Ponte de Ru Curto - Monte Formin

Access to the starting point:
a) 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 a crossroads at about 1400m. At the crossroads, turn left towards the Passo di Giau and the Marmolade. From this junction, continue driving for another 4km, then park a few hundred metres before the Ponte de Ru Curto bridge in the parking lot on the left-hand side of the road.

b) 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, turn left onto the footpath after the signs "Rif. Croda da Lago". The footpath descends gently at first and crosses the Rio Costeana. The path then turns left and crosses the slopes to the east, mostly in a gentle ascent. The path passes through forest, but occasionally there are fine views towards Tofana. The trail then turns slightly to the right, crosses another stream and then begins to climb a little steeper through the forest. The path then leads to a marked crossroads.

A path joins us from the Pezie de Paru bridge on the left, heading straight on towards hut Rifugio Croda da Lago, and we continue right towards the Val Formin valley. From the crossroads, the path first crosses the slopes to the south-west, mostly through the forest. Later, the path turns slightly to the left and starts to climb gently. The forest becomes thinner and thinner and the path often offers views of the precipitous cliffs of the nearby peaks. Once out of the forest, we then climb up the Val Formin valley for some time. The route here is mostly on rocky terrain, past numerous boulders. From the trail, you have a good view towards Tofana and the nearby precipitous ridge towards the summit of Croda da Lago. As we approach the Forcella Rossa del Formin, the slopes around us become more gentle. As we reach the notch, we also get a nice view to the south where Monte Pelmo stands out.
At the notch, leave the marked trail and head right on the relatively gentle slopes towards the summit of Monte Formin. Here we walk on a pathless path, but the ascent is not difficult and the cairns along the way are helpful. When you reach the indistinct headland on which many cairns and obelisks are erected, you have a view towards the Monte Formin summit.
From the summit, descend a little, then continue ascending the slopes, which become more and more visible. In the last part of the ascent, turn slightly to the right to reach the summit from the north side. On the left (south) side there are some cracks or narrow ravines in the last part, which can be dangerous if covered with snow.

You can either descend along the ascent route, or continue from the Forcella Rossa notch to the Rifugio Croda da Lago hut and then return from there to the starting point.

On the way: Cason di Formin (1845m), Forcella Rossa (2462m)

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