Rock Climbing in the Dolomites: Where to Climb, Historic Routes and How to Start

Climbing or via ferrata: two different things

Plenty of people mix them up, but they're distinct activities. Rock climbing means going up a wall using natural holds and footholds, tied to a rope that protects you if you fall. It takes technique, training and the ability to manage the rope and the protection. There's nothing fixed to grab onto: you climb, with your own hands and feet.

A via ferrata is another matter. It's a route equipped with a steel cable, rungs and metal ladders fixed to the rock. You clip onto the cable with a dedicated kit and move along holding the metal aids. It takes fitness and a cool head, but not real climbing technique. If that's what you're after, the right guide is the one to the via ferratas of the Dolomites.

In between sits the world of sport climbing at a crag, where the protection is already fixed in the rock (the so-called bolts) and you focus only on the movement. It's the simplest and safest way to start. Classic or alpine climbing, on the other hand, is that of the big walls, where you often carry the protection and place it yourself. These are different levels, with different commitment.

The signature walls and towers

The Dolomites are an endless catalogue of rock, but a few places are worth all their fame on their own. The Cinque Torri above Cortina are perhaps the best-loved spot: five towers of dolomite rising from the meadows, with routes of every difficulty and easy access. The Torri del Vajolet, in the Catinaccio group, are slender, dizzying spires, three of which carry the names of their first climbers.

Then there are the giants, the walls of the great mountaineers. The north faces of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo are among the most famous in the Alps, tall and severe. The Sella group offers edges and cracks of compact rock. The south face of the Marmolada, the Queen of the Dolomites, is a wall hundreds of metres high that tests the strongest climbers. And the north-west face of the Civetta, which climbers have always called the wall of walls, remains a legend for high-level climbing.

Not all these places are for everyone, and it's only fair to say so. The Cinque Torri have routes suited even to beginners; the north faces of the Tre Cime, the Marmolada and the Civetta are terrain for experienced mountaineers or for climbs with a guide. Knowing where you stand is already the first step to climbing safely.

• Cinque Torri (Cortina): isolated towers, routes of every grade, great for starting out too.
• Torri del Vajolet (Catinaccio): historic spires, classic and alpine routes.
• Tre Cime di Lavaredo: severe north faces, terrain for experts.
• Sella group: edges and cracks of compact rock.
• Marmolada, south face: a great wall for well-trained climbers.
• Civetta, north-west face: the historic wall of walls, high level.

The historic routes and who opened them

Many Dolomite routes carry the name of whoever climbed them first, and they're names that made history. Emilio Comici, from Trieste, nicknamed the Angel of the Dolomites, sought the cleanest, most direct line. In 1933 he opened the Yellow Edge on the Cima Piccola di Lavaredo and the route on the north face of the Cima Grande, together with the Cortina guides Angelo and Giuseppe Dimai. He was a pioneer of the sixth grade, then considered the limit of the possible.

Even earlier, in 1887, a young Austrian of just seventeen, Georg Winkler, soloed the Vajolet tower that now bears his name. He overcame a passage judged among the hardest of the era, what many consider the first fifth grade in the Dolomites. The other two main towers were climbed a few years later and also take the names of their first climbers, Stabeler and Delago.

In the 1930s came Riccardo Cassin too, one of the greatest Italian mountaineers, who in 1935 made the first ascent of the north face of the Cima Ovest di Lavaredo. These are routes still repeated today, but they remain demanding and should be tackled only with the right experience. Knowing their history helps you understand why these mountains are special, and why they deserve respect.

Where to start as a beginner

If you've never climbed, there's only one right path: start at a crag, with someone who teaches you. Crags are walls equipped with fixed protection, where you can learn the movement without having to manage the safety yourself. Many have easy routes, from third to fourth grade, perfect for the first attempts.

The Cinque Torri are one of the best places to start in the Dolomites. They offer routes of every level in an easy setting, a stone's throw from the mountain huts, and they're a classic for courses. You'll find all the details in the page on climbing at the Cinque Torri. But the place matters less than the method: the right way to begin is a climbing course with a school or a mountain guide.

A course teaches you the basics you can't improvise: how to tie the knots, how to belay your partner, how to fall and how to manage the rope. These are the things that make climbing a safe activity rather than a risk. Indoor gyms are a great addition in winter or for training, but real rock is another story and must be learned outdoors, with people who know.

The grades, explained

In climbing, difficulty is measured with scales, and you need to understand them to pick routes within your reach. In the Dolomites two systems are used above all. The UIAA scale, shown with Roman numerals (III, IV, V, VI and beyond), is the classic mountaineering one, used for rock routes and the big walls. The French scale, with numbers and letters (5a, 6b, 7a and so on), is typical of sport climbing at a crag.

Put simply: the higher the number, the harder the route. The first grades are easy climbing, with plenty of holds. From the fifth grade up you need technique, strength and specific training. Each grade can carry a plus or minus, to mark the shades in between. Don't let the numbers scare you: you start from the low grades and go up slowly, one step at a time.

A practical tip: the grade tells you how hard the movement is, not how committing the climb is overall. A long fourth-grade route on a tall wall can demand more head and more experience than a short but harder route at a crag. Length, exposure and setting count as much as the technical difficulty.

• UIAA scale: Roman numerals (III, IV, V, VI...), used for rock routes and mountaineering.
• French scale: numbers and letters (5a, 6b, 7a...), typical of sport climbing at crags.
• Low grades (up to IV): easy climbing, suited to beginners.
• From the V grade up: technique, strength and training required.
• The + or - sign marks the shades within the same grade.

The gear you need

Climbing calls for specific equipment, which you must know and check. The basics are the harness, the helmet and climbing shoes, which grip the rock. Then there's the rope, which protects you if you fall, and the gear to belay your partner. At a sport crag you just need quickdraws, the carabiners you clip to the fixed protection.

In classic or alpine climbing the picture is more complex. The protection often isn't fixed, so you need nuts, cams and other protection gear that wedges into the cracks. This is equipment to be chosen and used with competence, not something to learn on your own from a video. The difference between knowing how to use it and not is the difference between a caught fall and an accident.

Gear has a lifespan and must be kept in order. Rope, harness and helmet are checked before every outing and replaced when worn or after a hard impact. If you're starting out, don't buy everything at once: on courses the gear is often included, so you learn to recognise it and use it before making your own purchases.

• Harness, helmet and climbing shoes.
• Rope and a belay system for your partner.
• Quickdraws for sport crags with fixed protection.
• Nuts, cams and protection gear for classic climbing.
• Checking and replacing worn gear before every outing.

When to go and when you need a guide

The rock-climbing season in the Dolomites runs roughly from June to September, when the walls are clear of snow and the weather is more settled. The best days are dry and not too hot. Wet rock is dangerous, and the afternoon storms are a serious risk at altitude: start early and keep an eye on the forecast. Many long climbs set off from the mountain huts, handy for sleeping near the start of the route.

And here comes the most important part. If you're inexperienced, don't climb alone and don't rely on a willing but unprepared friend. The mountain guide is the professional who takes you up the routes safely, from the easiest to the great historic walls, and teaches you to move on rock. The mountaineering schools of the Italian Alpine Club run structured courses, often at accessible prices.

I'll say it again because it really matters: climbing is a serious activity, where a mistake can cost dearly. It isn't a game to try by instinct. The difference between a wonderful day and an accident almost always lies in the preparation. Learn with people who know, start on the easy routes, grow calmly. The mountain will wait, and it will give you far more if you take it on the right way.