Passo di Giau - Averau (via Nuvolau)

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. Or from the Primorska side, take the motorway towards Trieste. Continue on the Italian 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 continue towards Cortina d'Ampezzo at the next junctions and then follow the signs for the Passo di Falzarego Alpine pass. We then follow this ascending road to a junction at about 1400m. At the crossroads, turn left towards the Passo di Giau and the Marmolada. Park in the large parking lot on the aforementioned Alpine pass.

Path description:
From the pass, continue along a wide path past the Rifugio Passo Giau hut. After a short climb along a wide path, you reach a crossroads where you turn right onto route 443, following the signs "Rif. Nuvolau Ferrata". The trail then begins to descend slightly and crosses the slopes below the summit of Ragusela (2595m). An unmarked trail will soon branch off to the left, leading towards the base of Ra Gusela. We continue to descend gently to the east and then come to a marked crossroads. Continue to the left following the signs "438" and "Via Ferrata". The path here starts to climb the scree on the east side of Mount Ragusela and leads to a small notch. From the notch, the path descends a few metres and then becomes more difficult. First we climb along a wide gully along a steel ladder, then there is a climb up a short ladder. The challenging part of the route is very short and soon we are on the gentle slopes below the summit of Nuvolau. The trail then turns slightly to the left and soon reaches a less visible crossroads where an unmarked trail branches off to the left towards the summit of Ra Gusela. We continue to cross the gentle slopes towards the southern ridge of Nuvolau. Once we reach the ridge, the path becomes more challenging again. First we climb a slightly exposed ridge by a rope ladder, then we climb again via a short ladder. A few metres more walking along the steep ridge and you are at the Rifugio Nuvolau hut.

Continue past the hut and follow the signs for Rifugio Averau. The trail begins to descend along a wide ridge to the north. Soon you reach a crossroads where you turn left towards the hut that you have seen for some time.

From the hut, continue slightly to the right along the mountain road. After a few metres, the sign "Ferrata Averau" will direct you uphill to the left. The path then first crosses the scree on the eastern side of the mountain and soon turns left to enter the climbing part of the route. At the start of the climbing route, climb steeply along a ropeway over a steep wall, and then reach a fork in the route. The left-hand, slightly easier route climbs vertically on scree through a vent. The right-hand path also climbs almost vertically, but there are no steel cables. It should be noted that the left-hand path is often wet and the snow also stays a little longer. After a short steep section, the two paths rejoin and there is a steel cable crossing to the right. The climbing part of the route is quickly over and you soon reach the less steep summit slopes of the mountain. In the last part of the route, the trail is no longer difficult and soon you reach a very scenic summit.

On the way: Rifugio Nuvolau (2575m), Rifugio Averau (2413m)

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