Aided path Simone

Introduction:

Review of the Aided path Simone ascending to the Creton dell'Arco in the Carnic Alps near Sappada. A medium difficulty itinerary that can be easily combined with the nearby and more demanding Ferrata dei Cinquanta of the Clap.

Starting location:

The starting point of the route for the Ferrata Simone is the municipality of Sappada in the province of Udine. Once in Sappada we will have to move to the south side of the Piave, go past the camper parking area and park near the large open space where the paths start.
Directions for Google Maps available here.

Approach:

Leave the car in the car park (approx. 1180 m) and continue on the path to reach the Sappada fishing lake. We continue on the path 317 on the orographic right of the Rio Storto and we follow the path uphill to the right on the wood towards the Passo dell'Arco. The path climbs sharply into the woods with a few bends. We ignore the track to the right (path 322) towards the Damiana Shelter which will be one of the return options. We continue uphill until we reach Passo dell'Arco (1907 m - 1h 30 'from the parking lot) with its characteristic rock arch. Already in sight of the pass, on the right there is a well-marked track that leads to the Ferrata Simone. We take this path that soon leads us to the first aided section (1h 45 'from the parking lot).

Via Ferrata:

The first aided stretch we meet helps us to go up a detrital gully with sometimes unstable grassy bottom. We reach a ledge that we walk towards the rocky walls. We continue until we meet the real beginning of the via ferrata in a gorge that we go up again with the help of some metal brackets. We cover the entire gully alternating stretches aided with stretches of path with limited difficulties. Once up the gully we reach the last stretch of the aided route - the most demanding from a technical point of view. Taking advantage of some and brackets we reach a traverse to the right which, thanks to the excellent grips, can be covered without too much difficulty that leads us to the base of a chimney which is also well appealed but more demanding than the average of the passages of the route. With this passage we reach the final slope and therefore through evident trace and red and white signs we reach the Creton dell'Arco (2357 m - 1h 15 'from the beginning of the equipment - 3h total).

Descent:

Upon reaching the summit of Creton dell'Arco, we have at least 2 return options:

• travel back along the Simone Ferrata (2h from the summit - 5h total), or
• reach the mid-point of the Via Ferrata 50 of the Clap ascending to the Creton de Culzei. This option is certainly more interesting but also very demanding and technically difficult. From the summit you must descend in the south-west direction for aided sections reaching the saddle visible from the summit. Climb on the opposite side of the saddle always for aided and exposed passages reaching the track of the Fifty of the Clap by track. At this point one could opt to descend from the Fifty Ferrata del Clap towards the Corbellini Aided path, but this option is not recommended since one would travel down a very challenging stretch. We recommend continuing the Ferrata Cinquanta del Clap in a clockwise direction to the west, reaching the summit of Creton di Culzei (2458 m) with exposed and vertical stretches. Go down the steep path to the west until you reach path 232 on the right which leads to the Bivacco Damiana (1980 m). Continue on the path until you reach the approach path that we follow backwards to the parking lot (8 hours in total).

Notes:

Calling the route ascending to the Creton dell'Arco aided path is probably an understatement given a couple of challenging passages that require a minimum of athletic preparation. Regardless of the wording, this itinerary is of medium difficulty if undertaken up to the Creton dell'Arco and backwards for the ascent itinerary. The difficulty increases significantly along with physical effort if you continue up to Creton di Culzei combining it with the Fifty Ferrata of Clap. The environment in which the road extends is very satisfying, little beaten and with wonderful views over this part of the Carnic Alps.

Opportunities:

As indicated in the report, with the right preparation the Simone Aided path can be combined with the Fifty Ferrata of the Clap, possibly also as a return from it. From Sappada they are rather close Ferrata Sartor and the Via Ferrata del Chiadenis as well as the Path of Ambros to the Cresta di Pitturina. On the Friulian side we encounter the difficult Via Ferrata del Coglians.