UKC

Planning on a visit to the Dolomites for a week in the 1st half of September.

Thinking of flying and hiring a car.

Hoping to do the Comici on the Grande and the Cassin on the Ovest.

Thats really where my planning has got to. Some questions...

Stay in a refuge near the Tre Cima? there seems quite a few good warm ups: the Dulfer on the Grande, the Yellow Edge to get your arm in.

The Comici sounds utterly classic but what about the Cassin on the Ovest? this isn't in my Calssic Dolomite Climbs guide?


I am starting to train for volume and fitness (am planning an ascent of Lord of the Rings next week end); I will be buying lots of low weight karabiners and thin rope shortly...

Hints and tips greatfully appreciated.

Cheers,

In reply to simon cox: Hi, can't help on the Comici, except that it looks awesome. Have heard that completely free it feels E3/E4 6a, but E2 5c with a bit of frigging. I was there last week, and did Yellow Edge on the Piccolo. Ecellent at about HVS/E1 - but seriosuly exposed! We stayed in the Auronzo hut at 11 Euros per night with BMC card. Saves the drive up in the morning.

Let me know if you need more specific info. Haven't done the Comici though.

Enjoy!

In reply to Jules Coleman:

Did u drive out from the UK? Otherwise flight/ hire car info would be handy.

Did u pre-book the Arunzo or just turn up? Is there a time you need to show up as I think I will be arriving tres late on a Friday night. Presumably you can stay without a BMC card for a few dollars more? There is a toll road access to the Arunzo right? does it stay open late at night?

Cheers,

In reply to Jules Coleman:
>> BMC Card
Membership card, or is there something else you need

In reply to Chris the Tall:
Yellow Edge is a good warm up. Stay right for the easiest line. Start the first pitch in half dark to avoid being below other climbers.
Comici is about E46a totally free. but aidable at E2ish I'd guess. You may find queues. It will be much colder than the Yellow Edge. Don't do the direct finish unless you enjoy easy, but unprotected and loose off widths.
The Cassin on the Ouvest look pretty committing. It's very easy to escape off the Comici. (My first attempt ended with the rescue of two Austrialian instructors)
The Cassin on the Piccolisima is another sunny route with a sustained crux of about E4 5c (on the basis that the fixed gear might rip).
The big hut at the Tre Cima car park is hot and noisy. There's a much quieter one under the Picolisima. People often get away with rough camping. I've also bivied in the car park. Top tip to avoid paying the outrageous toll road fee is to go up late at night or very early in the morning. Lucy and Airlie walked in which is completely heroic and stupid.
I'd totally recommend the Tofana di Rozas at Cortina to start on as it's lower so blessed with better weather and less altitude problems. It also has a short approach and an easy descent. There are about 3 classics in the HVS/E2 range and another which goes free at about E56b (we didn't).

In reply to john alcock:

I think you have just about covered it there John, only a couple of things to add.
I thought the Cassin on the Piccolissima was easier than the Yellow Edge, and shorter too. Of course we did it when aid was not frowned on so much so may have pulled on a few more pegs whereas the Yellow edge only had one pitch where you used about four pegs, on the arete.

If you find you are having difficulties on The Comici and the weather is closing in PULL ON THE PEGS. The top section is a drain and you will have difficulty finishing it in a cold wet stonefall ridden situation.

There are other routes worth doing, the left edge of the Grande is a great V route with incredible exposure in relatively safe positions.

Second the going up late at night to avoid the tolls.

We camped outside the hut below the picollissima, you can get a meal there, or could at the time.

In reply to Chris the Tall: No BMC membership seems to work fine (guess you're s'posed to have reciprocal rights card really) Toll road = 18 euros, so well worth avoiding if poss. Don't know what time you'd need to leave it to get through free though. Worth booking huts on a weekend - especially the Laveredo (nicer than Auronzo and closer to the climbing) e.g. it was fully booked last w/e.

In reply to simon cox:

Flew Stansted to Venice Treviso with Ryann Air. £70 ish. Usual Ryann air low baggage allownace hassle etc. Car hire was quite expensive £170 for 9 days from Herz.

In reply to simon cox:

Just got back from Cortina and we flew into (Venice) Treviso with ryanair which is a magic airport, cortina being only 1hour45m up the road. Got an amazing deal on flights and rent a car. A much better bet for the eastern dolomites than Verona.

In reply to Jules Coleman:

Really - we paid 120 for a week which included our petrol which we thought was quite reasonable. Admittedly, the car was seriously underpowered with 4 people and kit but it got us there and back!

In reply to Daniel:
Car hire in Italy is very expensive. One of the problems flying Ryanair is that you end up in tiny airports like Treviso or Brescia with little choice of car hire company. So what you save on the flight, you lose to Hertz.

In reply to simon cox:

We flew out and got a train from Venice, cost about 5 quid return to Cortina.
Get a week bus pass for about 10 euros at the train station and your laughing.

Hainvs said that though, we went the first week in September and the buses round to the tre cime had stopped, so a bit earlier would be adviseable. Refuges were all pretty empty at that time of year. Cannot recomment the San Marco hut below Antelao as the owners are really nice and really like the British. He even watched us ascend Anteleo throug his telescope to make sure we were alright.

Hope that helps a bit with your travel plans

In reply to simon cox:

I obviously meant cannot recommend it highly enough, doh!!!!

In reply to john alcock:

Thanks for this. With the Comici, I think its pitches 3, 8&9 which get VII-/VII, does the route get E4 for the overall effort - or is it one pitch? could you give me a clue? These VII grades mean nothing to me...

In the Classic Dolomites Climbs guide the Cima "something" Madonna in the Palla sounded excellent.

Cheers,

In reply to Daniel:£120 for the week - that seems like a good deal, for Italy! Out of interest, which car hire company did you use?

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Where did u fly from/ to?

Cheers,

In reply to simon cox:
2001: Nice - but only cos we were having a week in Finale first.
2002: Treviso, although my wife flew back from Brescia, which was a pain to find cos it's really tiny
2003: Will be flying to Bergamo, cos we can fly from East Midlands rather than Stansted

Treviso is the closest, but I don't like Ryanair, Stansted or Hertz !

In reply to Jules Coleman:

That was with ryanair/herz but we booked quite a way in advance and got the cheapest possible car.

In reply to simon cox:
Pitch 3 would probably rate E36a, but the two times I've been on it my fingers were horribly cold. It looks fairly easily aidable.
Frank Thompson and I thought one of the remaining hard pitches was E4 6a. It was pretty strenous with a gnarly move. Again an easily aidable crux.
I would have thought the climb would shake down to E2 with a few pulls on gear, though I'd want to be climbing E3 to be happy on it.
If you can do the first 8/9 pitches, you can easily do the rest.
The gear is excellent throughout with lots of insitu pegs. We took a full British rack and used it- sometimes belaying to one side of the usual belays to avoid relying on fixed gear. It's one of the soundest Dolomite routes I've been on, except for the Direct Finish.
The decent is mainly scrambling, though I seem to remember doing a couple of abseils. Route finding could be awkward in a fog.