Brigata Tridentina

We had a later than planned start as we found out that the via ferrata that we had planned on doing was closed after we had driven to it, paid to park and started the walk in. Due to being in a stunning valley we decided to go for a short walk where we were, before heading back over the pass we had just driven over to do the Brigata Tridentina via ferrata which is a very popular via ferrata. We were hoping that with the late start we would be able to avoid the crowds, but it was not to be. Thankfully for most of the via ferrata there wasn’t too much queuing. The first section of via ferrata was fairly short and straightforward, apart from the wet rock. A hot walk in the sun lead us to the second section of via ferrata which was were all of the good climbing was. We quickly made our way up the impressive face, with lots of excellent scrambling on good rock with some exposure thrown in for good measure. Most of the climb was in the shade, which was no. Read the full article…

Piz da Lech

With thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon we wanted a quick morning out was in order. Just above where we are staying is a classic short via ferrata called Piz da Lech. After a quick amble into Corvara we took the two lifts up to near the start of the via ferrata. It had started to look cloudy, but after a quick discussion we decided that we probably had enough time to finish the via ferrata. The route was fantastic as the cable provided excellent protection but it was not necessary to use the cable, all of the moves could be done by climbing the rock. Towards the end of the via ferrata there was a short bridge over a steep gully and then some ladders up the steep final headwall. A short walk lead us to the summit where we were able to enjoy the contrasting views from the rocky high mountains to the lush green valleys below. After a fairly quick descent we were soon back at the lift station and were able to enjoy lunch in the sun with a stunning view of the dolomites. As it turned. Read the full article…

Via Delle Trincee / La Mesola

After a very wet first night in the Dolomites we woke up to a fantastic day so headed up for a classic via ferrata. We decided on Via Delle Trincee / La Mesola which is predominantly a ridge traverse which provided stunning positions and views of the Dolomites. The start of the route was the crux which provided a sharp warm up, this climbing quickly lead to amazing exposure and stunning views of the Dolomites. After the first section of via ferrata we found our first evidence of the WW1 heritage, in the form of a lookout tunnel and a traverse with evidence of old buildings and fixtures in the rock. A steep down climb lead to the end of the second section of via ferrata, and most of the good climbing. The final section was filled with history with numerous WW1 buildings and lots of tunnels. This was really interesting but it must have been a hard place to have served in the war. After navigating our way around the tunnels we soon came to the end of the via ferrata, and make a quick descent down to the. Read the full article…

Walking in the Western Lake District

At the beginning of July I headed up to the Lake District for a long birthday weekend, we spent the weekend with the Avon Mountaineering club in the beautiful but remote Duddon Valley before heading over to Eskdale on Sunday. On the first morning we woke up to a spectacular day, with almost wall to wall sunshine it doesn’t get much better in the Lake District. There was a reasonably cold wind, but this didn’t matter as we weren’t able to climb as Becky had broken her finger earlier in the week. We elected to walk the obvious circuit from the campsite which included most of the peaks around the Old Man of Conniston. The circuit was great, with a short walk up a track to a picturesk tarn before making an abrupt ascent up to the ridge which connects all of the peaks. Once we had gained most of the altitude the views were stunning in every direction. To the south west we could see down the Duddon valley and out to the sea, to the north we could see Scafell, Scafell Pike and Crinkle Crags and to the. Read the full article…