Seal of Approval: A Tour of South Tyrol’s Dolomite Mountains. by Alf Alderson
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Only slightly less amazing than the mountain panoramas of the South Tyrol’s Dolomites is the fact that these glorious pale yellow and orange peaks, which transform to beautiful warm shades of mauve, pink and purple every dawn and dusk, have only just been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What on earth was Mr Unesco thinking, waiting so long to give them the seal of approval?
Still, now they rightfully rank alongside the likes of the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier Reef as one of the world’s great natural wonders and as such will no doubt be inundated with British tourists. Or perhaps not…
For at present only two per cent of visitors to the ‘Sud Tyrol’ region of northern Italy is from the UK, so if you like your mountains free of the echo of English voices this is the place to head for. And since the region has a Mediterranean climate then shorts, t-shirts and suncream are the most vital bits of summer gear you’ll need besides your outdoor kit.
Stepping Out
There are over 13,000km of hiking trails in the area, which should keep you going for a while…Footpaths such as the Langkofelrunde path on the alpine pastures of the Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm (note that the region uses both Italian and German freely as well as a third indigenous language, Ladin) provide a superb walk around some of the highest peaks in the Dolomites, whilst less demanding trails can be found along the irrigation channels (known as ‘waalwege’) in the Val Venosta, which take you through orchard slopes and chestnut woods and in one instance past Juval Castle, the summer home of world famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner.
I had a great – and easy - day out in the South Tyrol late one summer with a local mountain guide which involved little more than ambling along and chewing the fat whilst the massive crag of 3225m Tofana de Mezzo above Cortina d’Ampezzo loomed over us.
We were following an easy route which traversed slopes I was to ski down the following winter and had its own remarkable history attached. For this was a trail used by troops of the Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces which fought in these mountains during the First World War, and remarkably there were still the remains of tin cans and barbed wire from the hostilities in places alongside the footpath.
Iron Man
This was the precursor to mountain action of a slightly more strenuous nature, and something that’s as fundamental to any visit to the Dolomites as surfing in California or bungy jumping in New Zealand – tackling a via ferrata. Via ferrata translates as ‘iron way’, which refers to the iron rungs and ladders and steel hawsers that provide ‘protection’ on these airy mountain scrambles and climbs.
Clipped onto the hawser via a carabiner, a short length of rope and a climbing harness, vie ferrrate allow you to enjoy the kind of drama and exposure that is normally reserved only for experienced mountaineers and climbers – it’s not at all unusual to find yourself clinging to a narrow rock shelf or a series of iron rungs with a drop of several hundred feet beneath you, whilst all around are inspirational views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers.
They routes are graded so you don’t end up biting off more than you can chew, from ‘A’ (which any adventurous 10-year-old will cope with) to ‘G’ (good climbing skills necessary).
I tackled a variety of routes, from the relatively easy 440-metre grade ‘D’ Via Ferrata Brigata Tridentina on the Sella massif above the attractive little town of Corvara to the considerably more challenging - if shorter - 240 metre ascent to the summit of 2908-metre Piz da Lec, also towering above Corvara, which was my base for the trip.
The start of the latter route is easily reached via two ski lifts from the town, but once you start on it the word ‘easy’ is the last thing on your mind – there are some technically challenging moves where rock climbing skills come in useful, and you’ll also need a good head for heights, but for excitement and exposure like this anywhere else you’d need a full rack of climbing gear and the experience to go with it – so for lazy climbers like me via ferrata are absolutely ideal!
On Your Bike
Of course, you don’t have to go dangling off the Dolomite’s limestone crags to enjoy yourself in these spectacular mountains. If you’d rather stay firmly anchored on terra firma you can get plenty of fun either under your own steam on a mountain bike or by letting someone else do all the work – a mountain pony, of which more in a moment.
Mountain bikers will discover sensational riding in the South Tyrol – dry trails, 300 days a year of sunshine and ski lift accessed routes is about as good as it gets, and if you’ve skied the famous Sella Ronda circuit you’ll be interested to know that in summer you can do it on your bike (www.sellaronda-mtb.com). This full day, 58-km tour takes you beneath some of the most impressive peaks in the Dolomites, through world famous ski resorts such as Val Gardena and most of the uphill is taken care of on ski lifts so despite its length you don’t need the legs and lungs of Bradley Wiggins to accomplish it.
My Little Pony
Or you could opt for a more mellow way of travelling through the mountains, on the back of a Haflinger pony. These tough little alpine ponies have been bred for generations in the Hafling Valley, close to the spa town of Merano, and are tenacious, sure footed climbers totally at home in the mountains.
The local riding stables can provide lessons for beginners or advanced riders as well as guided tours for children who love these cute, user-friendly equines.
Chilling Out
At day’s end you’re going to want to relax after all this mountain action. And this being Italy, good food and wine served in gregarious restaurants, whether on the mountains or in the towns and villages come as a matter of course (the Alta Badia valley alone has three Michelin-starred restaurants, for instance).
The region is also renowned for its spa towns and ‘wellness centres’, with Vitalpina Hotels in particular focusing on pampering their guests when they get down from the hills, with everything from spa treatments to steam baths being offered at the thirty three hotels dotted around the Dolomites.
The fact that so few Brits visit the Dolomites despite being only a couple of hours flight from most UK airports remains something of a mystery when the region has all this to offer – and that’s just in summer. Once the winter arrives not only do these magnificent mountains look even more spectacular in a cloak of snow, they also boats the world’s biggest linked ski area, the Dolomiti Superski with 1,200km of slopes and 460 ski lifts. But that’s for another time…
For more information go to www.suedtirol.info
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