UKC

Copying the following message from Dolomites mountain rescue (see Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CnsasVeneto) as it might be "mission critical" to some. In short, trails 241 Dogana Vecchia - Cengia del Banco and 242 Via Ferrata Berti are closed because of ongoing rockfall. Looks like these are potentially parts of Alta Vias 3 and 4 (though not sure about that).

"WARNING – Ferrata Berti Closed Due to Rockfall

The Ferrata Berti is officially closed from both Cortina and San Vito di Cadore due to ongoing rockfalls caused by a landslide on Croda Marcora. Despite the closure and warning signs, hikers are still accessing the route.

On July 19, two Belgian hikers had to be rescued, and again today, a 60-year-old British hiker became stranded on trail 242, directly in the rockfall zone. He called for help around 3:30 PM reporting falling rocks. Due to poor visibility caused by clouds, rescue teams had to wait before intervening. When conditions improved, they located him at 2,400 meters altitude, right in the middle of the landslide area.

A helicopter rescue was carried out at 5:30 PM, successfully lifting him to safety."

Corriere della Sera article - What happened to the 60-year-old English tourist who on Thursday (July 31), ignoring the closure orders, risked his life in the commune of San Vito di Cadore in the Croda Marcora area. Ulss 1 Dolomiti will in fact present them a bill of over 14 thousand euros. An operation that required commitment, coordination and, above all, very high costs, for a total of 14,225 euros, calculated according to regional regulations. The helicopter flight alone, which lasted 93 minutes, cost 11,160 euro, which has to be added to 22% VAT. This adds up to 200 euros for the activation of the Alpine Rescue team and 50 euros for each hour of operation, up to a maximum of 700 euros.

Ignoring the very clear "Chiuso! / Closed!" signs at their own financial peril, who would have thought...

That the local council actually had to add a metal barrier across the entrance to the VF later – in addition to the signs – says a lot about the mindset of the tourists.

As does (presumably) going on a closed VF without an insurance covering one's own stupidity (I believe ÖEAV or similar would still cover the rescue costs, as the tourist was indeed in mortal peril from rockfall, unlike somebody calling in a helicopter rescue just because they are feeling "a bit tired").

Especially since Italy is on the more expensive side of helicopter rescues in Europe in general.

From a Dolomites group on FB:-

"It will cost dearly for what happened to the sixty-year-old English tourist who, on Thursday (July 31), ignoring the closure ordinances, risked his life in the municipality of San Vito di Cadore in the Croda Marcora area. The Ulss 1 Dolomiti will present him with a bill of over 14,000 euros. The operation required significant effort, coordination, and, above all, extremely high costs, totaling 14,225 euros, calculated based on regional regulations. The helicopter flight alone, lasting 93 minutes, cost 11,160 euros, plus 22% VAT. Added to this are 200 euros for the activation of the Alpine Rescue team and 50 euros for each hour of intervention, up to a maximum of 700 euros.

This is not an isolated case: on July 19, two Belgian youths were rescued in the same area, a sign that closures and recommendations are not enough. But each rescue of this kind involves risks for the operators and significant costs for the community."

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