Piz Da Lech (Via Ferrata VF3B) – The Dolomites

Later in the year I want to attempt to climb the mighty Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia. To summit the mountain in style a series of Via Ferrata (VF) routes can be taken all the way to the summit. However, before attempting such a trip I thought it would be a good idea to get some practice in and where better to do that than in the home of VF itself the Italian Dolomites!

snapseed Luckily for me I had a week booked in July to go to Italy where I’d be doing some hiking and mountain walking based in Corvara in the Sud Tyrol, so while I was out there I booked myself onto a VF day on a one-to-one basis with a local Mountain Guide.

The Alta Badia Guides Office suggested a route called the ‘Piz Da Lech’ rated at a VF3B. VF grading is easy to understand. Difficulty is rated on a 5 point scale (1 being easy and 5 being the most difficult). Exposure (as in how steep the drop offs are, or how catastrophic a tumble might be) is rated as an A, B or C, with C being the most exposed. So the route seemed pitched pretty perfectly for me, moderately hard but with a few serious moves and some exposure to get used to.

Some technical details of the route:
Via ferrata, completely secured with steel cables
Type of path: 95% steel cables, 5% steps.
Complete gradient of the climb: 380 m, 2-2:30 hours
Complete gradient until the beginning of the via ferrata: 30 m, 20 mins.
Gradient of the ferrata: 190 m, 1:00-1:30 hours.
Gradient to the summit: 160 m, 30 mins.
Descent: from the Piz da Lech summit, 2,910 m, descend along the normal route (with red signs). The last short steep stretch of the descent is secured with metal cables and fixed with steel; 1:30 hours.
Facing: South.

So I set off with my guide Michel up the Piz Boè Gondola from Covara in the early morning bound for the rocky slopes of the Sella Range above. I was ready for a bit of adventure and the day did not fail to deliver.

There was some excellent climbing to be had on the rock itself whilst the wire, ladders and stemples were all well-positioned for when it became too impractical to climb unaided. There were also the two famous ladders towards the end of the climb to negotiate, these ladders themselves were airy and fun but required a bit of force to pull through, especially on the top one.

The route finished with a nice mountain walk across a lunar landscape to the summit which had the ubiquitous cross upon it and far reaching views across the Dolomites.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first real taste of Via Ferrata and the surroundings couldn’t have been better for a climb with stunning mountain scenery. Hopefully my little adventure will have put me in good stead for the sterner test to come in September out in Slovenia.