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Crag & Route Beta

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Dolomites

bones

30-Nov-2010
11:39:36 AM

I have the book Dolomiti - Arrampicare in Val Gardena
(Did a quick google search for it and found a pic on this link
http://www.dolomitesclimbing.com/climbingglossary.php)
Its in italian but a bit of lingo translation made it very usable. It covered all the classic (and crowded) trad and most of the decent sport climbing in a wide area around Val Gardena (inc Sella, Marmolada).

There was also a great guidebook in german that seemed to fully cover the Cortina area including tre cima and civetta, but I forget the name

bones

30-Nov-2010
11:41:12 AM

On 30/11/2010 One Day Hero wrote:
If the one I did was anything
>to go by, multipitch sport is the awesomest secret of the doli's.

Yep - 25 pitch sport routes that finish at a refugio. Priceless.

One Day Hero

30-Nov-2010
11:50:03 AM

On 30/11/2010 bones wrote:
>
>Yep - 25 pitch sport routes that finish at a refugio. Priceless.

Holy crap, where did you do that?!? Ta for the guidebook tip, will search it out.

Cam McKenzie

30-Nov-2010
11:50:29 AM

There are a couple of long bolted routes listed here.

http://www.guidedolomiti.com/eng/bolted_multi-pitch_routes.html

One Day Hero

30-Nov-2010
12:10:26 PM

Cool Cam, that stuff all looks good.

Hey, anyone have time for a bit of baseless slander? (seeing the Dibona name on some of those routes has reminded me)

I think it was that Dibona guy, definitely some son (or grandson) of a doli's big name, came to Cortina and gave a slide show of his adventures. It all looked a bit pissweak and we suspected he was riding the coattails of his dads fame........anyway, next day was drizzly and we went up to Cinque Torre. The dude was there with his groupies, and sure enough he sucked on the rock! Who knows, maybe was up all night getting blow jobs.....but it seemed a bit wierd how he carried on like a major hard-hitter, then couldn't redpoint a 22 at his local crag?!?

Cam McKenzie

30-Nov-2010
12:19:03 PM

On 30/11/2010 One Day Hero wrote:
>On 30/11/2010 bones wrote:
>>
>>Yep - 25 pitch sport routes that finish at a refugio. Priceless.
>
>Holy crap, where did you do that?!? Ta for the guidebook tip, will search
>it out.

Bloody good question, where did you do that? Sounds like a fun day out.

bones

30-Nov-2010
1:25:29 PM

On 30/11/2010 Cam McKenzie wrote:
>On 30/11/2010 One Day Hero wrote:
>>On 30/11/2010 bones wrote:
>>>
>>>Yep - 25 pitch sport routes that finish at a refugio. Priceless.
>>
>>Holy crap, where did you do that?!? Ta for the guidebook tip, will search
>>it out.
>
>Bloody good question, where did you do that? Sounds like a fun day out.

Its also a Dibona route - up the sella near passo pordoi. I'll have to check the guidebook for the actual name. I might even be able to put up the topo if I get a chance to scan it at work. It's not really a sport route - you need some trad gear - but there's plently of bolts and pitons and the belays are all bolted.
There are two easy-ish lines up the same 800m face. This guy did the other one
http://www.summitpost.org/sass-pordoi-the-fedele-dibona/565724

Sadly in my 6 months there I never got the chance to climb it. By the time I felt strong enough to attempt it the weather had deteriorated.

rod

30-Nov-2010
5:46:03 PM

you'll find this useful: http://www.viaferrata.org/

funny to see someone getting so excited over the prospect of 25 pitch sport routes, i guess you get a bit blasé after a while.

Cam McKenzie

1-Dec-2010
8:09:43 AM

Thanks for all the input guys, lots of good stuff to look into.

As for getting excited by 25 pitch sport routes, coming from Australia I'm excited about climbing 10 pitch routes, let alone 25 pitch ones. The fact that I don't have to walk for 2 days into remote south west Tassie makes it even better.

Wendy

1-Dec-2010
8:54:39 AM

I didn't actually get any climbing done in the Dolomites because the weather was crap and we retreated to Arco, but I'm struggling to see how it works as a family friendly climbing venue. Actually, most of the post so far successfully put me off bothering to go back there! Bad weather, bad rock, hoards of people, blah ... there's plenty of equally beautiful climbing areas without these things.

But back on my family friendly questions - have you given a thought to finding child friendly cragging, climbing partners or babysitters? I am struggling to think of anywhere with good trad in Europe that is convenient for these things. Cham has a central point for finding other climbers, child friendly cragging (although it is abjectly crap and not what you'd go there for), awesome trad routes on fantastic rock (and equally crap rock in other places), but they usually involve expensive teleferiques for day trips or glacier travel with child in tow to a hut. You can keep the snow and ice nonsense to a minimum - i certainly did. But I certainly wouldn't say it was a family friendly destination.

hmm ... where in the alps might be ... I certainly did a lot of easy access long routes in Switzerland (mostly bolted) and there's potential family cragging around, but finding climbing partners still is a problem with no main crag or camping area. And if you're not camping, there could be a lot of driving involved. Maybe the val d'aoste, or the val d'orco? Both quite warm in summer, and still that climbing partner question - but there are popular single pitch crags you might meet people at and get some family friendly climbing don in the meanwhile. Ditto Val di mello, which also has extensive bouldering in a seriously nice spot. I wasn't that sold of the climbing there and think the bouldering is probably the best bit. And there's that valley out of Briançon whose name is escaping me at the moment. I loved Cosica, and you might be able to find a climbing partner at one of the sport crags in le restonica (which are fine for kids and the best granite sport climbing i've done), or the campground nearest the crags for the big routes.

But overall, the 2 places that jump out at me for ease of management and good climbing are Tarn and Finale. Yup, they are sport. But they are pretty, loads of climbing, plenty of opportunities to hook up with other climbers and there are other families at the crag. They even have some long bolted stuff.

For an ease of management trad climbing holiday, I'd go to the states. The valley, the creek and red rocks would all probably work out and rockclimbing.com seemed to work for Jac finding climbing partners all over the states.

Cam McKenzie

1-Dec-2010
10:48:34 AM

Thanks for the ideas Wendy,
We have plenty of mates who are keen to come and visit while we're over there, so climbing partners shouldn't be a big deal. Also, the both our sets of parents are keen to come over and baby sit so we'll get a bit of time climbing together also.
cheers

One Day Hero

2-Dec-2010
1:54:27 AM

On 1/12/2010 Wendy wrote:
>Actually, most of the post so far
>successfully put me off bothering to go back there! Bad weather, bad rock,
>hoards of people, blah ... there's plenty of equally beautiful climbing
>areas without these things.

Nope, I reckon the doli's are the most beautiful mountains I've ever seen.......not that its a competition. You'd have to be neutered and sedated to not wanna climb those things when you see them
>
>Ditto Val di mello, which also
>has extensive bouldering in a seriously nice spot. I wasn't that sold
>of the climbing there and think the bouldering is probably the best bit.

Are you kidding? Who would bother with pebble wrestling when all those amazing routes are around?

> I loved Cosica, and you might be able to find a climbing partner
>at one of the sport crags in le restonica (which are fine for kids and
>the best granite sport climbing i've done), or the campground nearest the
>crags for the big routes.

I might have to hit you up for some beta on Corsica, Wendy. What time of year did you go? What style of climbing is this restroomica place? I haven't talked to anyone who's been there...........except this guy I climbed with at Taipan, he was from there!........but you couldn't understand anything he said, and he was totally bonkers.

Wendy

2-Dec-2010
7:46:47 AM

On 2/12/2010 One Day Hero wrote:

>>
>>Ditto Val di mello, which also
>>has extensive bouldering in a seriously nice spot. I wasn't that sold
>>of the climbing there and think the bouldering is probably the best bit.
>
>Are you kidding? Who would bother with pebble wrestling when all those
>amazing routes are around?

We were blessed with some of the worst weather across the entirity of Switzerland and Italy that week so we probably didn't get to do it justice. We rented a caravan in an atempt to stay sane and sit it out. But thought the sport climbing was too slabby - aside from my general distaste for slabs, what's the point of sport climbing if not to be steep and totally trash you? Actually, the whole valley has too much slab for me! No interest in doing big slab routes either. Eventually we got a half decent day and Kate and I sent Anthony bouldering whilst we did Kundalini and weren't that impressed. Wandery, vegetated. Actually, the last pitch was cool. that's 1 of 10. Then the weather crapped out again and we ran away.

>
>> I loved Cosica, and you might be able to find a climbing partner
>>at one of the sport crags in le restonica (which are fine for kids and
>>the best granite sport climbing i've done), or the campground nearest
>the
>>crags for the big routes.
>
>I might have to hit you up for some beta on Corsica, Wendy. What time
>of year did you go? What style of climbing is this restroomica place? I
>haven't talked to anyone who's been there...........except this guy I climbed
>with at Taipan, he was from there!........but you couldn't understand anything
>he said, and he was totally bonkers.

Corsica was bloody awesome. we were there in July, but in the mountains around Corte, so it was fine. le restonica is steep, featured, granite sport, very cool, at the end of the valley are some long granite things above some alpine lakes, a bit slabby, boo hiss, but the valley before that we did some long cracky stuff. didn't have time to get to the other main climbing area, col de bavella. I've got the coronn guide to it somewhere, i'll see if it's small enough to mail, but you can get better guides over there.

One Day Hero

2-Dec-2010
5:56:52 PM

Cool Wendy, it sounds like a really good combo of climbing and holiday. Sweet that it isn't too hot in mid-summer. So much stuff to climb in europe!

james

2-Dec-2010
8:59:31 PM

>After being snowed out on my first trip there in late summer - I returned
>in August a few years later - and got snowed out again. I'd probably be
>a lot more psyched if I we had better weather! If you like adventure (which
>is sounds like you do) you'll love it. I'm quite sure i'll go back there
>one day but will plan for a longer period of time so I'm not at the whim
>of the weather gods

>Don't under estimate how hot it can be in Europe in summer! The same trip
>we were battling snow in the Dolomites we were baking in 35'C++ temps at
>Verdon. That's the awesome thing about Europe - you can really use the
>altitude to your advantage.

Neil everything bad you say about the Dolomites is just what every newbie says their first trip to real mountains which is weird because you've climbed in big mountains enough before...

You just have to be smart about about climbing in the big mountains, & have a little luck. Reading this thread makes me wish I was going to the dolomites!


nmonteith

2-Dec-2010
10:12:08 PM

On 2/12/2010 james wrote:
>Neil everything bad you say about the Dolomites is just what every newbie
>says their first trip to real mountains which is weird because you've climbed
>in big mountains enough before...

Ha! Probably because i'm bitter because the last few trips i've been on have been majorly curtailed because of shit weather in the mountains. Nothing more annoying than gloating over guidebooks for months in advance then turning up to totally shithouse weather (ie Tuolume Meadows a few months ago!). Oh well. I still think that North America offers much better pure trad climbing, especially if you like variety. Dolomites is an an awesome place though.

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