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Alta Via, the best of Dolomites

Text & photos by Simone Mondino

Walter Bonatti once said: “Look if you have to come this far to pursue your dreams, to not be there in the confusion, among the human beings who are there, to have fun or to look for something that has nothing to do with what I’m looking for!”.

The essence of the Alta Via is contained in this simple and brief definition.
What better way to tell the 150 kilometers, more than 50 hours, the 8770 meters of climb and the 8510 meters of descent?
But numbers in the end are nothing but a trace of the distance traveled. Who do not take into account what the mountain and the trail have left you after a full immersion with body, mind and spirit face to face with Mother Nature.
The Alta Via is a dream for every mountain lover and, in particular, an indelible and unforgettable gift on the eve of the ten years of the Dolomites as a UNESCO heritage site. A new alternative trail to the classic Dolomites ones, a crossing of about 150 kilometers of the South Tyrol from west to east, starting from Tiers, a few kilometers away from the Salewa HQ, and arriving to the Fiscalina Valley, right on the border with the province of Bolzano.
A journey of more than 50 hours between climbs, descents, via ferratas, e-bikes and, why not, even experiencing the thrill of paragliding.
Beside me there were a dozen of people between journalists, photographers and bloggers coming from all over Europe, all headed by Egon Resch, a South Tyrolean mountain guide who led us on this adventure away from stress, cars, mobile phones and the hyperconnected world. Here, almost on the border with the modern world, times follow the sun and the stars and not the patterns established by society. Confined in a perfect “space”, surrounded by the beauty and uniqueness of some of the most important mountains in Italy, from the Tofane to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo passing through the Catinaccio, Monte Cristallo, Pelmo and many other memorable peaks.

From the first day we understood the greatness of this Dolomites journey. Crossing the Valle del Ciamin you will find yourself in front of the Catinaccio and then the Torri del Vajolet, which will accompany you on the way up to the 2134 meters of Rifugio Bergamo – Grasleitenhütte where we found excellent Tyrolean food and an incredible starry sky.
Just a few hours of sleep and it was time to leave again. The second day turned out to be a continuous up and down going through the Molignon Pass, in an almost lunar landscape that left us speechless, and then back down to the Alp of Tires Refuge and continue towards the Friedrich August Refuge alongside the Teeth of Terra Rossa and the Sassopiatto, to admire again the stars that have kept us company during the numerous nocturnal chats of the Alta Via.
As the days passed by, even the kilometers began to be felt but the adrenaline remained high as we approached the Meisules via ferrata.
It is one of the oldest via ferrata, dating back to 1912, which brought us first to the Sella plateau at the Franz Kostner Refuge and later to over 2500 meters high through exposed landscapes and breathtaking views. Some of us chose to enjoy the beauty of Alta Badia by sleeping outdoors under the mantle of stars and then continue the next day towards Civetta, Marmolada and Pelmo.

One of us, randomly drawn, was lucky enough to fly over the valley and reach the Campolongo Pass by paragliding while the rest of the group went down on foot among rocks and dwarf pines surrounded by a blaze of colors, to then jump on the saddle of our e-bikes towards Pralongià at 2109 meters high and then down to the Capanna Alpina. From there we climbed up to the Capanna Scottoni and then went down towards the Lagacio Lake where the most daring ones dived to cool off a little before starting another trail that after 31 kilometers led us back to Capanna Fanes.
That was the very moment we realized how beautiful it is every now and then to take a step back, break away from everything and everyone, even simply using the old coin-operated telephone at the shelter, while sipping a beer on the terrace. That intense and long day was coming to an end, far from the noise of the city, surrounded by the silence of the Alpine night with laughters and curiosity.
Although the kilometers continued to accumulate day after day, fatigue was hardly felt because what the Alta Via brings with it is a real family. It seems crazy to tell but it’s true, people that just a few days before even knew each other had in a few days developed a bond of profound friendship, a real magic that only the mountain can create.
The last part of the journey awaited us. We headed eastwards, reaching the Valle di Fanes first towards its homonymous waterfalls, always under a scorching sun. The route allows you to cross from “inside” these 90 meters of water, probably the highest in the Dolomites, thanks to a small via ferrata coming up to their base. An incredible spectacle, just like the vertical zig-zag that led us to climb the valley up to the Gran Foses and then to the Biella Refuge, right at the foot of the Croda del Becco where the following day we climbed to admire the sunrise and the view of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Pelmo, Monte Cristallo, Tofane and below us the touristic Braies Lake.

After days of sunshine and hot temperatures, a last fiery dawn gave way to increasingly threatening clouds and rain showers coming from the west and that accompanied us all day between pine forests, meadows and short iron shores up to the Vallandro Refuge, where we encountered a real storm.
We woke up finding a thick fog but as soon as we left the Refuge behind us, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo peeped back into the distance, ready to welcome us.
That view has heartened us and we have faced the last 20 kilometers between fatigue accumulated in the legs and the many ups and downs, and then arrive at the Rifugio Locatelli in the evening where the view from our room was unbelievable. It really seemed to touch the Tre Cime, and even the sky that was becoming increasingly threatening could only give non-stop emotions.
Impossible to rest with mountains so important, so legendary in front of us and so after a couple of hours we found ourselves standing again waiting for dawn. The last of our adventure. Only 12 kilometers separated us from the end of the Alta Via, and so after skirting Monte Paterno, we finally reached the Fiscalina Valley, the final stage of the Salewa project.
Our Alta Via was far from trivial. It marked us, led us to know each other better and made us discover our limits but also to understand the importance of chasing our dreams and above all led us to understand even more the immense beauty of the mountains. It has allowed us to become one with nature, living it at 360 degrees, far from mass tourism but close to the beauty of simplicity.
And the essence of the Alta Via could once again be enclosed in a simple and brief definition, the one of Reinhold Messner: “The most important decision of my life was the the one to live by obeying my desires, my ideas and my dreams.”

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