Ossario del Pordoi - Pizes dl Valun (path 672)

Access to the starting point:
Access from Gorenjska: Via Border crossing Rateče or Predel to Trbiž / Tarvisio and then along 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.

In Cortina d'Ampezzo, follow the signs for the Passo di Falzarego Alpine pass. Follow this ascending road to the pass. At the pass, you come to a crossroads where you follow the road on the left towards Marmolada and the village of Arabba (Alta Badia on the right). The road descends for some time and then leads to a crossroads where you continue on the right towards Passo Pordoi (Marmolada on the left). Follow the relatively wide and ascending road until you reach the aforementioned pass. At the pass, turn right onto the narrow asphalted road towards the Cimitero Militare Germanico (German Soldiers' Ossuary). Park in the parking lot at the end of the road.

From the coastal side: Take the motorway towards Venice/Venezia. At Portogruaro, leave the motorway towards Venice and turn right on the motorway towards Pordenone. At the next motorway junction near Conegliano, turn right towards Belluno. The motorway ends near Belluno and we continue towards Cortina d'Ampezzo at the next junctions. Continue as described above.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue along the beautifully landscaped path towards the ossuary where 8582 German soldiers who died in the First World War and 849 soldiers who died in the Second World War are buried. At the ossuary, turn left and follow the signs for the Via Ferrata Cesare Piazzetta climbing route. The path then leads you along a grassy slope with a view and soon starts to climb a little steeper. The path then briefly crosses a steeper slope to the right, and then starts climbing up the slope again. The path, which is mostly marked with red arrows, then climbs until it reaches a mighty escarpment where it joins route 626.

Here you continue to the right and after a short crossing the path leads to a signpost marking the start of the extremely difficult Via Ferrata Cesare Piazzetta. We continue on an easy path that crosses the slopes below the vertical walls to the east. The path then crosses this slope for some time, ascending and descending gently a few times. The path soon opens up to a view towards hut Ütia Franz Kostner and after a short descent you reach a marked crossroads.

Up to the left, the 638 trail branches off and leads over the Rissa di Pigolerz ravine towards the summit of Piz Boe. At the crossroads, we continue on route 626, which continues to cross the slopes below the precipitous cliffs. Along the way, you will also see some ruins from the First World War, and the path also leads you past a small lake. The path then turns slightly to the left and, after a short descent, leads to another crossroads.

To the right, it is just a few minutes' walk to the Ütia Franz Kostner hut. If you also visit the hut, then return to the crossroads and continue left on the Lichtenfels trail (trail 672). From the crossroads, the trail starts to climb on scree and follows the right side of the valley upwards. At the end of the valley the path turns right into the rocks and becomes more difficult. The trail, which is well protected by a steel cable, follows a steep rocky slope and climbs slightly steeper a few times. More experienced mountaineers will be able to manage the climb without self-propulsion. The relatively short protected part then ends and the route becomes less demanding.

The trail then turns left and then, for some time, crosses the steep slopes on the eastern side of the Pizes dl Valun peak, mostly in a gentle ascent. After crossing the path leads us to less steep slopes where we come to a marked crossroads.

At the crossroads, we continue right along the 672 (Lichtenfels), and straight ahead is the path that later joins the 638. Our route then climbs slightly to the left of a wide and relatively flat valley and runs westwards. When you reach the south-west side of Pizes dl Valun, you will see a distinct saddle below the western slopes. Leave the marked trail here and follow the trackless path towards the saddle. From the saddle, there is a relatively easy passage which runs along the slope above the scree towards the ridge. At the saddle, turn right and start climbing up the pathless scree and then slightly rightwards along the above-mentioned passage to the ridge. The climb is not too difficult but the rubble still requires some caution. When you reach the ridge, continue left and soon reach the summit of the small cairn on a gentle slope. From the top you have a magnificent view over most of the Sella mountain group.

On the way: Ütia Franz Kostner (2500m)

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