7th September 2015

Val di Nicolo

I Magnifici Quatro  – VF 6b

This Via Ferrata has the reputation of being one of the hardest in the dolomites, so it was with some trepidation that we all arrived in the lower part of the Val di Nicolo.

It lies nearer the base and therefore is not so weather prone, but it still has grandeur. A big block of limestone towering above the road leading to the head of the valley.

One big advantge is that the walk in is fairly short (but steep) so its after about 20 minutes that you arrive in a shady niche at the base of a massive chimney/crack /split thing. However you describe it, the bottom is dusty and the wires head straight off into steep territory.

It is harder than any of the others we did on the trip, but actually is a real pleasure to climb. For the most part it is wire hauling, but this is fun and some of the situations you find yourself in are dramatic and exposed.

The main event is of course the rising traverse, but this has foot rails which I think make it a lot easier than I was led to believe. That said you need to warm up your arms and commit. Great fun though.

There is a part where you walk to connect to the next section and this makes for a cool change of scenary.Then its back onto the route building to some steep sections near the end.

A great Via Ferrata and I can see why someone put this in even though it is a modern route. It’s a fitting dedication to the 4 guides who tragically died in this region. An honour to be a part of…

Heres the highlights-

Magnifici Quatro – The Highlights from Ian on Vimeo.