Via Ferrata Sora el Sass

Introduction:

Review of the easy Ferrata to the Rifugio Sora el Sass near the Spitz di Mezzodì. The ferrata is divided into two easy sections where the first goes up a gully and the second goes up to a panoramic pulpit called Belvedere. Easy and suitable for newbies. Beautiful views from the summit of the Belluno Dolomite groups.

Starting location:

The starting point of the itinerary is the car park at Pian de la Fopa in Val Pramperet south of the village of Forni di Zoldo (Belluno). Once in the village follow the signs south to the Pramperet Hut. You will soon reach a junction where a secondary road continues straight ahead with indications for the Sora el Sass Hut. Take this road partly unpaved but in good condition for about 4.5 km up to the parking lot. Directions for Google Maps available here.

Approach:

Initially we follow the directions which proceed along the forest road up to meet a trail marker that shows us on the left the CAI path 534 for the Rifugio Sora el Sass. We continue along the path heading towards the impressive walls of the Spitz di Mezzodì. We continue in a constant ascent until we meet a saddle: straight on we continue CAI 522 towards the Bivacco Carnielli under the Spitz di Mezzodì, we will keep the left going towards a shady gully. We continue for less ten minutes up to meet the first metal equipment to go up the gully (45 'from the parking lot).

Via Ferrata:

The ferrata to exit the canyon begins with one ramp to the left without difficulty followed by a easy stepped gully. The equipment continues to our right and we find plenty of grips on the left side. We turn to the right for a few meters to follow a comfortable ledge to the left. We go around an edge and begin to climb one well-set series of rocks that you can face in pleasant climbing. We continue on the rocks - pay attention to the rather unstable ground of gravel with the risk of dropping debris - for about fifteen meters until you find an easy little slab after which we are on a ledge to the left where soon the equipment ends (20 'from the start).

We are out of the groove and now on easy path we reach the Angelini hut (Sora el Sass - 1588 m - 1h 30 'from the parking lot). It is possible to interrupt the trip going down to the valley following the path 534 first and then 525. It is possible to continue uphill towards the Belvedere to take a second aided stretch and enjoy a wonderful view of the nearby mountains. Follow you the indications of the CAI 532 for the Belvevedere.

We climb following the signs to a crossroads: on the right the aided path climbs, on the left the normal path. We opt for the uphill aided path to get off the normal route. We climb a not difficult vertical leap due to the abundance of holds to then follow a ledge. Followed by a groove and a more pronounced leap to then finish the equipment after some rocks. We are on the Belvedere, a special observation point for the Belluno Dolomite groups among which stands out Pelmo (1965 m - 45 'from the Rifugio Sora el Sass - 2h 15' total).

Descent:

We go down from the Belvedere on the north side following a path without difficulty. We go around the Belvedere and return to the Angelini Hut (45 'from the summit - 3h total). At this point, to complete a circular itinerary, we continue in a northerly direction on the CAI 534 following for the Casera di Mezzodì. We go down the steep Vallon Piccolo characterized by many hairpin bends. We continue on the 534 up to a crossroads where we keep the left and taking the 525 we reach the construction of the Casera di Mezzodì (in 2017 closed for vandalism). Descend along the 525 to the valley where we meet the forest road traveled by car. Keep left uphill reaching the parking lot (1h 30 'from Rifugio Angelini - 4h 30' total).

Notes:

To reach the start of the via ferrata, go up a gully on the right side and then cross it on the left side where the ferrata equipment begins. It is possible to meet again with snow at the beginning of the season. Useful to have crampons with you. We must also be very careful not to move stones along the aided sections that are quite dirty with debris. Ideal via ferratas for beginners and families.

Opportunities:

The Ferrata Sora el Sass extends in the Pramper group. On the western side of this group we meet the Civetta and Moiazza Group with difficult climbing routes Costantini, Tissi, Alleghesi and Fiamme Gialle. Continuing eastwards in a southerly direction we meet the Via Ferrata of Memory at Vajont and further south the Ferrata della Val Gallina and the Parete dei Falchi while pointing to the north we meet the Ferrata Vandelli and Berti al Sorapiss or the difficult trip with the Ferrata to the Antelao Glacier. Moving towards Agordo, you can reach the starting point of the challenging route ascending to the Agner with the Ferrata Stella Alpina. If instead we went in the direction of Alleghe we could take the Ferrate to the Civetta: the Ferrata degli Alleghesi, the Ferrata Tissi, the Ferrata Costantini at Moiazza to the Moiazza or the Via Ferrata Fiamme Gialle at the Palazza Alta.