dolomites-italy-summer / climbing

hut trips: a special climbing holiday

All inclusive

Deep into the mountain’s creases: climbing hut trips;

the Dolomites host many mountain huts. It’s not just their number but especially their quality they are renowned for (more information here). An alpine hut here is generally accessed by hiking or sometimes by car, for example the ones located right on the mountain passes. The offer is simple but cosy and complete: hot meals, of a quality often comparable with a good restaurant, well heated common areas and comfortable bedrooms. The whole hut experience is fairly total: the nature is immersive; sunrise and sunset are the most eagerly awaited moments of the day. Being surrounded by huge rocky walls as ones gets out bright and early makes mountaineering a naturally beautiful endeavour. Getting back in the evening, sitting around a fire and chatting away the day will make of these serene moments an unforgettable, vivid memory.

focus

mountain hut stay

type of activity

rock climbing

Level

From medium to expert

when

summer

customised programme

see below

Info Hut trip 1: PALE DI SAN MARTINO Hut trip 2: FALZAREGO PASS Prices

Info

Duration

from 2 to 8 days

Customised

WHERE TO STAY

This proposal is essentially built around mountain hut stays: depending on the number of available days and the chosen location, the plan can comprise staying in more than one hut.

CUSTOMISED PLAN

If you are interested on this kind of climbing, first contact us: We will suggest an activity package tailored around your experience and wishes. Our climbing activities are carried out by a mountain guide within UIAGM/IFMGA certified. In Italy, this is the only certification allowing a guide to accompany clients on rock. Besides, local mountain guides most definitely sport the best knowledge and will guarantee your safety and your fun.

ROUTE LEVEL

Alpine routes, either classic- or sport-style. The actual route plan is customised, starting from normal routes at grades around II-III up to sport-climbing routes of all grades. For more information and route descriptions, see sections Regular routes, Big Walls, classic routes I and II and sport routes

EQUIPMENT

The guide can provide all technical equipment and clothing, except climbing shoes. To find out more about what to bring, please see the relevant page.

BEST-DAYS OFFER

When booking 5 or more days with us, our guide will be available for 6 days. You can then take advantage of a ‘rest’ day, to be agreed upon at the start. This offer is particularly suited to our environment, where weather conditions aren’t always in our favour. For example, by booking 6 days, the guide will be available for 7 days total, so that we can decide together when to take a break. If you book 7 or 8 days, you can have up to 2 rest days.

ALL-INCLUSIVE DEAL

You can choose to book an activity-only package, or an all-inclusive deal. Accommodation can be arranged as hotel-only, mountain hut or a mixture of the two. More information below under ‘Prices‘.

Hut trip 1: PALE DI SAN MARTINO

ARRIVAL IN THE DOLOMITES

you arrange your own transport (by taxi or public transport) to Val Canali. Hotel accommodation in Cant del Gal or other hotels.

DAY 1

we will start off bright and early to tackle the 1000 metres ascent leading us to Pradidali mountain hut, a hike of around 3 hours. Once here, by the time we empty our rucksacks and take a break to fill-up it will be around 12 o’clock. However, with favorable weather conditions, we can make our way to nearby Torre Pradidali.

TORRE PRADIDALI, Franceschini-Fusai route, grade V, 150 metres. We will reach the base of this majestic isolated tower in around 25 minutes. A short climb on excellent rock, perfect for a day like this. After its ascent and descent, we will be at the hut again around 5 hours later, ready to enjoy our dinner.

DAY 2

CIMA WILMA, Castiglioni/Detassis route, grade V+, 300 metres. After a hearty breakfast, we’ll be ready to take on a new adventure. The approach to the base of this excellent route will take around 40 minutes. It runs partially over slabs, something very unusual at the time of the route opening. It will take around 4 hours to reach the top, after which we will start a complicated descent, taking us back to Pradidali hut in around 2 and a half hours.

Back down to the valley or…

DAY 3

CIMA CANALI, Buhl route, grade VI-, 430 + 250 metres. Today will be about the gem of this area and the main purpose of our trip: Buhl route, on beautiful and demanding Canali’s peak. Its line, right below the vertical falling from the peak, is an exposed vertigo dance on excellent rock. The route will demand around 6 hours and, after a well-deserved break on the top, we will start the descent and we will be back at the hut about 9 hours after the day started. It’s evening now and a hearty dinner will calm our stomachs and our souls.
Back down the valley or…

Back down to the valley or…

DAY 4

VELO DELLA MADONNA hut, Porton and Velo via ferratas. After yesterday’s efforts, a relatively relaxing day is in order: a late breakfast (7.30), a goodbye at the hut and another coffee and we will be ready to leave rifugio Pradidali at around 10.00. Today the plan is to move to rifugio Velo della Madonna along the Porton via ferrata, which will take us to the new hut in around 4 hours. Here the hosts are a nice young couple and they will make us feel at home in no time.

Back down to the valley or…

DAY 5: end of hut tour

CIMA DELLA MADONNA, Via Spigolo del Velo (Veil’s Edge route), grade V, 400 metres. This route is so famous to be considered THE classic in the entire Pale di San Martino mountain group. It really does deserve its fame, as the entire route is on absolutely perfect rock. The summit is very scenic and the descent, pretty exciting and never trivial, will take us back to the hut in around 2 hours. After a break we will start the long hike down to get back to the car and end our tour.

Hut trip 2: FALZAREGO PASS

ARRIVAL IN THE DOLOMITES

you arrange your own transport (by taxi or public transport) to Falzarego Pass.

This suggestion is markedly different from the previous one due to the easy access to our mountain hut, just next to the pass, by the national road leading from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Val Badia or val Fiorentina. We are trading a little seclusion for greater convenience: Col Gallina mountain hut is more akin to a little hotel than a hut and, rather than hike up burdened by heavy rucksacks, we can use their handy trolley service!
Once settled in, we just need to have dinner and start planning our first route of this tour.

DAY 1

TORRE GRANDE di FALZAREGO (Falzaregos’ Great Tower), Dibona route, route V-V+, 300 metres. For the sake of settling in and getting acquainted, the first day’s choice will be a great classic on this pass: Falzarego’s towers. A wide spectrum of routes will lead us some spiky peaks. Dibona route is a splendid one, on some nice slabs and with two very interesting final pitches. It will take us around 5 hours to feel the satisfaction of having reached the top, another hour will take us back to our “home”.

DAY 2

MONTE AVERAU, Alverà route, grade IV-IV+, 200 metres. The first half of the day is a great imposing peak over val Costeana to the north and val Fiorentina to the south. Alverà route is a classic and fairly well known itinerary on excellent rock, never too difficult but somehow more demanding in its second half, thus leading to a greater sense of achievement as we pass the summit cross, 3 hours since we started our climb. Around 1 and a half hours will take us back to the Col Gallina hut.

End of the tour or…

DAY3

TOFANA DI ROZES’ FIRST EDGE, grade V-V+, 430 metres. We’ll set the alarm clock pretty early for today. Just after a brief car journey we’ll park by Dibona hut. The Tofana di Rozes looks like a medieval fortress on top of some huge towers: the pillars. No wonder it’s the rockstar among Cortina’s rocky walls. We will set on for the approach hike and, in 50 minutes, we’ll be at the base of an edge that will take 4 hours to surmount. After 1 hour and 20 minutes of descent, we can enjoy a well deserved beer at the Dibona hut.

End of the tour or…

DAY 4

BEST-DAYS OFFER: Why not take advantage of it? Arms and legs will plead for mercy after 3 days of solid climbing! It’s the right time to enjoy a relaxing day, perhaps a stroll to a farm and have a nice lunch or a day shopping in Cortina. We will meet the Freedolomites guide again the day after, ready for another climb together.

DAY 5

NORTH LAGAZUOI, Drago route, grade V+, 280 metres. Today starts by taking the famous cable car taking us on top of ‘Little Lagazuoi’. This peak was the scene of strenuous fighting and colossal explosions during the 1916-1918 war. We can see its signs all around us during the brief hike taking us to the start of the route. This route manages to push through a smooth and almost “rejecting” wall by taking advantage of its weakest points. Rock is excellent, and we’ll be on the top in 5 hours.

End of the hut tour or…

DAY 6

CIMA DEL LAGO, Oglio dihedral route, grade IV-IV+, 350 + 50 metres. Another brief car journey will take us to Val Badia, a change of landscape, nevertheless incredibly beautiful.
The route we are going to tackle is another great classic on great rock. The only downside is the approach: an uphill hike lasting 1 hour 40 minutes. This effort is compensated by discovering the little charming alpine lake just by the start of the route.

End of the tour or…

DAY 7: end of hut trip

COL BOCCIA, Ghedina route, grade V, 200 metres: a not very well known climb in a spectacular environment. The approach takes us about an hour, the climb will take us between 3 and 4 hours. The summit is great and very scenic, definitely the best place with which to end this intense week. Now we are full of good vibs, it’s time to spend the last night in a confortable hotel and perhaps relaxing in a Sauna.