds. Pull through a little niche to a good ledge.
7) IV, 25m. Go up 15m until a ledge and find the two good threads 10m to the left, 6m right of a chimney.
8) IV, 25m. Move right to climb a chimney direct to reach the plateau with a large cemented peg.
9) 100m, III. Move left of the tower in front to a thread belay below a chimney. Either climb the chimney (harder at IV-), or traverse left for 5m to a black water-worn section of rock and climb this easily to a bowl on the left side of the cable car station. Follow this up right onto a choosy ridge, following wire from the cable car station, then keep right to reach the station itself. It is possible to finish either to the left or the right of the cable car station (you have to climb over the wall in either case). © Rockfax

UKC Logbook Description
A popular classic with mostlty in-situ belays. Very exposed, but finshes at the refuge/lift station

Piaz & Dezulian.

Ticklists

Classic Dolomite Climbs - Kohler/Memmel , Dolomites Trip , Dolomites easy multipitch

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User	Date		Notes
noskki	31 Aug, 2020	Show βeta βeta: Great route! However don't be fooled into thinking this is doable as IV+. There are some good run outs you will not enjoy if you're not comfortable with climbing V. Pitch 3 in particular and also 6 would be examples of steep and exposed climbing where you might not find any gear for 5m. For the description i would add a few comments: 6 the belay at the end is a ledge in a niche. 7/8 the chimney mentioned is actually a crack.
Show beta βeta: Great route! However don't be fooled into thinking this is doable as IV+. There are some good run outs you will not enjoy if you're not comfortable with climbing V. Pitch 3 in particular and also 6 would be examples of steep and exposed climbing where you might not find any gear for 5m. For the description i would add a few comments: 6 the belay at the end is a ledge in a niche. 7/8 the chimney mentioned is actually a crack.
AndrewP	31 Aug, 2019	Show βeta βeta: Rockfax topo has the third stance much too low - it's just under the roof, as described in the text. Not sure about description for P7 and above - we went more-or-less straight up from the niche on P6, following a German who said he'd done the route 3 times.
Show beta βeta: Rockfax topo has the third stance much too low - it's just under the roof, as described in the text. Not sure about description for P7 and above - we went more-or-less straight up from the niche on P6, following a German who said he'd done the route 3 times.
stevethomas	22 Jul, 2019	Show βeta βeta: Pitch 7 it is confusing in the description. I went straight up from the belay, past some terrible in-situ threads and pulled up right using big pockets, eventually past another situ thread then kept going to a good thread belay. I saw no belay rings and the wall left of the small cave looked like it would fall down as fast as you went up it. I also saw no chimney but followed signs others had gone the same way. The move up through the pockets felt V- not IV.
Show beta βeta: Pitch 7 it is confusing in the description. I went straight up from the belay, past some terrible in-situ threads and pulled up right using big pockets, eventually past another situ thread then kept going to a good thread belay. I saw no belay rings and the wall left of the small cave looked like it would fall down as fast as you went up it. I also saw no chimney but followed signs others had gone the same way. The move up through the pockets felt V- not IV.
edwarddhmckee3	29 Jun, 2019	Show βeta βeta: Fresh route. Some bits quite chossy. Route finding okay until P7 (a few groups including us were quite confused) - need to barely step right of belay ledge and immediately climb up. Then continue straight up, to the left of a cave with a threadable rock. Belay rings are over the top of this face and up another few m of easy climbing above it. We split it into two pitches though due to difficulty hearing each other	βeta?
Show beta βeta: Fresh route. Some bits quite chossy. Route finding okay until P7 (a few groups including us were quite confused) - need to barely step right of belay ledge and immediately climb up. Then continue straight up, to the left of a cave with a threadable rock. Belay rings are over the top of this face and up another few m of easy climbing above it. We split it into two pitches though due to difficulty hearing each other