UKC

Anyone throw any personal info/tips about planning a trip to the Dolomites? Wanting to get down there next summer as I live in Germany at the moment so not really too far from me. I'd probably be living pretty basic while I'm there to keep costs down. Jetboiled noodles for meals and that, sleep in the back of the car near the next days venue etc.. Just after anyone else's experiences down there, what to definitely do while I'm there, what to avoid, where to find good beer and all that good stuff.

In reply to ssstrick:

Good beer is brought from germany ... the rest very much on what you are into ...

In reply to ssstrick:

Forget beer, and drink wine. Cheeper and better. There are plenty of park ups and as long as you don't take the piss you won't have a problem with being moved on. Loads of campers etc around so just fit in with them. Wild camping is prohibited, but again, do it away from prying eyes and you'll be fine.

In reply to ssstrick:

There are nowhere near enough campsites in the Dolomites and they aren't ideally suited for getting early starts which you should always try to do (there's a lot of loose rock for other parties who got on the route first to knock down on you and it often rains/thunders etc in the afternoons).

Officially wild camping is illegal but drive over the Sella/Falzarego/Gardena Pass etc in the evening or early morning and you'll see dozens of campervans and tents pitched up for the night because the campsites were full or too pricey. Remember, this is Italy not Switzerland, they don't give f*** about rules.

The cheapest campsite I've stayed on was 27 euros for 2 people + car + tent and the most expensive was 40 euros, which is why people wild camp. Some also have an overnight curfew with a barrier so you can't get out before 7 or 8am which is a pain.

If you do camp rough I wouldn't leave your tent up during the day, even up in the mountains as it gets very busy with tourists crawling all over the place.

Fuel is also very expensive in Italy so fill your car up before you leave Austria.
By alpine standards, the huts are relatively cheap, if you plan to climb a few routes in the same area it might be cheaper to bite the bullet and stop in a hut rather than get the cable cars up every day (which will also allow you to get on the rock first). You can take your own stove and cook outside the huts as the price of meals will nearly double the cost of a hut. There are however plenty of routes to do which can be accessed from the road so you don't need to stay in the mountains to get stuff done.

In reply to ssstrick:

If you're willing to sleep in the car there are loads of places you can stay (most of the lift station car-parks are a good place to start).

The obvious highlights are for a first time visit (for me anyway) are the Tre Cime, Marmolada South Face, Cinque Torri, Vajolet Towers and the Sella. If you want something a bit more off the beaten track I'd have a look at the stuff on and around the Fanis or somewhere like the Cadini di Misurina.

Basically you can't go wrong (if the weathers good). I'd stick with the Mikes recommendation for wine unless you enjoy Forst.

Watch out for the Italian national holiday 'Ferragosto' that takes place on the 15th August and the following week, which gets extremely busy.

There are a good range of guidebooks to choose from, so you should be able to find something to suit your needs.

Enjoy your trip!

Loadsa advice there to keep me going, cheers. This might be more personal preference, but how long did people spend there? I was thinking four days there to smash out a few iconic climbs. Hard work trying to plan
around family life and keeping the Mrs. happy.

In reply to ssstrick:

Plenty of bivvy huts in prime locations if you want to keep costs down. Particularly round Civetta . Take a look at the Tabasco maps online to find huts.

In reply to ssstrick:

I think about 3 months is optimum...

No in all seriousness it depends on the weather. In 4 days of good weather you will get plenty done. If not, not so much so! Keep your fingers crossed.

In reply to James Rushforth:

Three months sounds good to me!

In reply to ssstrick:

4 days doesn't give you long. There are plenty of accessible routes so could climb every day, even doing multiple routes in one day on the shorter crags but its all weather dependant.
Last year I was there for 2 weeks and it was dry every day (with just a couple of evening/overnight storms), this year I was there for 3 weeks and we only had 1 day when it didn't rain.

In reply to pec:

Might have to try push the Mrs. to a week then! Trying to find that perfect balance between not using too many leave days, keeping the other half inside and having enough time to get the routes I wanna attempt done.