Dolomites adventure

For almost three weeks in the Dolomites. 
So much to do, so scary, so beautiful!



Day 1. 
Via Demetz-Guck



Day 2. 

We have no idea what we climbed :(
The idea was the Messner on the 2. Sellaturm. 
Some other climbers said the route was wet and bailed without trying. 
We climbed on what seemed the first pitch and since then we were "lost" on the wall. Every 10 to 15 meters we found something as pro (little cords, scary nut/cam placements and inventive pitons) Meanwhile underneath us another group started and bailed on the first pitch...
Thanks to Dennis motivation and all our pitons we made it to the top. 
A local guide told us that the route was almost always wet and he had big respect for us climbing the face of that wall. He also told us the actual start of the route was more to the left. No idea which 'left' he meant.
The Messner is originally just 8 pitches graded UIAA 6. We did it in at about 15 pitches with all the traversing. The grade felt like somewhere in between UIAA 6 and 7+.
Welcome to the Dolomites?




Day 3. 

First 30min hike uphill, then a big 3,5hour educational 'climb' through the historical Italian WW1 tunnels to the top of the cliff then 1,5hr hike to the start of the viaferrata, then 1hr of 'wire-climbing' (yes we were fast) and then 1,5hrs walking back to the car. It wasn't real climbing, it was supposed to be a restday but it was so much fun!



Day 4. Restday in the super touristic Cortina, and it's raining. Perfect planning :)

Later when we have a better internet connection pictures and more of course. 

Much later: Venice (Venezia). 

Via Ferrata with a view

Yesterday was the last of the four day family trip with Dennis parents and brothers.

I found a great viaferrata not far from Chamonix "Via Ferrata de Curalla". Located on the 'Plateau d'Assy close to the village 'Passy'. The guidebook even stated that it was Europe's best and most beautiful one.

Sure, Dennis and I are both more interested in hard climbing then doing a simple viaferrata but as we were with Dennis brothers we thought it would be a good alternative for sunbathing and swimming at Lac du Passy.

Only one of Dennis brothers joined us, Arno.

We drove to the Chemin du Curalla to find a marked parking just uphill in a side street. 

It's supposed to be one of the busiest tours around so we expected loads of beginners. But we were the only ones around.

Close to the parking there's a small shop where you can rent viaferrata sets. 

As we have our own we didn't check the quality. Just want to say that you should be careful and check the safety of your equipment yourself too.

A short 15min hike with signs guiding you in the right direction brought us to the start of the cliff

The viaferrata was graded as AD+ which means just two trades harder then the easiest viaferrata in the grading system. 

When climbing the first meters we found the steep 'nails' in the wall topically harder then AD+ and Arno found it all pretty scary.

We were surprised how well equipped the whole tour was. Perfect over engineered cables, no sharp endings and super solid and and foot placements throughout the whole tour.

The tour has some great bridges guiding you over a big left going traverse to the top of the cliff. 

The view, especially with clear weather, is amazing. One of the 4 meter long bridges is called 'Pont du Mont Blanc'. And with a reason; when you look back from that bridge you have a perfect view on the Mont Blanc.

Though, it's a South facing wall on a height of 1400m making it one big 'grill' when climbing t on a Sunny day.

Make sure you bring enough water and protection against the sun when you decide to go on a bright mid-Summer day.

For an AD+ graded tour I found some sections very 'airy'. And the sometimes slightly overhanging climbing will be hard when you're less fit. 

Also children will have trouble clipping the cable as there's quite a distance between the 'nails' and on the 'cable-bridge' the safety-cable is high above your head. That makes it all quite safe, but hard to clip when you're smaller.

If you're experienced with belaying and the use of a rope on viaferrata's it's possible to use the 'pig-tails' that are secured every three to five meters. This would make the tour a lot safer and easier for climbers that are smaller and/or less experienced.

The guidebook said it would take you 1:30 to do the whole climb. We did it in 1:20h. And we're fairly experienced and as the weather wasn't too good we wanted to hurry a bit to be in time before any rain or thunder would hit us.

We concluded that an average climber would do the tour in 1:45h or more instead of 1:30h.

After an 'airy' ending with yet again a small bridge you end up at the top of the plateau. A marked path leads you down to the parking in a 20 to 40 minute hike with some fairly steep down hill sections. 

All the paths are well maintained especially if you consider it a real mountain-path.

After the climb we drove back to Lac du Passy where we went for a cooling swim.

A brilliant ending of the day was the pizzeria I can really recommend in the town Sallanches.

Super good pizza with Eco-ingredients for a very good price.

Only the logo-sign of the place might scar you a bit, but don't worry, really, it's a good place.

Klettersteig workshop

What I do for living nowadays is a bit different from that what most people do I guess.

More and more I get into climbing and making a living out of it. Unfortunately I'm not a professional athlete (yet?) but at least I'm getting close to what I like most: climbing.

And climbing has many disciplines.

This Sunday I was invited by climbing gym Monte Cervino (in my hometown) to give a viaferrata workshop for members of the NKBV. (Dutch Climbing and Mountaineering Federation)

Most people who attended were mountain walker who wanted to go a little step further. Or some already tried and realised that in the Dolomites some walks are impossible without viaferrata knowledge.

Together with Jeroen and two trainees I gave the workshop. Three-and-a-half hours of viaferrata talks and climbs. How obvious it is to us as climbers how new it is to the ones that have only done the walking bit.

Although the route was quite difficult, especially for non-climbers, most managed to reach the top of the 'mountain'.

Quite a succes I found.

For anyone interested in the courses. You can still subscribe for the course in Duisburg (just over the border in Germany) For more info, go to the NKBV webpage here.

For more info about viaferrata, go to:

- klettersteig.de

- viaferrata.nl

- petzl.com (equipment, tech tips, special techniques on viaferrata with children)

- nkbv.nl (Dutch versions on 'how to' and Dutch ideas on viaferrata for 'light persons')

Pictures via Flickr, thanks to Reinier Rijke (NKBV)

Via Ferrata clinic

Jeroen, Monte Cervino ('de berg' in Dutch, the mountain) manager, routesetter but most of all climber, asked me to help him with the Monte Cervino/NKBV Via Ferrata clinics that he planned.

I'm more into leadclimbing trad routes then walking iron paths but I was up for this new kind of teaching.

All around you hear people landing in serious accidents on Via Ferrata's. Last August 2010 a helicopter flew out when Dennis and me were climbing the Salbit (CH), it turned out to be a serious Via Ferrata accident. A couple weeks later we heard the news that climbing legend Kurt Albert died in a Via Ferrata accident.

And I remember me with my brother and parents on a Via Ferrata with a guide over 15 years ago. Just attached on a sling and a screwgate krab. Clipping over to the next wire? 'Just hold tight and move over the krab.'

When you don't know any better you'll never know that it's actually quite dangerous what you're doing.

With that all in mind I thought it's very, very important to have Via Ferrata clinics, especially in a country as the Netherlands, where we don't grow up with mountains around us.

Our focus in the clinics was not as much to learn all Via Ferrata skills (as for that you need to build up general experience with climbing Via Ferrata lines and that's not what happens in just 3 hrs. time) but more make people more conscious of all potential factors on a Via Ferrata.

We started with some theory involving the use of a Via Ferrata set and a helmet, a bit of Via Ferrata history and preparation in the valley before you attend a Via Ferrata.

Then we focused on short-term preparation involving weather forecast, topo, what to pack in your rucksack and more.

And finally we could start climbing. First half-way the wall. Abseil down and try again.

Then higher, all the way to the top of the wall. Most had never been so high, so it was quite an experience.

We practised all kinds of skills like passing other people, how to help with mild accidents, what to do with severe accidents, what to do with thunder and lightning, and we tried to teach consciousness with answering together questions like 'why do you have to wear a helmet', 'what happens when a 30kg child falls in an Via Ferrata set', 'do you know how to get back when you're on the top of a Via Ferrata climb', 'where to go with lightning'...

The participants were all very happy to gain that much information in just 3 hrs. time.

So, Jeroen and I were satisfied. Via Ferrata clinic take 1: great success :)

Hopefully we can keep on giving this kind of courses and so prevent accidents and teach the beauties of outdoor activities.

Interested in a clinic? Please contact me to see what we can arrange on Monte Cervino.

Were you on the course? All pictures Jeroen and me took are on Picasa here.

Do you use a Petzl Scorpio? Some are being recalled for inspection, click here for more information on the Petzl website.