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ESSENTIAL PRE-REQUISITES
- A high degree of technical climbing ability is not required to enjoy a Dolomite via ferrate especially if you use the wire-ropes as a climbing aid not just as protection. However, climbers should have climbing skills to at least English Very Difficult grade (or French grade III).
- There is often a high degree of exposure that is, the climbing is often on high, sheer, and unsheltered rock faces - climbers must be prepared for this.
- On many routes, depending on the weather and general conditions, experience of all types of alpine terrain including snow and ice is essential.
- A good level of general fitness is required especially for the longer routes.
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OBJECTIVE DANGERS
Even for climbers with technical climbing skills and alpine mountaineering experience there are some dangers that cannot be avoided so whenever possible you should take steps to reduce their effects:
- Loose rock
- use a correct self-belaying system to protect slips and falls; wear a helmet.
- Stone fall
- often caused by other climbers, wear a helmet.
- Corroded or missing ladder rungs or fixings
- be vigilant, test doubtful rungs before placing all your weight on them, use a correct self-belaying system.
- Damaged wire ropes
- wear gloves to protect against broken strands. These must be of a material that will grip the rope for example leather, NOT woollen.
- Protection that has gone missing
- consider carrying a rope and some climbing gear.
- Snow and ice
- check the condition of the route before you start. Take an ice-axe and crampons if ice is a possibility.
- Bad weather
- check the weather forecast, start early in the day as thunderstorms are more likely in the afternoon.
- Poor visibility
- careful navigation using map, compass and waymarks.
- Lightning
- The recommendation for this has long been; 'In a thunderstorm get away from iron ladders and wire ropes' but this means free climbing which may not be a safe alternative. Do NOT start a via ferrate climb if lightening is possible.
A snow damaged bridge in the Brenta |
Damaged wire rope on Via Giovanni Lipella |
SELF-BELAYING ON VIE FERRATE
The shock loading problem
As recognised by all the climbers we met, a climbing sit-harness or combined sit and chest-harness is essential. (A chest harness will prevent you turning upside down in a fall, especially if you are wearing a pack.) What did not appear to be recognised by many climbers is the danger of connecting your harness to the running belay, usually a wire rope, by simply using a sling or a length of climbing rope and a karabiner. Using this system a fall can easily result in a shock load being applied to the arresting stanchion, the wire rope, the sling or climbing rope, or the karabiner that is sufficient to cause them to fail.
Shock absorbers like Petzl's "Zyper" can be readily purchased in climbing shops in the Dolomites for example in Cortina where several makes were available. I would advise buying a shock absorber ready made up with its rope by a well-known manufacturer as the correct choice of rope is essential for it to work correctly.
Karabiners
Self-locking karabiners were a "luxury" we did without but they can certainly speed your progress compared with standard screw gates. We inevitably neglected to lock our screw gates unless the route was particularly threatening so self-locking karabiners are safer. Two karabiners are used as this allows you to move past an anchorage point without ever being off belay BUT note that this is the only time when both karabiners may be attached to the belay because the kinetic shock absorber will not work when both karabiners are attached. UPDATE 2002: Using the Petzl ZYPER-Y both karabiners ARE attached to the steel rope.
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WHAT TO WEAR
Ranges from shorts and a T-shirt to almost full winter gear depending on the weather and the altitude. Always be prepared for a change of weather, and for higher, colder winds at altitude.
Cima di Mezzo 3163m (Monte Cristallo) in July - air temperature well below freezing and a high wind-chill factor |
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EQUIPMENT LIST
Crossing a snow-filled gully on the Sentiero Bocchette Centrale
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"On the Sentiero Bocchette Centrale we encountered many snow-filled gullies where the wire rope protection was buried and therefore unusable. Having checked the conditions with the local guides before starting, we had taken ice-axes and crampons. The latter were not needed as the surface snow was quite soft but we were thankful for the extra confidence our axes provided. On route we met a French married couple in their sixties, with a life-time of alpine mountaineering experience, who commented on crossing these very steep snow-filled gullies 'It is not difficult, but it is dangerous'. With no ice-axe he was using a sharpened piece of packing case to give himself added stability as he belayed his wife with a piece of 6mm cord across a particularly wide gully which she crossed with the aid of a telescopic ski-pole."
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- Sit-harness (or combined sit and chest-harness)
- Kinetic shock absorber (e.g. Petzl "Zyper")
- Two wide mouthed locking karabiners preferably the purpose made self-locking type
- Ice-axe
- Crampons
- Walking pole(s)
- Map and Compass
- Climbing rope (we only used it once in 2 weeks to protect a steep descent on rather soft snow towards the top of a big drop - Sentiero Brentari)
- Some climbing gear in case of missing protection (we did not take any).
Safety tip from Mark Page (Aug 2000)
Field and Trek is a UK supplier of mountaineering equipment and accessories.
Last updated 31/10/2000 (minor updates only)
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