They can, however, be very useful when the weather is wet and cold, and they do protect hands against frayed cables. You might decide to keep a pair in your rucksack, where even a cheap pair of garden gloves may prove to be a useful accessory.
Refinements: An ice axe and crampons are suggested for several routes in this guide. A rope is another important accessory if climbing with someone with limited experience, and for some of the more demanding outings included in this guidebook. The authors favour carrying 20–30 metres of halfrope, a couple of tapes and a belay plate when climbing in such situations. A quick-draw can be useful when taking photographs and to facilitate a rest, for example in traffic jams or on unusually strenuous routes.
Cable Etiquette
The ferrata cables and their use can be a real debating topic. Some prefer to regard via ferratas as rock climbs which happen to have permanently fixed protection. Others simply haul themselves up the cable by dint of brute strength! Most of us are happy to make our own compromises between these two extremes, climbing without use of the cable where we feel comfortable, but using it for a boost when required. Until you have found your own point of compromise, try climbing with one hand on the cable, with the karabiner(s) sitting on top of the clenched fist and being slid up by it, and using your other hand to exploit natural holds in the rock.
Popular routes can get very busy, and sooner or later you will find yourself being pressed from behind – this feels rather like being ‘tailgated’ on a motorway! The perpetrators are not only being discourteous, they are also putting both of you at risk since, should the upper climber fall, he will probably take the lower climber with him. This would load the protection far beyond what it is designed to withstand. Therefore, observe this simple rule: do not clip into a length of cable until the climber above you has progressed to the next cable length.
What to Wear
In making your choice of what to wear, you should take into account not only the anticipated weather, but also the situation of the route you are doing – whether a big, remote mountain day or a short, easily accessible route. Travelling light and carrying a small pack makes for a more enjoyable day on the hill when the weather is warm and settled. However, never lose sight of the fact that you are in a high mountain environment, with the potential for sudden and dramatic changes in the weather. A warm, sunny day, with a temperature of 20°C, can quickly drop by 10° or more, and hail or snow can be encountered down to 2500m, even in high summer. Do take this into consideration when selecting your gear for your via ferrata day.
Accidents and Mountain Rescue
As in most mountain regions the police have responsibility for organising mountain rescue. If you are unlucky enough to be involved in an accident the emergency contact number for mountain rescue is 118 (see App.4)
Climbers on ridge to Cima Capi with Lake Garda below (RIVA 8)
Some History
This section outlines the military campaigns of the First World War which helped shape the landscape of the southern Dolomites and contributed significant features now incorporated in via ferrata routes. (Volume one of this guide goes into greater detail on the history of Italy and the Dolomite region.)
When Italy entered the Great War in 1915 it overestimated the strength of its old adversary, Austria. Its advance was thus slow and cautious, giving the Austrians time to consolidate their defences. Consequently, a fairly stable front line developed, running from the Swiss/Italian/Austrian border (at Stelvio pass) in the west to the Italian/Slovenian border in the east. The front line ran through the Riva, Rovereto, Trento, Vicenza and Bassano areas covered in this book.
Wartime tunnels on Sentiero Galli (ROVER 2) (photo: Meg Fletcher)
The western segment of the front, from the Stelvio pass to Lake Garda, was of little strategic importance, and had relatively small troop numbers. It was in the area east of Lake Garda, across the mountains and plateaux of the Piccole Dolomites, from Trento to Bassano, that most activity was seen (although the main battles were fought further to the east, along the present Slovenian/Italian border).
The relatively settled nature of the front line through the Piccole Dolomites was disturbed on two principal occasions. In May 1916, a major Austrian offensive was mounted, when their forces swept southwards over Val Sugana and temporarily occupied territory from Pasubio to Asiago and Monte Grappa. After a further period of relative stability, the Austrians launched an advance on the Asiago plateau, early in 1918, and crossed the Piave river. This failed, and proved to be the last significant Austrian offensive.
To learn more about the so-called mountain war, the internet site of the Great War Society (www.worldwar1.com/itafront/) is useful. Another excellent website is: www.cimeetrincee.it. Of the few English language books available, perhaps the most accessible is Battleground Europe (Italy): Asiago by F MacKay, in the Battleground Europe series. Museums can be found in several places, with those in San Michelle all’Adige, Trento, Rovereto and Fiera di Primiero being particularly worthwhile. Further details of museums in the area can be found in Guide to the Museums and Collections in Trentino, published by (and available free from) the APT, Trentino.
The Aftermath
Peace was cemented in 1919 by the treaty of San Germain, which established the national boundaries seen today. Territorially, Italy was a major beneficiary of the peace settlement. In addition to the whole of the Dolomite region, Italy also secured part of the Dalmation coast and the port of Trieste. Altogether, some 1.6 million new Italian citizens were acquired, many of whom could not speak Italian! Many families tell of older relatives who were born Austrian, but died Italian.
Despite their Italian nationality, the people of the northern Dolomites, including the Bolzano province, generally retain German as their first language, and demonstrate many expressions of their cultural traditions. Unsurprisingly, separatist sentiment can be found not far beneath the surface within the German-speaking community. To a degree these pressures were defused by the granting of special status to the Trentino–Alto Adige region. This has been reinforced by generous tax benefits and grant aid, cementing the position of the region as one of the richest in the country.
The ancient Ladin culture still survives in the northern Dolomites, and there are daily Ladin-language broadcasts from Bolzano (see volume 1 for more information). Interestingly some of the villages around Bolzano, west across to Paganella and the Brenta, speak their own variations of Ladin, unique to very small areas, such that you can encounter different spoken dialects even from village to village.
History of CAI and Rifugios
Prior to the First World War, mountain huts were built across the Alps, including the Sud Tyrol, by the then German and Austrian Alpine Club. When the Sud-Tyrol was absorbed into Italy, following the treaty of San Germain, these huts were taken over by the CAI, becoming rifugios. Sadly, many were subsequently destroyed or used by Italian soldiers in their attempts to stop insurgency, and from 1922 to 1973 the Austro/Italian border was effectively closed to climbers. Happily, since 1973 many huts have been rebuilt or renovated, and now provide an excellent network of facilities throughout the region.
Route plaque memorabilia Ferrata del Centenario SAT (RIVA 7)
Geology
