"Via Ferrata" - Hiking in the Dolomite Ranges

For more than 15 consecutive years, we have operated a conference in the 2nd week of each January in the beautiful Italian town of Cortina D'Ampezzo. It is visually magnificent with the imposing Dolomite alps that surround the town covered in heavy quantities of snow and the town of Cortina filled with the passegiata (an Italian term for the parading of people) of sumptuous furs. Skiing reigns supreme!! 

However, just last week for the first time we chose to run a conference in this familiar area in the late Summer/early Autumn period, and it was every bit as beautiful and exhilarating (maybe even more so!). The Dolomite ranges offer a variety of Summer sporting activities, including many cycling paths plus a multitude of hiking trails from beginner to the more advanced "Via Ferrata". The "Via Ferrata", (which literally means iron way) is a series of walks in the Dolomite region which uses iron "protection" in the form of ladders, rope rails and steps to join otherwise inaccessible areas. 

The history of these iron "protection" formats goes back to WW1 where this border area saw significant fighting between Austro-Hungarian and Italian soldiers to control the highest peaks for artillery and line of sight advantages. The sheer scale of the ranges, the verticality of the Dolomite mountains and the extreme weather, meant enormous troop deaths on both sides. So to try to gain safer and quicker movement through the area, the Italian troops began to  fix permanent iron grips into the rock face and thus the first "Via Ferrata" was born.

Today these hikes are an updated version of this original idea and they offer awe inspiring views across these incredible ranges. We organised several hikes of which one used a "Via Ferrata" section, climbing 2275mtrs to Riffugio Nuvolau. As Australians, this is higher than the highest point in our country, (Mt Kusciuszko 2228mtrs) so the trickiest part for us was dealing with the "thinner" air, however we took it slowly, with multiple rest breaks, and all of the group completed the hike. Not knowing the hiking trails on these mountains, plus not being very experienced hikers, we definitely felt more comfortable with having 2 guides accompany us as their knowledge and expertise is enormous.

The slopes are steep - in fact I would say very steep, and the views across the valleys to Marmolada glacier and beyond are exhilarating - though like any of these things, the difficulty is relative - our guides obviously called this an "easy" via ferrata hike - but then again they were born in this area and ski/hike/climb/walk/run/cycle these mountains every day!! 

At the conclusion of our first ever "Via Ferrata" hike we had a fabulous meal waiting for us at Rifuggio Avereau - heartily consumed with good quantities of local wine! I fully intend to return at this time of year to accomplish more of these awesome hikes - in fact I am planning to organise a dedicated hiking tour to this magnificent part of the world.

The small dot on the top of the rock is a person and the ravine below the person is where we climbed up!  

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO

We are currently running a conference in Cortina d'Ampezzo which is in the Dolomite ranges about 2 hours north of Venice Italy. It is an elegant town that swells during the winter ski season with both Italian people who are lucky enough to own a house here, and tourists who partake in the fabulous skiing in the many ski fields in this area. An affluent ski town with picturesque Austrian alp style architecture, Cortina was in fact Austrian until just after WW1 when in 1919 it was given to Italy.  

As well as the many ski areas within a short bus trip of town, a Dolomiti super ski pass enables one to ski on 450 ski lifts in and around the 12 surrounding resorts. So the choices are extensive and offer something for all skiing abilities. One of my favourite ski runs in the area is from Passo Falzarego where one takes a cable car to Lagozoui, a height of 2762mtrs, then you ski down the run past picturesque frozen waterfalls and small mountain churches to the valley floor. After a little work to pole along the flat area, you reach a horse and cart which for a small fee will pull you along the flat area as you hold onto a rope tow. It feels rather incongruous to see these large draught horses in the midst of the snow but they are a welcome delight in a flat valley area. 

The horse & sleigh pull over the valley floor at the base of Lagouzi is a unique experience for skiers in the Dolomite area.

Another delightful run for a competent skier is the Marmolada glacier which rises to a height of 3343mtrs in 3 separate cable cars. The views of the surrounding Dolomite peaks is magnificent, however when we were there a few days ago, the outside temperature was a cool minus 13 degrees - without the wind chill factor! But like many a Cortina day, the skies were a superb cobalt blue with the sun shining, so it makes for a perfect place to enjoy a hot chocolate - which was my preference rather than skiing it!

The top of the Marmolada glacier where skiers begin the 3343 metre decent.

At the base of the Marmolada glacier is a magnificent 2km walk called the Serrai di Sottoguda which has numerous frozen waterfalls descending sheer cliffs in a natural gorge. The frozen water has a natural blue tinge as the light hits it. We even saw several climbers scaling the frozen cliffs - certainly a sport that I can be sure I will never try!  

The ice climbers in action - high above the safety of ground level!

This shows the height the ice climbers are scaling - seen here as 2 tiny dots in the distance!

It truly is a beautiful part of the world in which to run a conference.

BACK IN ITALY ON GOOD FRIDAY

I have just booked to go to Italy for work again on Friday, so will be there for Easter. I love any time in Italy, but Easter is particularly beautiful - the passion of the ceremonies, celebratory Sunday lunch and the change of the season as Spring bursts into life, are 3 easy reasons to spend time there (does one need any reasons?). I love to wander the streets, watching Italian families celebrate together while I soak in Italian life.

I will spend a few days in the superb Cortina D'Ampezzo area, where I have previously spent a great deal of time for work. The area has spectacular scenery with the imposing Dolomite mountain range surrounding the picturesque alpine village. The skiing is superb, though I won't be skiing at this time of year (even though several of the runs are still operating), but rather I will be sorting out a few work issues.

Spectacular Dolomite Mountains taken from Pocol (5kms from Cortina D'Ampezzo)

Then I will be working in Venice for a week, so a beautiful place to be again. I can happily wander the small calle (streets) for days, so together with my new camera, I will post about some of my discoveries.