Passo di Fedaia - Bech da Mesdi (Ferrata delle Trincee)

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, where we park in the parking lot of the Rifugio Fedaia hut.
Access from Primorska: Take the motorway towards Padua, but only as far as the motorway junction, where you 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 Marmolada or Passo di Fedaia. When you reach the pass, park in the parking lot of the Rifugio Fedaia hut.

Path description:
From the parking area of the Rifugio Passo Fedaia, follow the dirt road towards the Rifugio Padon. The dirt road first crosses the main road via a bridge and then climbs along and over the ski slope. The road then turns slightly to the right and leads to the slopes below the cable car, which leads to the Padon hut. From the road, you have a magnificent view of the nearby Marmolada. The dirt road continues to climb near the cable car all the way up to the Passo Padon saddle.
At the saddle, where there is a crossroads, continue left along the road to the hut, which you can see from the path for some time.
From the hut, continue on the footpath following the signs "Porta Vescovo". The trail then crosses fairly steep grassy slopes to the west and initially descends gently. The path then begins to climb and continues to cross the slopes to the west for some time. Later, an unmarked path from Lake Fedaia joins us from the left, and we continue to cross the grassy slopes from which we have a good view of Marmolada all the way. Just before the Porta Vescovo saddle, below the slopes of the Bech da Mesdi peak, the path leads to a crossroads where we continue upwards to the right. At the crossroads there is a red sign on the rock "Ferr. ", which marks the way to the protected climbing route Ferrata delle Trincee.
From the crossroads, the path climbs slightly steeper and leads us under the south-west face of the Bech da Mesdi peak, where the climbing route starts.
The climbing is quite difficult at the beginning and you need to have some strength in your arms. From the route, however, we have a fine view of the Sella mountain group. The path continues to climb steeply along the steel cable up to the ridge where the steepness eases slightly. On the ridge we then cross a suspension bridge and there is another steep climb to the Bech da Mesdi summit. The sheltered path passes a few metres below the summit. The summit can be reached without much difficulty if you continue right up from the protected path at the point where the path begins to descend. The summit is also the highest point on the whole route.
From the top, descend steeply down a ropeway to the flatter slopes on the east side of the summit. There is also an easy path leading down to the right, which allows you to leave the protected path. We continue along the path along the ridge, which begins to climb again and leads us to a military tunnel under the precipitous walls of a nearby peak. Just before the military tunnel, the path turns left and leads us past some ruins to a more difficult descent. The path here descends very steeply along a steel cliff, and we have a few staples to help us. This path then leads us to the eastern side of the ridge where, with views towards the Tofana mountain group, it crosses the slopes to the south-east. The path then leads us back to the ridge where there is a crossroads. At the crossroads there are also some military ruins. At the crossroads we have the opportunity to descend again to the south side and leave the protected path. If you are walking along the Ferrata delle Trincee in the opposite direction, at the crossroads you should be careful not to continue along the ridge but on the path that crosses the slopes on the eastern side of the ridge.
At the crossroads we continue left (south-east) along the ridge and start to descend slightly. Occasionally we are helped by rocks, but the route is not as difficult as it was in the first part. The path later descends to the south side of the ridge where there is another crossroads where you can leave the protected path early. At the crossroads there is also a signpost indicating that the trail will continue through military tunnels, where you will also need a torch.
From the crossroads, the path climbs a little steeper along the steel cable and then leads us to the north side of the ridge. Here the path descends slightly and leads to the first military tunnel. Once out of the tunnel, there is a short crossing on the south side of the ridge, and then the path leads back into the tunnel. Once out of the tunnel, the path crosses again and then becomes a little more difficult and climbs a few times along the glacis. This path leads to the last military tunnel, which is slightly longer. On the way through the tunnel, you also climb up some stairs. Exit the tunnel at the Bontadini bivouac, which is also the end of the route called Ferrata delle Trincee.
From the bivouac, descend to the Padon hut and from there to the starting point at Passo Fedaia. From the starting point to the top of Bech da Mesdi will take about 2h 30min, and for the whole circular route 4h 45min.

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