Ferrata Costacurta

Introduction:

Review of the Ferrata Rino Costacurta to the Monte Tavarone in the Alpago. Medium-easy via ferrata inserted in a long and demanding itinerary that takes place in an isolated and wild environment. Ring tour with return in a long journey.

Starting location:

The starting point of the itinerary is near Casera Stabali north of the hamlet of Plois in the province of Belluno. When you reach Pieve d'Alpago, continue westwards along the wide Provincial Road for a few minutes until you reach the junction near the town hall to the north on Via Marconi which leads you to Plois after a few bends. At the entrance to Plois there is a small religious building where the road saddles. We keep the left uphill. We continue uphill to a large clearing on the right side of the road. We drive further and the road saddles again and we keep to the right. We cover the road, partly unpaved, up to a shed with a table and two benches where we leave the car. Directions for Google Maps available here.

Approach:

From the canopy (1050 m) where we parked we follow the wide mule track with the CAI 965 signpost and the first indications for the Ferrata Costacurta which in about 5 minutes takes us to the left of the Casera Stabali (1070 m). We continue uphill on CAI 965 / AV6 following the signs for Passo di Valbona reaching the abandoned one Low Scalet Casera (1170 m). We pass the building and continue uphill on the CAI 695 until we meet a clearing with a cross, an Italian flag and a memorial square. We now enter the woods with the path that climbs steep but never difficult. We leave the forest and soon reach High Scalet (1590 m - 1h 15 'from the parking lot). Near the first sign we ignore the CAI 930 which branches off to the left. We continue on the CAI 965 for a few more meters meeting the signs on the right for 930 towards Forcella Bassa and the Ferrata Costacurta. We keep to the right and the path proceeds southwards, alternating uphill stretches with stretches where it loses altitude. We go around a rocky wall and we set off decidedly inside a gully on a good bottom that leads us to the Forcella Bassa (1930 m - 2h 15' from the parking lot). The Forcella Bassa del Teverone is a wide grassy saddle and a crossroads of paths: on the left the 930 continues towards the Passo di Valbona, the Ferrata Costacurta on the right furrows the north and northeast wall of Monte Teverone. We hold right at the saddle towards the start of the via ferrata with AV7 signpost. To our right a trail of a path in the grass comes off towards the rocky walls. We turn to the right a first rocky ridge following a obvious blue triangle and then to the left going towards the ridge where we meet the metal slab which marks the beginning of the Costacurta Ferrata (2065 m - 2h 45 'from the parking lot).

Via Ferrata:

From slab near the start, we go up a gully on an unstable ground but which is not difficult. We quickly gain altitude by going around an edge and climbing steeply on a steep but rather vertical stretch. In these first meters of the ferrata we are on the north side of the ridge towards the valley of Landres Negres, or the Friulian side of the Alpago. We cover an exposed but not difficult stretch, slowly before starting to climb some well-aided bends that will take us to the Veneto side of the ridge. The ferrata now extends mainly on narrow grassy ledges alternating uphill sections with short downhill sections. We are in a sudden exposed and very scenic which leads us to a first vertical section. We continue along the path going down an inclined earthy ramp until we get around an edge where there is a large grassy area where we can take a break observing the stretch just traveled.

Let's continue on one sloping ledge near a rocky roof where we lose altitude. This stretch urges the arms because of the roof that forces us to push ourselves out. We continue along the stretch of the ferrata with a magnificent view of the north face of Teverone until we reach a grassy ledge that gradually becomes a path in a stretch without difficulty and verticality. We continue the via ferrata always with the previous characteristics, stretching out long ledges and short exposed traverses separated with sections where we ascend some aided couloirs and some rocky leaps. After a series of steps on ledge we encounter a vertical leap that is not difficult and full of holds. Let's continue on one new ledge and we reach a landslide gully to be traced back up to the grassy saddle of the Monte Fagoreit (2094 m - 2h 15 'from the start - 5h total).

Descent:

From the end of the ferrata it is possible to reach Monte Fagorat by following the 936 ridge path to the east. We begin the long return following the 932 which descends towards the south in a hollow with grassy stretches, sometimes on gravel not well marked. We proceed downhill on some rather unstable stretches. We continue along the valley until we go around Col Fontana to the right and see Casera Venal further down the valley. We pass next to Casera Venal (1260 m - 1h 30 'from the end of the ferrata) and we insert on the road keeping the right downhill. We continue on the road reaching Casera Crosetta (1156 m) and we continue to go down along the now decidedly wide path. We reach a non-signposted junction: the main carriage road descends, we keep the right uphill. We continue on the dirt track ignoring the various deviations present and passing alongside ruins and holiday homes until we cross path 931 ascending to Teverone in the Degnona area. We continue in a westerly direction on the dirt track until we reach Casera Stabali encountered on approach (3h from the end of the ferrata - 8h total).

Notes:

The Costacurta Ferrata is sometimes called the Costacurta Aided path. We prefer to call it ferrata for the vertical lines that characterize some passages. That said, the via ferrata is of medium-easy level, always exposed and does not present technically difficult passages. However, there are some variables to keep in mind that can increase the difficulty. It is included in a long itinerary, with a tiring approach and covering a good difference in level and generally not well beaten, so you need good training. The ferrata is characterized by exposed ups and downs and the grassy ground can be, especially if wet, slippery and therefore special attention is needed. Beware of the steep descent into the valley after the via ferrata, which at different points rests on an unstable ground.

Opportunities:

The Ferrata Costacurta extends in the lower part of the province of Belluno. Staying in this area we meet 3 very different ferratas from the Costacurta both for length and type of itinerary and for verticality and physicality of the aided passages: the Ferrata Parete dei Falchi, the Ferrata della Memoria and the Ferrata to the Val Gallina Rock Gym.

For a more "mountain" itinerary you can proceed in the direction of the Schiara Group where we meet some very interesting via ferratas: the Ferrata Sperti, the Zacchi and the Berti which can be combined with Ferrata Mormol downhill. Finally in the same group you can go up the Guardian-aided path to the Pelf.

Moving on the Pordenone side of the Friulian Prealps we meet theAlta Via dei Rondoi.