Ferrata Bovero al Col Rosà

Overview

The Ferrata Ettore Bovero, which leads to the summit of Col Rosà above Cortina d'Ampezzo, is a route with a distinctly alpine character. Though not particularly long in terms of distance, it is an extremely demanding, airy, and relentlessly vertical via ferrata that demands solid technique and a complete absence of vertigo. The progression is varied and engaging, alternating between slabs, dihedrals, chimneys, and exposed traverses. The second part of the route includes unprotected sections of Grade I scrambling. The final reward is a breathtaking 360-degree panorama from the summit cross.

Approach

The itinerary begins from the large parking area at the entrance of the Campeggio Olympia in Fiames, north of Cortina d'Ampezzo. From here, take the wide forest road marked with trail marker 417, which climbs steeply northward with the imposing silhouette of Col Rosà on the left. In about 25 minutes you reach Pian de Ra Spines (1301 m). At this point, turn left onto trail 408, which enters the woods with a steady, steep gradient up to Passo Posporcora (1711 m), reached after a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Continue, ignoring the left fork for trail 409, staying on trail 408 until you spot the right-hand turn for trail 447, signposted for Col Rosà and the Ferrata Bovero. The final stretch of the approach is steep, over rocky steps, ledges, and small crags. It is advisable to put on your harness on a small terrace before the last rocky rises, which in a few minutes lead to a metal plaque and the actual start of the fixed cables at 1950 meters elevation, after approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes total from the start.

Via Ferrata

The equipped climb begins immediately with a smooth dihedral lacking good holds, revealing the technical nature of the ascent from the very first moves. After overcoming it, you enter a narrow gully to be climbed on the right side, then emerge onto a small terrace. A short unroped trail section leads to the base of a sloping, well-stepped slab, which is climbed easily. From a new ledge, you tackle a vertical wall at a second dihedral, equally polished on the right side but with slightly better holds near a crack on the left.

The progression becomes extremely exposed as the cable runs inside a tight crack; from a small terrace on the right, you must pull up a couple of meters searching for holds to reach the first solid footholds. After this challenging passage, continue vertically on stepped rock up to a third key dihedral, with the cable on the right. Here, some good holds on the left and a couple of athletic moves, almost in a split, allow you to overcome what is likely the hardest passage of the entire route.

Emerging onto a panoramic pulpit, move right onto a very exposed arête, tackled diagonally and then straight on for about ten meters. The cable bends to the right of the arête, crossing diagonally through a technical and airy crack, to be climbed by seeking holds on both sides. After this, the climb resumes vertically on a jagged but overhanging wall, near a crack in the rock. You skirt a rock bulge on the left side, execute an exposed traverse to the left to go around an arête, and climb vertically again, first left to a small balcony and then right onto a more hold-filled but still vertical wall.

You then find yourself beneath a roof, overcome with a challenging move by seeking holds in yet another crack, to emerge onto the upper rocks. A final diagonal to the left, less difficult, concludes the first equipped section. A connecting trail, with some scrambling over small rocks (Grade I) among stones and dwarf pines, leads to the final sector. After a short step aided by the cable, continue on the trail until you encounter, to the left of a chimney, a first series of wide metal stirrups. Climb them, clipping directly into them.

A few meters of trail lead to a second series of stirrups that help ascend the left side of a dihedral. Then proceed on an unprotected trail, overcoming some stepped rocky ledges that lead into a gully. On the left side, some stirrups assist on the steepest sections. After a few final Grade I rock steps, you exit the gully onto the summit plateau of Col Rosà (2166 m). The panoramic view of the surrounding Dolomites is magnificent. The climbing time for the via ferrata is about 1 hour, for a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes from the parking lot.

Descent

From the summit cross of Col Rosà, descend northward following the markers of the CAI trail 447. The trail is clear and leads to a debris-filled gully, which you descend partly before traversing at mid-height toward a distinctive, visible rock tower. After passing it, descend steeply into the woods until you join the wide forest road of trail 417 at about 1300 meters elevation (approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes from the summit). Keeping right, you return in 30 minutes to the parking lot of the Campeggio Olympia in Fiames. The total descent time is about 2 hours, for a full excursion of 5 hours.

Useful Notes

The Ferrata Bovero is an intense and extremely exposed route. The relatively short duration of the equipped climb should not be misleading: this is a nearly continuous and vertical progression, with passages on dihedrals, chimneys, and traverses that demand focus and technique. The rock alternates between excellent sections and others that are polished and lacking in holds. The condition of the equipment is not optimal: the bolting is sparse, with sometimes excessive distances between the pegs that can generate a high fall factor. In a couple of spots, the cable is slack, an additional difficulty on such a vertical route. Be cautious on some exposed sections during the descent. The itinerary is completely devoid of intermediate refuges and water sources; you must be fully self-sufficient.