The Forcella Marmolada backcountry ski traverse is one of my favorite itineraries in the Dolomites, when the winter days are getting longer and the temperatures rising up. The “purists” start right from the bottom of the basket lift in Passo Fedaia, ottherwise if you take the cable cars from Malga Ciapela you only need to skin and climb for less…
Vipiteno is a lovely mountain village in South Tyrol not far from the Brenner Pass, and it’s an excellent “base camp” for ski touring enthusiasts. The nearby valleys of Racines, Ridanna and Fleres offer beautiful itineraries for all kind of level, steepness and vertical climbs, from 700 mt way over the 1400 meters uphill tough day tours. The peaks are…
Mountaineering / News
A mountaineering week. Weissmies, Allalinhorn, Alphubel and the Gouter route on Mont Blanc.
It took me two years to be back on top of Mont Blanc, after several summer attempts and one in the spring time when we had to bail due to poor conditions on the mountain. Once again September proves to be the perfect month to climb the Mont Blanc via the Gouter route, the temperature generally goes down to “normal”,…
Last August I spent a wonderful week guiding Ellen and her family from LA, California, we had the chance to experience a bit of everything. The rocky trails of the Dolomiti di Sesto, around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, and the more gentle path on Pralongià, Alta Badia, hiking hut to hut from West to East. We enjoyed a rock…
The Weissmies and the Lagginhorn are two 4000m peaks in the Swiss Alps, the normal routes are fairly easy and popular, but if you have a couple days available then you should consider to traverse these two peaks, starting from Saas Almagell and then descend to Saas Grund via Hohsaas on the second day. The south ridge of the Weissmies…
What does the Dolomites ski traverse need to become famous? If I have to be honest and compared it to the Queen of the Haute Route, the Chamonix – Zermatt, and many others, I can see only pros. The italian Dolomites are so unique and beautiful! And should we talk about food and accomodations? A holiday must also be pleasant and…
Last November I flew to Patagonia for the first time, not for climbing or mountaineering but for a an amazing trekking trip between Argentina and Chile in the Lake O’Higgins area. For 5 days we chased the trail tracks that exist only on the hiking maps, waded through white water rivers in our underwear, walked for hours sometimes imprisoned in…
Climbing the normal route to the top of the Campanile di Val Montanaia is not just a good climbing route, it was an important achievement for the climbing history on one of the most spectacular rocky towers in the Dolomites , also known as the “petrified scream”. The Campanile di Val Montanaia is a 300m tall spire of the Dolomiti…
Despite being pretty far from home, I always like to go climbing on the Odle massif. Its north walls, the ones facing the Funes valley (Reinhold Messner native land) are the most photographed and popular, but not for the climbers as the climbing routes are very demanding and mostly on poor rock; on the other side, where the sun shines,…
Activities / News / Rock Climbing
Dolomites, climbing Spigolo Gross on Sass Pordoi and Kiene on Cinque Dita, Sassolungo.
The Sella Massif and Sassolungo mountain range are two of the most amazing spots in the Dolomites for those who love climbing the classic trad routes. The Spigolo Gross ont Sass Pordoi and the Kiene route on Cinque Dita are two classic climbs up to grade V, almost the same difficulties but featuring two different style of climbing. Aldo Gross…
WHEN: from late May to the end of November. COST: starting from 350€/day with one person. WHAT’S INCLUDED: guiding service and the technical equipment if needed (harness, helmet, climbing shoes) The Dolomites feature the perfect playground for rock climbing, no matter if it’s a single pitch or a classic hard multipitch route. These mountains have challenges for all kind of…