UKC

I am keen to try some via ferrata in Europe this year and currently trying to put a bit of a trip together. We have been sport climbing for almost 2 years now but never done via ferrata. Does anyone know of any good locations for via ferrata beginners in France or Italy etc?

We're looking to drive out from the UK for up to a week and so looking also for good campsites in close proximity to some good routes. If we could find routes near to some decent sport climbing that would also be good.

In reply to olihayes:
The Dolomites are the "home" of Via Ferrata and offer a wide variety of difficulty and length with loads of historical interest. I would say that without a doubt they are leagues ahead of any other area for both quantity and quality. They should be they've been at it since the turn of the last century.

There are two guide books full of routes as well as sport and trad climbing. Canazei is a good base and there is an excellent campsite beneath the Marmolada.

Al

In reply to olihayes:

Cicerone also do a good guidebook to via ferratas in the French Alps in a variety of different areas:

http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/648/title/via-ferratas-of...

I've never been to the Dolomites but as mentioned above the via ferrata here is supposed to be fantastic. A good intro article from James Rushforth here:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=6918

In reply to olihayes:

Cortina, Arraba and Corvara are the only names you need to know, a whole years worth from the doorsteps of those three !

In reply to olihayes:
Hi Oli as stated the Dolomites are where these routes originate. Full disclosure - I own a place there which I rent so I'm massively biased, but your camping anyway! So to my mind you have to decide what you want from your trip. The routes in France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland amongst others are a world away from what you will find in the Dolomites in style. If you want a more athletic, sporty type of experience which is more of an aerial obstacle course, then don't go to the Dolomites. If you want a well rounded mountain experience, then the Dolomites or Austria is where it's at.

The historical aspect of what you will find in the Dolomites in my view adds massively to your time there, imagining troops wintering the worst storms imaginable whilst trying in vain to break through the enemy lines. You can easily go from hut to hut. If you are going for a week, fly out, as driving will take you realistically a day and a half each way unless you absolutely tank it both ways. Public transport there is super cheap and from Venice or Treviso you can be in high mountains in no time at all. You can get a train to Belluno and then bus to Cortina or Alleghe in a couple of hours as long as you time your flights right.

In my area we have some of the finest via ferrata of the Dolomites, like the VF Eterna, West Ridge of Marmolada, Trincee, degli Alleghese, Tissi, Costantini and Stella Alpina amongst many others. These are LONG, fantastic routes to the top of some of the greatest mountains in the alps, Marmolada, Civetta, Moiazza, and Monte Agner. There is excellent sport climbing in the area as well, but seriously, consider that if you are looking for a mountain experience you could easily forego the weight and baggage of a sport rack and rope and just have a totally unencumbered trip, moving from hut to hut with a light rucksack on a linked trip.

For example you could start at Passo Duran (taxi from Agordo), then do the Costantini on Moiazza, stay at the Rif Vazzoler, then do the Tissi to the summit of Civetta and stay at the hut near the top. Then in the morning reverse the Alleghesi and descend to Alleghe. From there you could take the bus to Malga Ciapela and complete the Eterna to the top of Punta Serauta on Marmolada. That would be four utterly epic days with a rest day...

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

If only that were true. Corvara, Arabba and Corvara have some great routes it's true, but you've missed at least 50-75% of the Dolomites!

In reply to olihayes:

Plus 1 for Dolomites, particularly Corvara where there is a camp site.

For France there are some brilliant via ferrata in the Ecrins. La Grave makes a good base and there is a nice camp site there. Also sport climbing in the vicinity

Have fun!!

In reply to Casa Alfredino:

Yeah, but on the positive side it keeps the rest of the Dolomites empty of British people

In reply to Casa Alfredino:


True, but the OP only has a week!

In reply to Trangia:

True, but actually the VF around Corvara is actually somewhat disparate in its geographical location. Of course there is the Possnecker, Trientina, Cesare, Piz da Lech, but they are on opposite sides of a quite large massif, and it's worth pointing this out. The default answer to these questions when posed is Corvara and actually there is a lot more to it than that. For example base yourself in Alleghe (where there is a campsite) and within 30 minutes you can be at all the above mentioned routes, at Passo Giau, Falzarego, Arabba, or Passo San Pellegrino. From Corvara its an hour around to the Possnecker, 15-20 minutes to Grand Cir, 15 to Tridentina, 45 to Passo Pordoi for the Cesare, 20 to Arabba for the Trincee, 40 minutes to Falzarego, 45 for Averau and Nuvolau... plus accommodation is more expensive, travel to get there is longer, and as Mr. Benyon quite rightly points out, the mountains are comparatively empty!

Great response people thanks for all your help. Looks like I've got some planning to do!

In reply to olihayes:

There are also quite a few Klettersteig (via ferrata) in Austria

http://www.bergsteigen.com/klettersteig

In reply to Casa Alfredino:
Well for a week of good stuff as a first trip any of those three would be OK, but i am sure you know the area better than most and i am sure the OP wouldn't go far wrong staying with you and getting the local info.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:
They are good spots for sure. I think a large part of the popularity of Corvara is Colletts as they are a great option for holidays - they make everything easy and theres a massive attraction in that. I'm really trying hard though to get people to look away from that area - it's much like Chamonix in that people have become a little obsessive about it and they're missing so much awesome terrain. I'm still discovering and I've been going there since 1998! Just in December I went and stood beneath Monte Agner for the first time which is just outrageous - a ridge 1600m long on it with max difficulties of V- and a mountain on the opposite side almost as big! It's just breathtaking... only you never hear of it here...

there a quite a few in southern spain, but information is hard to come by and they are mostly short compared to the stuff in the dolomite's.

many of the spain ones also seem to have zip lines, so a pully is advisable.

there is an app called wikiloc which is useful for finding them... but as others said - the dolomites is the home and history of via ferrata!

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

Lots of these "heart of the Dolomites" cheerleaders have just never been to the Briancon area. Routes for beginners are at least as good as the Dolomites, and the weather is frequently better.

For those who need to hear German spoken, Austria is generally superior nowadays to the Dolomites for VF. Austria is another place not visited by the English-speaking Dolomites cheerleaders.

The Dachstein area in Austria easily surpasses the high-mountain VF in the Dolomites.

The Dolomites are the center of Via Ferrata _complacency_.

Ken

In reply to kenr:
Um, actually my family used to own a place in Pelvoux about 20 minutes from Briancon. So yeah, I've been there lots, from the age of 2-30. And yeah the VF is good, but its a very different experience as I said above. It depends on what you want. I've only ever done one VF if Germany which was distinctly average but then that's only one. I've been up the Dachstein Sudwand on a climbing route and it's got to be said the VF looked superb from where we were. I don't think anybody is saying that no where else is good, just that there is a huge variety of VF in Dolomites in a density which is pretty rare.

In reply to olihayes:

As someone has mentioned, you could head to Austria, Oberstdorf on the German Austrian border springs to mind.
loads of Klettersteig for the beginner and if you get bored, you have Garmisch an hour or so away which is also excellent.

Nice small town, loads of camping, loads of climbing and other things to do. Slightly biased as I was based there with the Army and loved it!

In reply to adam06:

We put some information together on those around the Costa Blanca. They are mostly fairly short trips, but all are worth doing, have easy access, and are currently well equipped.

Here's the link: http://www.mountain-journeys.co.uk/via-ferrata.html

Mark

In reply to olihayes:

I know Costa Blanca is too far to drive but just in case anyone else clicked on this link as they like VF/s. You can download the mini guide to the ones here for free! Just subscribe on the website and the password will come straight back to you!

We do not bombard with emails or newsletters or sell your email addresses to anyone, promise!

Sam Orange

http://theorangehouse.co.uk/mini-guides/pdf-page