Dolomiti Archives - Climbing coaching Klemen Bečan

22.08.2023

Summer time in Dolomites with family part 3

Active holidays in the Dolomites, climbing, and hiking

Rock climbing in the region of Cortina d’Ampezzo

I promised a blog post about climbing in the Dolomites in summer. This time I am writing about climbing in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Cortina is situated even further north of Agordo and Belluno and it’s still in Veneto province. Around this little town there are beautiful mountains with the most popular climbing with trad and sport multi-pitch routes in Tofana di Rozes, Tre Cime, Cinque Torri, Picolo Lagazoi, and Lastoni di Formin.

There are also very good crags with single-pitch routes, some hidden in the forest or situated high up in the mountains which are perfect for summer . And what kind of rock is there? It’s Dolomite with a very good quality of stone. Climbing in this region is usually on very nice slabs, or vertical technical routes, and some steep or even overhanging routes with nice shiny pockets of crystals , so basically there is very good friction for climbing.

A few crags we climb;

1.Volpera crag is located 5 kilometers north of the town of Cortina. There are big boulders spread out over the forest with different styles of climbing. You can climb on very steep short routes with pockets or very long routes, mostly face climbing on good holds and crimps. One sector was even possible to climb in the rain.

A similar crag is 2.Campo, which is basically in the same forest, just parking is in a different location and the approach is from below, within 7 minutes from the parking lot.

Hiking day; There is not just about climbing in the Dolomites. Mountains offer lots of hiking trails, which are perfect to hike for all kinds of goals. And with a little kid it is perfect to go with a cable car and then hike on high mountains. We choose the mountain Lagazuoi, where the cable car runs from Passo Falzarego and goes on 2700m, and from there, you walk to the top for about 20 min, and it’s the perfect walk with kids and families.

3.Crepe de Oucera Basse is a vertical wall with lots of routes graded 5a and 7b, most of the routes are 6b-6c, 30 – 40meters high. Easy 5 minutes approach and you get in one of the best crags in Dolomites for these grades. It’s northeast, so it’s perfect for a summer climbing spot. The routes are amazing, with pockets, crimps, juggs and great friction gives you lots of endurance training. A little bit further is 4.Crepe de Oucera Alta, which has longer and more steep routes, up to 8b+. The wall is south-orientated, so late afternoon is already in the shade, and at an altitude of 1700m. The routes here are very technical and a bit hard.

Crepe de Oucere Basse.

Crepe de Oucere Alta

A very nice and beautiful spot to visit is the heart of the area is 5.Cinque Torri, which is also great to hike around these towers. On these towers, there are sectors with single-pith routes and multi-pitch routes as well. Routes are a bit sharp and more alpine style but worth visiting, climbing, and enjoying the view of the mountains. It’s one of the best views in Dolomites from towers and climbing there is just a unique experience. The only downside is, that you must walk or take a cable car, or even a taxi from lower parking. You still can drive up with the small car but between 9:30-15:30 the road is closed, which makes sense because there is not much parking space above.

Cinque torri

Cinque torri -Massi west face

Torri Latina in Cinque torri

Cinque torri

Dolomiti mountains, Cinque torre. — the view on Cinque Torri.

Cinque torri -Massi west face

Cinque torri -Torri Grande west face

In this region, we must mention the crag 6.Piccolo Lagazuoi and 7.Sass de Stria, with beautiful routes for beginners and gives you the real feeling that you are climbing in big mountains, even if there are only single-pitch routes. There are a few crags around Passo Valparola, like Salares, and Sestas, which we must visit for our next trip. These crags are at an altitude of more than 2000 m, so the weather forecast must be stable to visit these sectors.

Sass de Stria

Sass de Stria-east face

There are a few crags 25 minutes from Cortina which is in Valley Pusteria, direction north. The most attractive are 8.Franchi and 9.Landro Classic. These sectors are also good with a child, with a shorter approach and flat under the wall.

Leandro classic sector

Leandro classic

Rest days ;

So you have a few suggestions for summer in Dolomites. For the rest of the days we visited Tre Cime, then Mondo Bimbo for the most attractive playground for kids with the longest slide in the world , then Earth pyramids of Platten within 1hour from Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Tre Cime

Mondo Bimbo in Valdaora

The longest slide in Mondo Bimbo.

Earth pyramids of Platten.

Posted by Klemen Bečan Climbing Climbing destination Cortina d'Ampezzo Dolomiti

20.09.2022

Summer time in Dolomites with family part 2

Active holidays in Dolomites, climbing, and hiking

Monte Agner in Agordino region. — Monte Agner.

Climbing in the province of Belluno

Rock climbing in Dolomiti Agordino

This time I will talk about climbing in the Agordino area. From Belluno heading northwest towards Agordo is about a 20min drive. This place is good to visit in the full summer heat because is higher and it’s in mountains. There is Agordo- a small town situated in the province of Belluno. In Agordo on Wednesdays, there is a market day, which makes the town alive and colourful.

And what about climbing there? For me, I would say that is the best region for climbing in summer. There are very good crags with very good quality rock, climbing on limestone and dolomite rock for everyone. One of the best climbing crags for families and beginners is Laghetti. Laghetti has two big boulders, which you can walk around it and there are everywhere routes. It is located near village Frassene with a 1 min approach and flat base for belay. There is a little river strim to cool your drinks or feet. This crag is perfect for kids where they can play on grass and it’s easy for parents to climb all day. Even with the full sun on the crag, the air is fresh, so we were still climbing on sunny days. The most interesting climbing routes are on the south face, and on the north face there are hard and a bit humid rock.

Climbing in Laghetti, nera Agner mountain. — Laghetti crag with lots of easy routes, but also there is 8a on the north side.

For the rest day, we choose instead for a yoga session, we went hiking in mountains, basically to Refuge Scarpa, which is under mountain Agner. It was a sunny day, with nice fresh air. The path is quite steep, so we walked all day and enjoyed the mountains. By the side of the path, there are many forest strawberries and raspberries. It was great to eat them on the way up and down. Aron, our 2 and half-year-old son almost did it on his own, going up and down, he wanted that way. He loves to be in nature and walk.

Next stop we visited crag Caleda. This crag is on the other side of mountain Moiazza, located in the woods. Climbing in Caleda is just great. Climbing is on steep sharp rock with super nice routes with crimps and pockets. In Caleda we enjoyed routes from 6a up to 8a+. And the shade is until 1 pm. Climbing there gives you a mountaineer atmosphere with calm and beautiful nature. Close by there is another crag called La Pera, with similar climbing to Caleda, just a bit easier crag, and less approach. Very good for families too.

The next two climbing areas are one of the best crags around Agordo with beautiful landscapes and great rock. One is Laste ; the largest crag in the valley. Laste has numerous routes on a huge boulder that stand on the grassy plateau by the forest. The most gorgeous from this crag is the view of mountain Civetta. A bit higher from Laste or on the way to Marmolada-Passo Fedaia there are sectors Malga Ciapela, Bosco Verde, and Capanna Bill. All three are special. Malga Ciapela is another small crag in the forest with a very steep wall full of pockets, so athletic climbing is essential. Bosco Verde is a very overhanging wall, so rainy days are an option to climb there. And Capanna Bill is located just a few curves before Passo Fedaia, and the crag is visible from the road. It has an incredible vertical greyish and orange rock. In Capannna Bill you will find quite technical routes medium grades and harder routes on the left overhanging wall with a few tufas. Marmolada has a very good quality rock and crags underneath as well.

Driving towards Passo Falzarego there is a crag Andraz-Sass de Beita consisting of a few big blocks. This crag is located at 1800 m altitude, so it’s perfect for hot summer. We were climbing on pleasant dolomite rock. On the north side of the boulder, there are technical routes on the steep wall. On south faces, there are very nice long easy routes for beginners. There are also hard routes on the overhanging blocks. Andraz is one of the sectors suitable for families with kids. Agordino region has 13 crags all together with great climbing, some are them in the forests, some are them are big boulders, visible from far away and it’s incredible to spend summer in this area. Next time we will describe climbing around Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Written by Anja.

Posted by Klemen Bečan Agordino Climbing Climbing destination Dolomiti

10.09.2022

Summer time in Dolomites with family part 1

Active holidays in the Dolomites, climbing, and hiking

Casso village in Italy. — Casso village, above Erto crag.

Regional parks like Dolomiti Bellunesi national park are located in the Dolomites. Dolomites are declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Where and when to visit the Dolomites?

The answer is simple, whenever. You just need to know what you wanna do. Winter is mystical with its snow and calm beauty, then is spring, when nature awakens, in summer is great to be in higher mountains to enjoy fresh air, and in autumn nature is calming down. This year we visited the Dolomites in late spring and summer. If we talk about the Dolomites, there is not just Cortina de Ampezzo, but also other mountains and valleys. The Dolomites are located in the regions of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol and Friuli Venezia Giulia and area is covering between provinces Belluno, Vicenza, Verona, Trentino, South Tyrol, Udine and Pordenone. So our first stop was in the province of Belluno, which we discovered two years ago. After Belluno, we were climbing in South Tyrol. Other regions we will explore in the following years.

Climbing in the province of Belluno

Rock climbing in Dolomiti Bellunesi

Our choice of region Belluno was based on our short time for travel from home to Slovenia. Only 2 hours and a half drive from home we are in the province of Belluno, where the Dolomites rise up from river Piava. The Belluno region has many valleys, mountains, rivers, and small crags in the woods.

Those crags have very nice routes, for everyone we can find something. The type of rock is mostly limestone, and each crag has its specialty. Erto crag is one of the most famous and historical crags in the world with a super overhang orange wall, and by the side of the ˝Big sector˝, there are many easy routes on a solid grey rock- ˝No big sector˝.

Erto, ˝No big˝ sector on the right. The largest sector is Casso, which is above Erto crag which the wall looks on the main road towards Cortina. In Casso is good to go in the morning, when the wall is in the shade. The approach is very pleasant on flat ground, in 20 minutes you arrive at the first sector. Climbing in Casso is very good, mostly on the grey wall, with different styles, ranging from steep roofs with tufas to vertical climbs.

On the opposite side of Casso, there is a Podenzoi crag, which is a good climbing wall for long-sleepers like us. We are very easy in the mornings, so afternoon crags are perfect for us. This crag is just perfect for me, where I can climb on the great solid rock with super nice warm-up routes like 6a and 6b, then you try very nice challenging routes on slightly overhanging with jugs, technical climbing, and tufas. It’s just amazing to climb here. In every route, you must climb committed. There is no easy grading. But this is not important. The best is to enjoy it. :=)

Erto crag, the ˝Big sector˝ with old-school classic hardcore routes.

Gallina with the refreshing river at bottom of the walls.

Podenzoi is located next to Longarone village, where you can find a good pizzeria and ice cream. On a very hot summer day, we went to crag Mae, which is next to the river. This Mae has only 7 routes with intense climbing, and it’s just perfect for climbing and swimming on the spot. There is a bit steep downhill approach but is worth it to visit this place. If you are kind of stuck in the Longarone village, there is a small crag, called Malcolm. In the middle of Longarone where you can try some medium and hard stuff. There are a few crags around Longarone village and it’s a good starting point for climbing and hiking.

Val Gallina multi-pitch. Very beautiful wall.

A few kilometers south of Longarone there is crag Val Gallina. The wall is hidden from the main road and it’s a beautiful piece of rock with some sport, multi-pitch, and via ferrata routes. Gallina is perfect for enjoying the peace and cooling in a small river with a combination of climbing and picnic day. Rock climbing is very similar to Dolomite rock and you can get a bit of mountainous terrain. Via ferratas are just great to have good exercise for a rest day.

If you wanna have mountain experiences with very solid climbing on grey slaby limestone, Dolada mountain is a perfect choice. From Dolada you admire a wonderful view of lake Santa Croce.

And few sectors are hidden around the lake Santa Croce. One of the best sectors near the lake is Fadalto Basso, which originally belongs to the province of Treviso. In Fadalto we were climbing on vertical and slightly overhanging routes with tufas and technical climbing. I would say, that they were quite hard for grades and very technical. Fadalto is not the easiest crag at all. In 6b routes, you need to work hard. It felt harder than 7a in Greece.:=)

Two more crags I will describe in a post. One is close to Belluno city, it’s called Ceresera and another close to Sedico is Le Rosse. Ceresera is hidden in the woods, and the wall is mostly overhanging, there are not much easier routes but very nice steep 6b-is, with good jugy routes and very interesting rock.

Not far from Belluno, near village Sedico there is Le Rosse with vertical and technical routes, mostly 6a, 6a+, and 6b in sector Archi. In another sector Cave is more or less the same style, just a bit harder. This sector is very good for practicing foot techniques on a solid crimpy rock.

Waterfall Cornolade, near lake Santa Croce.

We visited other crags which are also in the guide book, but some of them were very hard to find, and after 1 hour of searching we didn’t satisfy our expectations. Sometimes we were looking for one crag and then found something else. Perhaps someone bolted something and left it or…I don’t know. We find crags everywhere and a lot. And it’s a bit funny for us and fun. Rocks around Belluno are one of the best rocks in a small area with great climbing in beautiful mountains and valleys. Next time, I will talk about rocks around Agordo.

Written by Anja.