Mountain adventure itinerary

Product Code: VFEGMIT
Location: Italia:

THE EXPERIENCE:
With the “Via Ferrata”  prevails the image of one unique style of hiking. With the use of fixed cables, stemples, ladders and bridges you will be able to explore the beautiful mountains, bridges and enjoy the amazing scenery from a view few others would have experienced.

ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS:
Mountaineering is one sport closely dependant to whether conditions. It’s therefore advised to call the center on the morning. The telephone numbers will be supplied with the reservation. In case of cancellation of the experience for the bad weather the center will provide to reserve other date.

DURATION:
The duration varies from location to location. Usually the activity demands from half a day to one whole day.

NUMBERS:
Groups will be of a maximum of 3 people.

ADVISED CLOTHING:
It’s advised to wear warm and impermeable clothing. It’s necessary to agree with the guide the necessity to rent near the center suitable clothing.

AVAILABILITY:
The activity is available only in the summer months and exclusively if the weather conditions allow it.

LOCALITY:
Valle d'Aosta , Lombardia, Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto, Abruzzo.

	Description	Price Each	Quantity	Total
	Mountain adventure itinerary :		123456789
	EXPERIENCE TOTAL		50000pts

Fascinating Facts

A via ferrata (Italian for "iron road". Plural vie ferrate. In German, klettersteig) is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities. Walkers and climbers can follow via ferratas without needing to use their own ropes and belays, and without the risks associated with unprotected scrambling and climbing. They are found in a number of European countries, including Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland and Spain; and a few places in the United States (such as Waterfall Canyon east of Ogden, Utah, West Virginia) and Canada (such as Mount Syphax). The first via ferratas were built in the Dolomite mountain region of Italy during the First World War, to aid the movement of mountain infantry. The Dolomites probably still have the greatest number of via ferrata.

In 1914 the Dolomites were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austria was part of the Central Powers during the First World War. In 1915, Italy joined the alliance of Britain, France and Russia and declared war on the Central Empires. Austria’s troops were heavily committed in Russia and it immediately withdrew to a defensive line which ran through the Dolomites. Until the end of 1917 the Austrians and the Italians fought a ferocious war in the mountains of the Dolomites; not only against each other but also against the hostile conditions. In the particularly cold winter of 1916 thousands of troops died of cold, falls or avalanches. At least 60,000 troops died in avalanches during the war[citation needed]. Both sides tried to gain control of the peaks to site observation posts and field guns. To help troops to move about at high altitude in very difficult conditions permanent lines were fixed to rock faces and ladders were installed so that troops could ascend steep faces. These were the first via ferrata.

Trenches, dugouts and other relics of the First World War can be found alongside many via ferrata. There is an extensive open air museum on 5 Torri, and around Lagazuoi, where very heavy fighting took place.

That wartime network of via ferrata has been restored and many new routes have been added. Steel cables have replaced the ropes, and iron ladders and stemples, that are metal rungs fixed into the rock, have taken the place of the flimsy wooden constructions which were used by the troops. These aids are now maintained by the Italian Alpine Club (Club Alpino Italiano or CAI). There is also an extensive network of mountain refuges, many of which provide accommodation. It is possible to traverse large parts of the Dolomites at high altitudes using ordinary paths and via ferrata, and staying overnight in refuges. In winter, many travel to the Dolomites to ski and this has resulted in the construction of many hotels in the valleys, along with a lot of ski lifts, the larger of which are open during the summer to provide fast access to high level routes.