UKC

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/30/rockfalls-italy-brenta-dolomi...

Why the downthumb, I wonder ?

They don’t like the permafrost’s behaviour

This details the closed paths for people heading down that way:-

https://www.bergsteigen.com/news/neuigkeiten/grosser-felssturz-in-der-brent...

I remember a quite chossy section of the Alredo Benini VF just a few years back at one gully. We found the cable totally severed by a much smaller rockfall, but it was pretty easy to scramble through that short section, thankfully.

Still, it was a pretty sad VF trip – just a week before we arrived, another, moderate rockfall from above Bocca del Tuckett closed another VF route on the western side of the ridge (basically scrapping our plans to get to the rifugios south of Torre di Brenta), and seeing what was remaining of the former glaciers (more like snowfields) was pretty eye‑opening.

Now, your Bergsteigen link mentions all of the routes around the Cima Falkner closed on both sides. Including 305 (Benini), 315, 316 and 331, which is basically the whole of the E‑W massif around Cima Falkner, and all of the paths or VFs from the Stoppani lift station down to the south.

The Brenta massif VFs basically just got cut in half, since anything N of Bocca del Tuckett seems to be closed and for a feckin good reason, according to the links. And Bocca del Tuckett pass has plenty of problems with melting permafrost on its own, with an unstable tower there just waiting to topple for years (just the partial collapse of one of the lower towers above the pass was what had hindered our plans back then).

The Dolomites were always quite a bit chossy, but seeing their utter disintegration in almost real time due to anthropogenic climage change is pretty bleak...

😥

Probably just some random permafrost‑held rock block breaking off and hitting the downvote button by accident, as otherwise one would have to assume that at least 3‑4 UKC downvoting posters lack the intellectual faculties to process the world events, or just the reality. Yes, it can be pretty hard to process the world as it is, especially from their privileged positions. Say no more, wink wink, say no more, wink wink, in the best tradition of Monty Python's...

I wish people would stop whinging on about down votes. Maybe some people don't think major rock falls caused by climate change is something to give a thumbs up to? 

interesting that it was preceded several days before by warning signs.  These massive falls often have cracking sounds, running water etc a few days before hand

 And Bocca del Tuckett pass has plenty of problems with melting permafrost on its own, with an unstable tower there just waiting to topple for years (just the partial collapse of one of the lower towers above the pass was what had hindered our plans back then).

I'm waiting for the hanging glacier to the south of the Bocca / Rif. Tuckett to drop things, that'll be very spectacular when it does.

Curiosity is not whinging

Unfortunately, my Italian is pretty bad, as otherwise I'd be following any local news of it and the hanging glacierets a lot.

One immediate concern is the lack of water – most huts get winterised by late September or so upon their general closure. Which means winterraums open, but water faucets closed.

And since almost all of the hut water is from the glaciers and glacierets, the highest huts might be on a borrowed time even during the season.

Yes, water is where climate change will play out.

When the populations of Spain, Italy and Portugal are the new, intra-european migrants, what will the solution be?

And a billion people displaced when the great Himalayan rivers dry up?

I'm in a grim mood.  I need to sign off