Ferrata della Balma

Overview

The Ferrata della Balma is an athletic, vertical route carved from a former quarry in the Biellese region. Despite its short length and lack of extreme technical difficulty, it offers a continuous, exposed climb that pairs perfectly with other equipped itineraries in the area for a full day out.

Approach

Access is in the municipality of San Paolo Cervo (BI). Reach the Cervo stream valley, about 10 km upstream from Biella, and at the Balma locality turn left across a bridge. A subsequent right turn leads into a parking area at the foot of a rock face that hosts the via ferrata and several climbing crags. From the parking lot, a very short trail of five minutes leads to the start of the route.

Via Ferrata

The itinerary begins without preamble with a vertical wall, overcome with a slight leftward deviation aided by stirrups. This first vertical taste, typical of quarry redevelopment, immediately sets the athletic tone of the climb. You then veer left onto a short ramp to tackle another vertical wall of similar height. The pace is brisk, and the exposure quickly becomes apparent. Next comes an exposed traverse to the left, where progress is entirely on metal stirrups fixed to the wall, followed by an ascent up another slab. Here the equipment briefly pauses, offering a breather before the next section.

You then take on a diagonal traverse to the right, characterized by a steel cable to walk on. Once the traverse ends, you climb a wall that bends right, becoming vertical and featuring a couple of slightly overhanging meters. This is the most physical passage, leveraging the quarried wall's shape. Past this bulge, you veer left to a horizontal traverse leading to a short monkey bridge with three ropes, about seven meters long. Beyond the bridge, you go around a boulder, climb it from the left, and tackle a dihedral that is heavily equipped, athletic but made manageable by an abundance of stirrups.

The route maintains a predominantly vertical character, unfolding on a compact, uniform wall. At the end of the dihedral, you turn left around an edge, then ascend an airy wall-first vertical, then with a new leftward traverse eased by long stirrups. Caution: at one point during the subsequent vertical climb, the safety cable switches from the right to the left side of the climbing line, requiring a change in body position. Climb the wall completely to a short grassy ramp; the final equipped meters on this trail lead to a tree with the last anchor. The via ferrata, short but intense, takes about 30 minutes of actual climbing, for a total of 35 minutes from the start.

Descent

From the final anchor of the via ferrata, a trail climbs in 10 minutes to the Belvedere, a panoramic viewpoint over the surrounding valleys. For the return, instead take the trail that descends toward the valley until you meet a paved road. Turning right, you comfortably return to the parking lot in about 30 minutes from the end of the ferrata, for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes from the start of the hike.

Useful Notes

The Ferrata della Balma is a short, intense, and physically demanding route that requires no special mountaineering skills. The only passage that might cause hesitation is the short overhanging section, where stirrups ease progress and using a quickdraw can help those who are not fully fit or comfortable. For a full day, this ferrata pairs well with other equipped routes in the Biellese area, such as the Ferrata del Limbo, Rosazza, Nito Staich, or Ciao Miki, or, venturing further up the valley, the Sentiero Attrezzato dell'Infernone, the Ferrata Falconera, or Partusac.