Via Ferratas in the Dolomites: Which to Do, Difficulty and Gear

What a via ferrata is

A via ferrata is a mountain route fitted with fixed elements anchored to the rock. The most important is the steel cable that runs the whole way: it's the safety line you clip into and that guides you step by step. Where the wall is smooth or too steep, you find aids for progress like stemples, rungs, metal steps, ladders and sometimes suspension or Tibetan bridges over the void.

The idea was born in the late nineteenth century and grew a lot during the First World War, when the Dolomites were dug with walkways and passages were fitted high up. Many of today's ferratas follow those historic lines. Walking among tunnels and trenches, as on the Via Ferrata delle Trincee, means touching that past with your own hands.

The difference from a normal path is clear. Here you move clipped to the cable, often on exposed ground, using hands and feet. It isn't pure climbing, because the cable and the fixed holds help you, but it isn't a stroll either: it takes good balance, fit legs and a steady head with exposure.

How hard they are: reading the difficulty

Not all ferratas are the same. Some are almost flat equipped walks, others are vertical and tiring, with long stretches on stemples and ladders above the void. Understanding the difficulty before you set off is the first rule of safety.

In Italy the Club Alpino Italiano uses a marking for paths that require gear: EEA, meaning Expert Hikers with Equipment. It's a clear warning. It means the route isn't for everyone, that you need the via ferrata kit and that you should already have mountain experience, a sure step and no trouble with exposure and the void.

Beyond the EEA marking, guidebooks and signs give a difficulty grade for the single ferrata. The scales in use generally run from easy to extreme, through intermediate grades like medium, difficult and very difficult. An easy ferrata has short equipped stretches, not very vertical and not very exposed. As the grade rises, so do the verticality, the exposure, the strength asked of your arms and the length of the demanding passages. The hardest ones call for specific training and a cool head. Don't trust the name alone: always read the up-to-date route description before you go, and choose by your real level, not the one you'd like to have.

• EEA: the CAI marking that flags a route for Expert Hikers with Equipment.
• Easy: short equipped stretches, little verticality, limited exposure.
• Medium and difficult: longer, more vertical and exposed passages, more effort.
• Very difficult and extreme: vertical or overhanging walls, needing strength and specific training.
• Always read the up-to-date description: the grade alone doesn't tell the whole story.

The mandatory gear

On a via ferrata the gear isn't optional. It's what keeps you attached to the mountain if you slip. It's always used, even on stretches that look easy, and it must be in good order and certified. There are no shortcuts here.

The central piece is a via ferrata kit certified to the European standard EN 958. It's a set with two lanyards and two carabiners, which you connect to the harness and clip onto the cable. The crucial part is the energy absorber: in a fall it soaks up the jolt and reduces the force on the body. An old, home-made kit, or one without an absorber, doesn't protect the same way, so it should be avoided. The kit clips to a sit harness, or a combined one, worn correctly.

Then there's the helmet, mandatory: it protects from knocks and above all from falling stones, which on a ferrata is the most concrete danger. Gloves, ideally reinforced, save your hands on the steel cable. You need suitable shoes, with a lugged sole and good grip, like hiking boots or approach shoes. It's also worth checking the state of your gear before setting off and replacing dated kits: standards and manufacturers' recommendations are updated over time.

• Via ferrata kit certified to EN 958, with energy absorber: mandatory.
• Harness, worn correctly, to clip the kit onto.
• Helmet: protects from knocks and falling stones.
• Gloves, ideally reinforced, for your hands on the steel cable.
• Suitable shoes with a lugged sole, like hiking boots or approach shoes.

The best-known ferratas and who they suit

The Dolomites have dozens of via ferratas, for every level. Here are some of the best known, with the warning that grades and conditions should always be checked on the up-to-date description before you set off.

The Ferrata Tridentina al Pisciadù, in the Sella group, is a much-loved classic, with a suspension bridge and an arrival at the hut in a setting of great walls. It's demanding and busy, suited to those with a little experience already. The Via Ferrata delle Trincee, on the Padon ridge facing the Marmolada, blends rock and First World War history, with tunnels and walkways: it's airy and must be taken seriously.

The Cinque Torri and Lagazuoi area, near Cortina, is an open-air museum of the First World War, with equipped paths and ferratas among the trenches. Here you can combine several experiences: the Cinque Torri loop for a quieter hiking circuit among the towers, or climbing at the Cinque Torri if you're after real rock. The Sella group and the Marmolada area remain among the richest terrains for equipped routes of every difficulty. To find your way among the huts to lean on before or after a climb, take a look at the mountain huts.

Beginners or experts: where to start

If you've never done a ferrata, the rule is simple: you start from the bottom. Choose routes graded as easy, short and not very exposed, and tackle them with someone experienced or with a mountain guide. The first time you need to get used to the movement of shifting the carabiners on the cable and to the feel of exposure, without a vertical wall under your feet straight away.

A good starting point are the easy equipped paths, the ones where the cable serves more as psychological reassurance than as a real defence against a fall. Many Dolomite areas have them, often near the huts. A ferrata course or a day with a guide is worth more than a lot of reading: it teaches you to use the kit, handle the passages and read the ground.

Experts are spoiled for choice among the difficult and very difficult ferratas, but the same caution applies to them: assess the conditions, don't overrate yourself and respect the timings. Moving up the grades too fast is one of the most common mistakes. Better one step at a time, building real experience.

Safety comes first

Ferratas are serious mountain outings, and it has to be said plainly: you can fall and you can get badly hurt. Most accidents come from carelessness, the wrong weather or gear used badly. No summit is worth an avoidable risk.

Weather is the first thing to check. The steel cables and stemples attract lightning, so a storm on a ferrata is extremely dangerous. In the Dolomites in summer storms often arrive in the afternoon, out of nowhere. The rule is to set off early, check the forecast and turn back without hesitation if the weather changes. Better to give up than to stay exposed on a wall in the rain.

Other rules always hold. Never go alone: if something goes wrong, someone has to be able to raise the alarm. Check the state of the route before setting off, because wet rock, leftover snow or ice change everything. Always clip to the cable, even where it looks easy. Keep a proper distance from whoever is ahead of you, so you're not hit by dislodged stones. Carry water, something to eat and a charged phone, and tell someone your plan. For a mountain emergency in Italy you call 112.

• Check the weather: never on a ferrata with storms coming, the cables attract lightning.
• Never go alone and tell someone your route and timings.
• Check conditions: wet rock, snow or ice greatly raise the risk.
• Always clip to the cable and keep your distance from those ahead for the stones.
• Carry water, food and a charged phone; mountain emergency: 112.

When to go and when you need a guide

The ferrata season in the Dolomites is summer. Generally the good window runs from June to September, but it depends on the altitude and the year: early in the season and at high altitude there can still be snow in the gullies and on the shaded passages, which makes everything trickier. Before you plan, check the real conditions of the route and don't trust the calendar alone.

The time of day counts as much as the season. Better to set off early in the morning, both to avoid the afternoon storms and to find the rock drier and less crowding on the cable. Work out the climb and descent times with a margin, and keep a plan B if the weather worsens.

When does a mountain guide pay off? Almost always, if you're starting out. A guide keeps you safe, teaches you to use the kit, picks the right route for your level and reads the conditions for you. It's worth it too if you want to climb a more demanding ferrata than usual, or if you're in a setting you don't know. Relying on a professional isn't a defeat: it's the smartest way to enjoy the mountains and get home with a good story to tell.