UKC

It looks like a family holiday over the next couple of weeks will include some via ferratas. Does anyone have thoughts on relative merits of the different kits? I know there have been a number of recalls in recent years of different manufacturers' sets and some questioning over how effective any of them are; but Decathlon/Simond are by far the cheapest option (if you can find them in stock), does anyone have experience of them? The Edelrid ones seem the next best in price - again any thoughts?

I have so far one guidebook for via ferratas in the French Alps, but it looks like we will be touring down that way via eastern France and over to Germany and the Black Forest. Does anyone know of a website that list via ferratas, either country by country, or just on a map like the UKC logbook database does? I did one in Normandy with my son a couple of years ago that we came across by chance, so I guess there might be more spread around the bumpier parts of Europe that so far I've not even heard of.

Many thanks.

In reply to TobyA:

Viaferrata.org and klettersteig.de are two I've used. Lack of foreign language skills not much of an issue.
If nothing else they will at least show on a map what's close by so you can do more investigation.

In reply to TobyA:

Hi,

Other websites that you might find useful are:

via-ferrata.de
klettersteig.com
bergsteigen.com
via-ferrata-fr.net

I've put these links to these (and to all the other useful via ferrata websites I could find) on my blog at https://thesevereclimber.com/via_ferrata/useful-links-via-ferrata/

I've used an Edelrid via ferrata kit in the past and really liked it. I've been using a Mammut set recently and the quality is great and it generally works really well, but I'm not entirely convinced by some of the features (there's a review of this Mammut set on my blog at https://thesevereclimber.com/2015/11/18/review-mammut-tec-step-bionic-turn-... that goes into the detail of what I think about this set).

Hope that helps.

In reply to Robin and Mike:

Thanks so much guys - loads to get started on there.

If I got sets for the whole family that would be four and I guess they won't get used so much, so maybe just renting is a better idea. I've got harnesses and helmets for everyone and at least in Normandy that lowered the renting costs, which were very reasonable anyway.

In reply to TobyA:

FWIW, it's generally cost us around 10 Euros to hire the kit. I guess it maybe less if you just need the lanyards though.

The Simond lanyards from Decathlon look pretty good. We used to have an older model with exactly the same carabiners as the current model and found them really easy/smooth to use.

I now use an Edelrid lanyard but really they are all much of a muchness and it's down to how much you want to spend etc.

In reply to TobyA:

There's a good little Rother guide to 50 Swiss Via Ferratas called Via Ferrata Switzerland - unfortunately it seems to be out of print at the moment, but you might get one second hand. They were £15 new.

In reply to Stephen Reid - Needle Sports:

It's also very out of date as there are many missing or the information is incomplete/incorrect (e.g. where to rent gear etc), so I think the online sources are the best.

This has been fairly up to date and recently re-vamped;
http://www.viaferrata.org

Also, for Switzerland, the Swiss travel website is actually quite accurate and up to date for information on location etc.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/via-ferrata-in-switzerland.html

If in switzerland, just be careful if you try to rent anything over lunch time... everything is closed 12-2 generally...!

My girlfriend has Simond lanyard and it's very good. I used it on one route myself last year and was very pleased with it.

Personally I had Petzl Vertigo WL for about 6 years and abused it hard. This year I have decided to upgrade to something with elasticated slings. After a lot of window shopping ended up with Edelrid CABLE ULTRALITE 2.1. So far I used it only for 9 days few weeks ago in Italy. Was surprised by the fact that fully extracted slings are noticably longer than Simond or Petzl Scorpio!

However neither myself nether anyone I ever climbed with ever felt from via ferrata route. I suppose that the moment when you realise how bad you lanyard is. If you live, ha!

In reply to TobyA:

Hey Toby, just to repeat myself as I always do when people are asking about VF kits and children on here, please make sure you get a child specific kit rather than just using an adults - they are set to rip at different loads and the karabiners are a different size as often young uns can't use the crabs very well. Either that or belay them on hard sections. It's a fairly major problem in the VF Kit area...

In reply to beardy mike:
Thanks Mike, very good advice. Do rental places around your place in Italy generally have specific kit for kids? Or does it seem something that they aren't very good at? I can't say I remember ever seeing different kits for different weights. I guess my older son is small adult woman weight by now, but my younger son is still pretty light.

And I have various hunks of 20 or 30 mtrs of light single ropes so will make sure I take one for quick belays.

In reply to TobyA:

If by Eastern France, you mean Alsace, I'm pretty sure there is no Via Ferrata. There is a good guidebook to climbing venues in Alsace, but it has no Via Ferrata in it and in 20 years of visiting here, I've not heard any mention of it.

In reply to Bingers:

Further down in the Jura there are VF. The first on we ever did was http://www.viaferrata-fr.net/via-ferrata-172-Le-regardoir--Lac-de-Vouglans-... We used a guide for this one (being the first and all) and I remember it as very good. Plenty of shade, and with fantastic views of the lake below.

Rob

In reply to Bingers:

there are a few in the jura Via Ferrata des Echelles de la Mort (VF4A) was decent

In reply to TobyA:

Yeah, they are not very good at it because it's a problem that's been ignored by the industry for many years. There are a few kits around but they are far from common place. Added to which the UIAA (and the CE who follow suite usually) have only just updated the regs to refect any need for it. Bottom line is, if the user is less than 80kg, they will receive a higer impact in a fall. Half the weight (i.e. child size) and it is more or less double the impact. I.e. dead. Really not clever. Small adult size fine, maybe even then belay if it's really tough. But your small chap should definitely be belayed. Skylotec do a child specific one...

In reply to LittleRob:

Ah yes, I thought I knew the name of that lake - we went down that way a couple of years ago watching Cav in his comeback race - Le Tour De L'Ain. Lovely area, but not quite just across from Germany. It took us about three hours from Alsace. If the OP has flexibility, the area is well worth the visit.