Prepare before you set off
Good days in the mountains are planned, not improvised. Pick a route that fits your fitness and experience. The CAI difficulty scale (T, E, EE, EEA) helps you judge it honestly. Read the elevation gain, distance and exposure before you commit. Check the forecast the night before and again in the morning. Start early to stay ahead of the afternoon storms that build over the Dolomites in summer. And always tell someone your plan and when you expect to be back, so they can raise the alarm if you do not return.
Follow the waymarks: the white-red-white CAI blazes and the numbered signposts at junctions. Do not leave the marked path to "shortcut" steep or pathless ground. And turn back without regret when the weather, the clock or your legs go against you. The summit will still be there next time. Check weather & seasons →
The CAI difficulty scale explained
The Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) grades Italian trails on a four-step scale. It describes the terrain and the experience a path needs, not your fitness. So read it as the minimum skill a route demands.
| Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|
| T | Tourist: easy, well-marked paths on solid ground, fine for everyone, families included. No experience needed. |
| E | Hiking: most mountain trails fall here. Needs a bit of fitness and the habit of walking on uneven ground. May include short steep or exposed stretches. |
| EE | Expert Hikers: tough terrain such as exposed paths, rocky passages, steep slopes and snow patches. Needs a sure foot, a head for heights and experience. |
| EEA | Expert Hikers with Equipment: via ferratas and equipped routes where a certified kit, helmet and harness are mandatory. |
If a route is graded above your experience, work up to it step by step or go with a mountain guide. Do not let a guidebook photo talk you onto ground you cannot safely come back from.
What to carry
For a summer day hike, the essentials are: enough water and food, warm layers plus a waterproof jacket (weather flips fast up high), sun protection (hat, sunglasses and a high-factor cream), sturdy boots with good grip, a map or GPS, a headtorch, a small first-aid kit, an emergency foil blanket and a charged phone with a power bank. Pack as if you might be out longer than you planned.
For a via ferrata, three items are non-negotiable: a set certified to the EN 958 standard (two lanyards with quick-release carabiners and an energy-absorbing element), a climbing harness and a helmet. Never improvise this with ordinary slings. Only the certified absorber can cut the impact of a fall onto the steel cable. We keep the full clothing and footwear breakdown in the trekking guide, so this page stays on safety. See the full trekking gear guide →
Emergency numbers and calling for help
In an emergency, call 112, the single European emergency number (NUE). One operations centre locates the call and sends the right service, including the mountain rescue, the Corpo Nazionale Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico (CNSAS). The call is free and works even with no credit, no SIM or a locked phone. When you call, stay calm and say: what happened and how many people are involved, the condition of anyone hurt, exactly where you are (trail name or number, nearest hut, GPS coordinates), and the weather on the spot. Do not hang up until the operator tells you to, and keep the line free so the rescue team can call back.
Mobile coverage in the Dolomites has holes. If you have no signal, move a few metres towards a higher or more open spot and try a text or the dedicated apps. The free GeoResQ app, backed by the CAI and run by the CNSAS, can track your route and send an alarm with your exact position. The "112 Where ARE U" app sends your coordinates when you call 112. If you have no phone at all, use the international alpine distress signal: 6 signals (sound or light) per minute, one every 10 seconds, then a one-minute pause, repeated until someone answers (the reply is 3 signals per minute). To a helicopter, raise both arms into a Y to mean "I need help".
Winter: avalanche risk and the bulletin
Off the groomed, controlled slopes (ski touring, off-piste and snowshoeing) fresh snow means avalanche risk, and it is the most serious winter hazard there is. Before every outing read the avalanche bulletin, published by AINEVA and the avalanche services of Trento, Bolzano and the Veneto and updated daily through the winter (usually by 5 pm). It rates the hazard on the 5-level European danger scale.
| Level | Danger |
|---|---|
| 1 | Low (Debole) |
| 2 | Moderate (Moderato) |
| 3 | Considerable (Marcato) |
| 4 | High (Forte) |
| 5 | Very high (Molto forte) |
The scale is not linear. Level 3 (Considerable) is already a serious danger, not "medium", and it accounts for a large share of accidents. Since 1 January 2022 Italian law requires anyone moving on snow off controlled slopes (snowshoers included, where avalanche conditions exist) to carry the self-rescue kit: a transceiver (ARTVA), a shovel and a probe. But carrying it is not enough. A buried companion has only minutes, so you have to train until you use the kit without thinking. Take an avalanche-awareness course, and when in doubt, hire a mountain guide who can read the snowpack and the terrain.
Common mountain hazards
Afternoon storms and lightning. In summer, thunderstorms build over the Dolomites in the afternoon. The warning signs: towering anvil-shaped clouds, sudden cool gusts and a buzzing in the air. If one catches you, get down at once and off ridges, summits and pointed features. On a via ferrata, let go of the metal cable: it attracts lightning.
Altitude, sun and UV. Up high the sun and UV hit far harder than in the valley and bounce off rock and snow, causing sunburn, heatstroke and snow-blindness. Cover up and use cream and good sunglasses. Cold and hypothermia. The temperature drops fast with height and after a weather change. Wet, wind and exhaustion bring on hypothermia even in summer, so always carry warm and waterproof layers. Fatigue, exposure and vertigo. Tiredness eats your focus right where the ground is most exposed. Pace yourself, eat and drink often, and on exposed terrain keep three points of contact and do not let vertigo rush your steps.
When to hire a mountain guide, and the golden rules
Hire a qualified mountain guide whenever the route is above your experience, for your first via ferrata, for any glacier travel, and for ski touring or off-piste in winter. A guide reads the snowpack, the terrain and the weather for you and turns a serious objective into a manageable one. The golden rules are simple. Plan your route and tell someone. Check the forecast and the avalanche bulletin. Start early and respect the turnaround time. Match the route to the weakest in the group. Carry the right gear and know how to use it. And never be ashamed to turn back. The mountains reward humility.