FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Via Ferrata

Another day, another adventure. It was via ferrata time. The via ferrata originated roughly around the first world war in the Dolomites to aid troop and supplies movement around the mountains, thus most are found in Italy and Austria. However, they are now found in other Alpine areas. They are essentially a climbing route using the aid of steel cables and rungs affixed to the rock wall. The climber would then attach themselves using 2 cables and a harness.

We had organised our 2 day mini adventure to include an overnight rifugio stay, and a guide as we were absolute beginners with minimal climbing experience of ANY sort. We had to pack all our gear into a backpack which we had to carry at all times. This included our harness and helmet, clothes and toiletries for the overnight stay, as well as sunscreen water and snacks for the climbs/hikes. Manuela picked us up and introduced us to Luca, our mountain guide. We had Luca as our ski safari guide a few years back and we were glad to see him again! He brought the equipment required for the via ferrata. Manuela, the gem that she was sure, made sure we had water and snacks for our adventure. She then dropped us off at the base of the Pie Tofana chairlift, and hung on to our large suitcases for safekeeping.

Base of the chairlift

Blissfully unaware of what is to come

Once at the top, Luca took us to the hunk of rock that was the "baby" via ferrata course. First up, he went through how to properly fit our equipment, how to use our equipment, and general safety on the mountain. Then he went through basic climbing techniques followed by specific dos and don'ts. Finally, we did a practice session on the ground. By this stage the head was spinning from concentration. When the sight of the first cables hit our line of vision, we all did a double take. Uh...that's beginner?!? We would be lying if we didn't admit that at this point we were all wondering why we were voluntarily agreeing to do this. The rockwall seemed almost vertical! The first 10-15 minutes were confronting and we were pushed well out of our comfort zones. We had a lot of think about technically, as well as getting over the fear of falling from great heights. After a while, when we got into a rhythm, it got progressively more relaxing and we were able to have fun and enjoy the scenery around us.

The "baby" via ferrata. Take note of the lower "bridge" across the crevice, and note its size...then compare it to the size of a human in my later photos to get a sense of how high this rock is!

Vertical

Starting to relax

Said first bridge

Resting at the very top. Our AWESOME guide Luca!

What a view to admire while resting

Yes we were very high up and just had footholds not ledges to stand on

After our first climb, it was lunchtime! We hiked up the mountain towards our home for the night, Rifugio Pomedes, to check in, dump unnecessary gear, and refuel for our next climb. Our rifugio had a spectacular vista of the surrounding mountains. Luca pointed the course that was the women's slalom in the upcoming winter Olympics games, as well as other famous landmarks. The second climb was infinitely less nerve wrecking than the first as by then we were thinking less, and just enjoying the climb itself. The sense of achievement in reaching the summit, albeit only on the baby courses was amazing!

Halfway through, Luca said we had to keep moving as the clouds were moving faster than expected. Lo and behold, about 15 minutes after arriving at our cozy rifugio, the rain and hail came. It passed through within a few hours but the clouds had not moved enough to give a good sunset. We had a lovely dinner chatting to Luca, hearing about his incredible adventures worldwide and discussing our options for when we hike DIY in a couple of days. He also did warn us that we may have to play things by ear tomorrow with regard to our hiking and climbing route because of the weather. No problems Luca! What do we know anyway...we'll just follow!

In case anyone is interested, the two via ferrata that we did today were Ra Pegna and Ra Bujela, described as "suitable for beginners and children". Yay us!