Campanili Basso seen from Sentiero Brentari (BREN 8)
PREFACE
Over the past few years via ferratas in the Italian Dolomites have become more and more popular, with new routes developed and old ones improved. This guidebook is the second in a series of two published by Cicerone Press which covers the whole area of the Italian Dolomites.
Volume One takes in the Eastern, Northern and Central areas of the Dolomites. Volume Two covers via ferratas in the Southern Dolomites (with routes on the Civetta, Schiara and Pala mountains) as well as the Brenta in the west. Additionally (and not, as far as we are aware, previously published in any English-language guidebook) routes are included around the northern end of Lake Garda and the Piccole Dolomites north of Vicenza. Here the mountains are generally lower and you can enjoy ferrata climbing over a much extended season, with some routes climbable for most of the year.
A word of caution
The information about each of the routes in the book was correct at the time of research.
As the old saying goes ‘the only thing constant in the mountains is change’. It should be noted that factors such as rock fall, detached cables and building work may result in routes being re-routed or even closed for safety reasons. When these things happen it may be some time before CAI, or the local Commune, can spend either time or money repairing or re-cabling routes up to a good standard.
Please treat each route with respect and concern for your own safety.
New Routes
Although the Dolomites is already very well covered, new routes are continually being created, or old, forgotten routes restored. We try to keep users abreast of the most recent developments by describing any additional routes in the Updates area for this book on the Cicerone website at: www.cicerone.co.uk/380/updates. The information we include here includes sufficient detail about the routes – their location, length, difficulty and seriousness – for you to know whether they are suitable for you. This should enable you to take full advantage of any visit to these beautiful Dolomite mountains.
Graham Fletcher and John Smith, 2015
This climber is clearly unaffected by the exposure on VF Stella Alpina (AGORD 5)
INTRODUCTION
In volume one we asked the question ‘Are the Dolomites the most beautiful mountains in the world?’ Well, 13 years later, we still think so. With explosive shapes and unique colours the Dolomites can be regarded as the crown jewels of the European alpine range. Via ferrata climbing is a way of enjoying the sheer magnificence of this awesome mountain environment, where you will be