The Dolomites
As a kid I was lucky to have parents that mountaineered and climbed. This is how I got into the great outdoors and it's been a passion since. I've travelled to a lot of destinations across Europe as well as the USA and one of my favourite areas is The Dolomites. I first went out to stay in Arabba several years ago now with my parents and we did a mix of walking, via ferrata and sport climbing. I was hooked.
Since then the my family have stayed in the same apartment owned by a lovely couple and their kids and it's become a second home. Over the last few years I've returned with friends as well and really enjoyed showing them around. You can probably get my mates into more
exciting places than my mum though! It's the ideal place to take beginners like on Clare's first trip or to go with more seasoned mountaineering friends like Joe. Accessibility is the main reason for both groups. There are easy via ferrata right by the road as well as big mountain routes accessed by lifts and glaciers.
Climbing in the Dolomites caters for all: there are absolutely nails sport routes as well as easy trad classics. Mostly you're well catered for by crags and routes close to the road or the top of a lift. Areas like the Falzarego Pass are just stunning and pack a lot into a small area: here you'll find 3 good via ferrata, big long trad lines like that up Sasso di Stria and The Cinque Torri with multiple sport and trad lines... all within 5-10mins drive!! Here is a video of my last trip with joe and Vlad showing the kind of ground you meet on the local VF.
There are loads of guidebooks to climbing, walking and VF. Until recently good climbing books have been difficult to find in English though. Last year I thought I'd see what the new RockFax book was like and am well impressed though. It gives a great overview of where things are and includes a nice selection of places to climb. Below is a selection of the guidebooks I'd recommend looking at. The Vertical Life book is less well known in the UK but covers sport areas not covered by other books and has handy topos.
We love the area around Cortina d'Ampezzo. It's a great place to base yourself as it has a good mix of climbs around it and good access to important bases like the Passo Falzarego and Misurina. There are enough climbing shops, supermarkets and restaurants to keep you well supplied as well as a healthy night life in the bars. The town is easily reached from the South and the airports serving Venice. Self driving is fine as there's plenty of parking but there are also plenty of buses for those wanting to protect the planet.
