Via Ferratas of the Italian Dolomites: North, Central and East v. 1 Cicerone Mountain Walking: Amazon.co.uk: John Smith, Graham Fletcher: Books

Review

'You could never accuse it of shying away from niche sports. In fact Cicerone Press appears to take pride in publishing books that only those already passionate about a specific sport or place are likely to buy. This time, though, it's appealing to a growing fraternity. Via ferratas, especially in the Italian Dolomites, are becoming increasingly popular as walkers push their personal limits in a different mountain playground. That, and the availability of cheap flights to airports feeding the Dolomites, have helped push via ferrata to the fore. For those who haven't experienced the heart-pumping exhilaration of the via ferrata network, they are protected routes in rocky mountain ranges, using fixed cables, ladders and bridges. They allow the walker to access places usually reserved for rock climbers and provide a unique way to enjoy the breath-taking beauty and exposure of the mountains. Until now the only decent guidebook has been Cicerone's Scrambles in the Dolomites. This suffered from being out of date (first published in 1982) and translated from German (although this has also helped fill long hours in huts, as people gather round to laugh at the phraseology). Smith and Fletcher's version, covering the North, Central and East Dolomites, gains considerable points by originating in English. It has an excellent introduction with comprehensive information on equipment, weather, maps, accommodation options and so on. In fact, if I'd had this book prior to my first trip to the Dolomites I would have saved a fortune on phone calls to Italy. They've also created a new two-stage grading system incorporating both difficulty of the route and seriousness of the mountain situation. Cross-referencing back to routes that I know, I'd say this is accurate and easy to follow. The book includes 75 routes in a fairly tight geographical area, including Cortina, Marmolada and Val di Fassa. They're well described with good colour photography and clear sketch maps. Some are straight-forward walking routes, others go up to the highest level of via ferrata. But the authors have opted to cluster the routes according to valley base rather than mountain groupings and have not referred to the mountain ranges in either text or maps. An index of mountain groups is some compensation but unless you have a local map in front of you, this isn't much help. Given that there are two identical locator maps in the book showing numbered routes relative to each other, converting one of these to show mountain groups as well as towns would have made things easier to follow. VOLUME TWO will complete the coverage of the Dolomites. It will include the famous Brenta group as well as the southern Dolomites, with the stunning Paia group being particularly well represented. Besides the honeypot via ferrata, this volume will break new ground in covering some of the short-duration, off-beat routes near Lake Garda. These are often real gems, and make this volume essential reading for walkers on a lake-based holiday who need a dose of adrenaline, stunning scenery and physical challenge. (Judy Armstrong, TGO)

Product Description

The first of a two-volume set of guides to Via Ferratas of the Italian Dolomites, this guide covers the North, Central and Eastern Dolomites, across an area stretching from Val di Fassa to Auronzo, while volume 2 covers the Southern Dolomites, Brenta and Lake Garda. Volume 1 includes areas such as Catinaccio, Marmolada, Sella, Puez Odle, Fanes, Tofane, Cristallo, Sesto, Sorapiss, Marmarole. This guide sets the routes out according to strategic valley bases, with some guidance on the best bases for attacking each of the routes. The authors have had first-hand knowledge of all the routes, and have developed a completely new grading system, which strives to simplify an extremely subjective topic.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

Great book 18 Sep 2008

By Billabong

Format:Paperback

I bought this book a few years ago for my first trip to the Dolomites; I could only find this and one other Dolomite Via Ferrata book in English. I found this book a Godsend; informative, well laid out with maps, photos, cross reference indexes, useful telephone number and local information.
This made my first Via Ferrata experience so much easier to plan and navigate.
I have since done a couple more trips and this book and Volume 2 have been my guides and are well thumbed.
I would recommend this book to anyone planning a Via Ferrata trip to the Dolomites whether a novice or seasoned ferraterist.

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Very useful book 2 Oct 2009

By Laura Kaye

I have just returned from my 2nd trip to the Dolomites. I used this book on both occasions and found it to be very helpful. We found the descriptions for the routes we did to be very accurate. The timings for us were a little ambitious, though, we found we could only just keep to them on some of the routes, by keeping breaks very short. I like the way they grade the routes, and group them by where you start, rather than mountain group. Although there is an index in the back by mountain group, and grade, so you can refer to those if you're looking for something specific. Otherwise, I think it's useful to go to the section of where youre staying and find all the closest routes together. I thought it would have been helpful if the maps in the book had labelled the trails by number, but then I realised they may have avoided this so that people were not tempted to rely on the book alone and not carry a map, which would not be a good idea.

The book has a very useful section on kit etc at the beginning, and provides enough info for a novice to start climbing from scratch, I would say, as long as you start with easy routes. But if in doubt, get someone to show you the ropes!

Via Ferratas of the Dolomites 18 Sep 2009

By John Cowburn

This book is an absolute MUST HAVE for anyone planning a trip to the Via Ferratas in the Dolomites.
It accurately describes all the routes in the region in great detail. The grading system is spot on providing the reader with details of both how strenuous the routes are and the exposure encountered (how frightened you're going to be!).
The times given for the routes are accurate so that days can be planned properly.

An excellent book and essential reading for anyone considering tackling the Via Ferrata routes on what are probably the most spectacular mountains anywhere in the world!