Blog Posts in Category: Via Ferrata

Ferrata Dell’Amiczia, Lake Garda

Alastair BegleyArco, Via Ferrata Short Link

With sore toes after our previous day in the Val di Ledro we decided to head for the scenic Ferrata Dell’Amiczia above Lake Garda. The walk in was fairly interesting with an old castle near the start and then ever changing views out over Lake Garda as we climbed higher. It was fairly hot and sticky on the walk in, so we were definitely glad to be early, especially as we passed a group of about 20 people at a hut on the way up who later headed up the via ferrata. The route itself was enjoyable due to the positions and the views out over Lake Garda, but as an actual via ferrata route it was nothing to rave about as it was all either easy Ferrata or long ladders, but we did know that before we set off. Our way up the route was lovely with no one in front of us slowing us down, nor anyone behind us making us rush. As we got to the top of the route we had to briefly wait for a team in front but this was only for the last. Read the full article…

2023 in 100 Photos

Alastair Begley100 Photos, Austria, Bavaria, Dolomites, General, Germany, Italy, Landscape, Mountaineering, Paragliding, Rock Climbing, Scrambling, Ski Touring, Skiing, Slovenia, Via Ferrata, Walking, Winter Walking Short Link

All to quickly it was once again the end of another year and time to reflect on the year. This year we really started to settle into our routine of living an hour from the Alps, with travel being much easier and having settled into Munich life, both professionally and socially. Unfortunately at the start of the year Becky had an accident and badly broke her wrist which was also misdiagnosed which delayed her recovery. This significantly impacted our year as we were unable to climb, klettersteig or ride our bikes for most of the year. The highlights of the year for me have to be Becky’s continued progression at skiing with her initial foray into ski touring, my ski mountaineering adventure on the Ruderhofspitze, my continued paragliding progression with my first flight over 100km, our wonderful holiday together to Slovenia and a beautiful walk near munich with a combination of snow&autumn colours. Winter Winter continued with lots of weekends away skiing with family, friends from the UK and friends from Munich, it seemed like we had a constant stream of visitors which as wonderful. Becky’s progression continued and she. Read the full article…

Ettore Bovero Via Ferrata

Alastair BegleyDolomites, Via Ferrata Short Link

With Becky needing to be in Brixen for an early evening train we needed to have a relatively short day. We ended up choosing the Ettore Bovero Via Ferrata, as we could park overnight at the start of the walk, the climb looked good and it wasn’t too long a day. In the morning when we set off it was very cold, and I misjudged the length of time we would be walking on the flat before we started the ascent to warm us up, which led to a pretty chilly walk down the valley. Thankfully when we got to the start of the ascent we quickly started to warm back up and were soon at the col before the path led us up to the start of the via ferrata. This was a very small path which weaved its way up an improbable looking route around cliffs and old military lookouts. We arrived at the start of the via ferrata in about book time, and quickly geared up to start the route. After the crowds on the day before, it was wonderful to have the entire route to ourselves. Read the full article…

Paternkofel – Innerkofler und Schartenweg Klettersteig

Alastair BegleyDolomites, Via Ferrata Short Link

I have been wanting to visit Tre Cime/Drei Zinnen for a while now, and a perfect weather weekend at the end of September seemed like the perfect time. We headed down to the Dolomites after work on Friday and could head straight to the Tre Cime car park as overnight parking is allowed. As we arrived were were blown away by the number of campervans that were already there, but we managed to find a nice space which was very flat and not boxed in by all of the other vans. My day started by waking up in time for sunrise, which was very enjoyable, if a tad cold first thing in the morning. The car park is really high at around 2300m which means that without much ascent you can be on the top of a pretty high mountain which makes the views outstandingly good. Our objective for the day was the Paternkofel, via the Innerkofler Klettersteig on the ascent, and the Schartenweg Klettersteig on the decent. This provided a longer day out than the standard route, avoided the scree gully which is described as unpleasant in the guidebook. Read the full article…

Prisank Fensterweg Klettersteig (Kopiščarjeva & Grebenska pot)

Alastair BegleySlovenia, Via Ferrata Short Link

On the summit of Mala Mojstrovka we were talking to some other people who recommended the Prisank Fensterweg, so the next day that is what we planned to do. We were very surprised when we arrived at the top of the Vršič pass at 7am to find that the car park was already full. Thankfully there was still space just above the lower car park, which didn’t add too much time onto our day. The route was an enjoyable way of climbing the mountain, but it was very busy, with lots of people who were not used to being on steep terrain with plenty of rocks around. The majority of the route was very easy, but there was a short crux which had a very long queue which climbed up a few chimneys before squeezing through a rift. We were soon approaching the end of the first klettersteig where we had to go through a massive window in the rock, which you can see from the valley. This section was not technically difficult at all, but there was a large queue to get out at the end of the route,. Read the full article…

Mala Mojstrovka Klettersteig (Hanzover pot)

Alastair BegleySlovenia, Via Ferrata Short Link

On our first day in Slovenia we decided to climb Mala Mojstrovka via the klettersteig up the north face (Hanzover pot). This was a relatively short day given the height of the summit, as the route starts from the Vršič pass at 1611m, if you are lucky enough to be able to park on the top. After a brief ascent from the car park, we soon reached a col which gave us a wonderful view of the north face, and our route. The route was a wonderful way of climbing the mountain, as it wound its way up thorough unlikely looking terrain, with outstanding views and really enjoyable scrambling on rock. It is not a route to do if you are looking for really well protected klettersteigs or technically difficult routes, but if you want a great day out in the mountains then I would highly recommend it. All too soon we arrived at the top of the klettersteig and emerged from the shady north face into the sun. It was a shame to have finished the klettersteig, however it was a relief to emerge into the warm sunlight. From. Read the full article…

Tegelbergsteig and Neuschwanstein Castle

Alastair BegleyBavaria, Via Ferrata Short Link

Due to a change in forecast, we had a last minute change of plan, and instead of heading to the Pongau/Pinzgau area, we ended up heading to the edge of the Allgäu, where Katherine and I climbed the Tegelbergsteig while Becky walked up due to her wrist, before we all descended back down via the Marienbrücke for the views over Neuschwanstein Castle. The ascent from the Tegelbergbahn is very steep up a concrete road straight out of the blocks, so you do not get a chance to properly acclimatise to the heat/humidity nor to warm up your legs. The route is always enjoyable, but unsurprisingly for a sunny Saturday there was lots of queuing on the route, and multiple groups with small children who were not having a particularly good time on the crux sections. As ever the route isn‘t that photogenic due to climbing a NW facing cliff, and therefore being in shadow for the majority of the day. Due to our queuing Becky had been waiting at the top for a while, so when we got off the Klettersteig, I had to try and keep up with Katherine. Read the full article…

2022 in 100 Photos

Alastair Begley100 Photos, Alpinism, Arco, Austria, Bavaria, Dolomites, General, Landscape, Paragliding, Road Cycling, Rock Climbing, Scrambling, Ski Touring, Skiing, Via Ferrata, Walking, Winter Climbing, Winter Walking Short Link

Thankfully 2022 was a more normal year than the previous two years, and our first full year with our new lifestyle living an hour from the Alps. A high point of the year was the number of visitors we were able to host, for skiing, walking, paragliding and climbing. We certainly made the most of living near the alps, with most weekends spend in the mountains one way or another. Winter Our winter was fairly dominated with piste skiing, where Becky progressed from tentatively skiing easy blue runs to confidently skiing red runs with the odd short black run as well! This was great to see and I am looking forward to her continued progression this year. Despite the focus on piste skiing we also squeezed some paragliding in and I managed to get 4 days of ski touring as well. General Through the winter we managed to squeeze in some paragliding, and on one of our final days of skiing of the year, I am managed to combine a morning skiing with my first proper cross country flight on my paraglider which was a very memorable experience, as I. Read the full article…