Lago di Fedaia - Punta Penia (Marmolada) (Via ferrata Marmolada)

Access to the starting point:
First, drive to Cortina d'Ampezzo (you can get here via Border crossing Rateče or Predel to Trbiž / Tarvisio and then take the motorway towards Udine to the Tolmezzo exit. From Tolmezzo, follow the road towards Ampezzo and the Passo della Mauria mountain pass. The road then descends and leads to a crossroads where you turn left (possibly right) towards Cortina d'Ampezzo. At all subsequent junctions, follow the signs for Cortina d'Ampezzo and then follow the signs for the Passo di Falzarego Alpine Pass. In the first part of the ascent towards the Falzarego Pass, you will reach a crossroads where the signs for Passo di Giau (2233 m) and Marmolado point to the left. After the Giau Pass, the road starts to descend and we follow it through the settlements in the lower part towards Marmolada or Passo di Fedaia. The road then starts to climb again and leads us higher up to the Fedaia Pass, which we follow to the other side of the lake, where we park in the parking lot near the Rifugio Castiglioni Marmolada hut.

Access from Primorska: Take the motorway towards Padua, but only as far as the motorway junction, where we continue towards Veneto and Belluno. Near Belluno, the motorway ends and we follow the road towards Belluno, where we turn right at a major junction towards Agordo. From there, follow the frequent signs for the Marmolada or Passo di Fedaia. When you reach the pass, follow the road to the west side of the lake, where you turn left onto the road over the dam and park in the large parking lot above.

Path description:
From the parking lot, take route 606, following the signs "Punta Penia, Rif. Pian dei Fiacconi". The path initially climbs through sparse dwarf pines and bushes slightly to the left of the cable car leading to the Pian dei Fiacconi hut. The path then leads out of dwarf pines and soon turns right to the west side of the cable car. Here the path begins to climb southwards under the precipitous walls of the Col di Bousc (2494m). A few more climbs in the keys follow and we are at the saddle Col di Bousc (2438m). At the saddle where the crossroads are, continue left in the direction of the Pian dei Fiacconi hut.

We continue climbing on rocky terrain towards the south-east. From the ascending path, you can see magnificent views towards Marmolada and also to the north, where Piz Boe stands out. As we approach the cable car again, the path turns slightly to the right and there is only a short, easy climb to the hut, which is usually very crowded.

From the hut, go back a few metres and at the crossroads take route 606, following the signs "Via Ferrata, Forcella Marmolada". The trail continues for some time in a gentle downhill slope to the west. The path descends approximately 200 metres as it crosses the slope. On the descent you will cross a stream and a small waterfall can be seen just off the path. The path then starts to climb again and turns left, leading to the first fairly level snowfield. The snow is usually frozen in the morning, so it is advisable to use snowshoes here. After the first snow slope, there is a short climb up a less visible track marked cairns, and then we start to climb up a slightly steeper snow slope towards the Forcella Marmolada notch. The last few metres are quite steep and some caution is needed. From the end of the snowfield, there is a short climb along a ropeway to the Forcella Marmolada notch, where the path from the south joins.

At the notch, continue left and start climbing up the steep slope using the crampons. The path then turns slightly to the right and briefly follows the ridge, where a view of the south side opens up. The path then follows the ridge and then climbs along the cliff for some time on a series of rocks and wedges. This path leads us back to the well protected ridge, which we then climb eastwards. In the last part, the path becomes less steep and a short traverse of a sloping snowfield follows. The snow is usually so soft here that the use of snowshoes is not strictly necessary.

There is a short, easy climb up to the shelter, where the normal route over the glacier joins from the left. From here, it's just a few steps of easy walking to the highest peak in the Dolomites.

On the way: Col de Bous (2438m), Rifugio Pian dei Fiacconi (2626m), Forcella Marmolada (2896m)

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