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Via ferrata Cesare Piazzetta to Piz Boè (D)
▲ 19 r/viaferrata

Via ferrata Cesare Piazzetta to Piz Boè (D)

https://reddit.com/link/1vkemds/video/70o878t28iih1/player

Wanted to try one of the hardest via ferrata in the Dolomites - Cesare Piazzetta to Piz Boè - for many years, and finally did it.

Decided for an early start, both to avoid the heat of the day, and to enjoy the sunrise views. And this decision paid off!

Parked the car near the German soldiers’ cemetery, and started the approach at 4:45. Even though the temperature was ~12°C, it was very humid from last evening’s rain, and quite hot to hike uphill (~400m in elevation). Walking off the grassy hills onto the rocks made it better. I was at the start of via ferrata after an hour. After a short stop to put on the gear, grab a snack and enjoy the breathtaking views of Dolomites at dawn - I started the climb at 6:00.

Via ferrata Cesare Piazzetta is rated as one of the hardest in the Dolomites. And you do get the proof of that at the very first meters of it. The rock is glossy, slippery, overhanging at points, and you do need quite a bit of fitness to brute force it with sheer strength. After the 20-30 m of strenuous activity, the ferrata becomes moderate until it shifts towards easy scrambling and a hike on gravel and rocks to the top.

I was on top of Piz Boè (3152 m) at 7:30, removed the gear, enjoyed a proper coffee (from the hut) with breathtaking views, and started the descent at 8:00. The descent was easy, somehow I felt energetic and ran the most of the way down, saving a lot of time. The crowds going up the hike path were huge, and I was quite sorry for them doing all those steep zigzags up, while I was running down. Caught a few angryish side-eyes, and immediately understood how all those trail runners feel when passing me on any uphill.

At 9:00 I was back at the car, super proud of the total time - 4h 30 minutes was at least an hour faster than I planned. And even more happy to make it back to the hotel for a shower before checkout.

Ranking ferratas, I’d give the Piazzetta a solid 8 - it is very challenging at the beginning, but loses that quite soon, and the ferrata itself is not too long. For me the biggest rewards were the initial challenge and breathtaking views. What I can’t stress enough, though, is don’t attempt it without good upper body strength, and solid prior ferrata experience.

In comparison, ferrata Erminio Arosio al Corno del Grevo was harder due to being much longer with sustained difficulty, constant exposure, long distances between bolts, so you have to actually think it through as a climbing challenge, and hell of a descent.

Some more higher definition views:

https://preview.redd.it/xooxt3gh8iih1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dd06d735ebc09b3ad6db9f4b177f87b0c8d43b56

https://preview.redd.it/unw014gh8iih1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=423bd292586c7efac220a5b607fa46f8011386b8

https://preview.redd.it/06fk93gh8iih1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e76993ff5795e33edb7ad41457eef3bfcc01fca

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u/kitbook — 10 days ago
▲ 14 r/VILTROX_GLOBAL

Dawn test shots with Sony A7CII & Viltrox 35mm f1.8 EVO

Taken while climbing the via ferrata Cesare Piazzetta to Piz Boe (3152 m) this early morning.
Can’t still decide if the lens is good or not. Maybe the sharpness was overhyped slightly while doing research before buying - don’t see more of it compared to other lenses. Micro-contrast is nice, AF is sufficient. I’d wish it to be slightly lighter, but that’s a personal preference.

u/kitbook — 11 days ago
▲ 14 r/viaferrata

Sentiero dei Fiori - the most accessible way to stand on 3166m

You don’t need mountaineering experience to stand at 3166m.

Sentiero dei Fiori proves it - one of the most accessible via ferratas in the Alps, sitting in the Adamello group.

After leaving the car in free parking at Passo del Tonale, the gondola does the hard work. You can start from Passo Paradiso or Passo Presena and skip most of the elevation gain. The approach on either side is actually harder than the ferrata itself, and starting from the Paradiso is slightly more physically demanding.

Once you’re on route, you’ll get all the fun for low effort: suspended bridges, planks, and a summit of Corno di Lago Scuro at 3166m with the views of Presanella and Adamello laid out in front of you.

It does get crowded, but there’s space to pass - the only real bottleneck is the bridges.

Bars and restaurants at both gondola stations. I can’t think of an easier way to spend time above 3000m.

If you’ve got energy left, Passo Presena also gives you an easy, fast summit of Cima Presena (3069m).

Highly recommended to those looking for an easy yet impressive ferrata around Adamello / Passo del Tonale.

u/kitbook — 1 month ago
▲ 323 r/alpinism

Gran Paradiso North face

Gran Paradiso (4,061 m) - North face. D, >55°, 1,300 m summit push, 600 m ice wall. Solo. Summited 13/06/2026.

Dinner at Rifugio Chabod was interrupted by a helicopter. Search and rescue. Three people hadn't returned from the North face. By night, three bodies had been recovered from the lower crevasse. That was the night before I climbed it.

The normal route on Gran Paradiso is popular - crowded, and honestly a bit boring. The North face is a different animal: steep classical snow/ice, requires real experience, no room for error.

First good weather window, I drove to Pravieux, fast-hiked 900 m to the rifugio, secured a last-minute place. No one else was going for the North face the next day. The owner mentioned two French guys had climbed it the day before and reported normal conditions.

Sleep was almost nothing. At 3:30 I took a freezing shower, ate breakfast, moved out at 5 a.m.

700 vertical meters of approach to the base. I was at the wall around 7 a.m. First: skirt the lower crevasse where the bodies were recovered. Then the upper bergschrund, which had a bridge intact in the middle. Equipment belonging to the deceased was scattered across the bottom of the face.

The first 50 m above the bergschrund were good neve. That was the end of anything good.

What followed was some of the worst ice I've been on. Porous in places - strike the pick and it scatters into icicles. Elsewhere it looked like waterfall ice but was brittle, unstable. A 22 cm screw I placed didn't feel bomber - the whole block seemed to be moving. Crampon frontpoints holding on a prayer.

Around halfway I found a frozen-in ice axe. The German duo behind me found another one lower down. That was probably the spot.

My original line was straight up the middle. I had to bail left toward the rocks - cost more energy, but gave me something solid to sit on, eat, bandage bloody knees, rest. Conditions there were maybe 10% better. Still bad. But I could move again. Five hours instead of three.

Above the face, a series of snow ridges to the actual peak. Should have been straightforward, but my legs were done. I moved slowly and focused on keeping balance.

4,061 m. Crossed to the Madonna statue, started the descent. Midday snow had turned to slush - every few steps waist-deep, potential crevasses underneath, dead legs. Four hours back to the rifugio. The staff cheered when I walked in. Over espresso I told the people planning the North face for the next day not to go.

On the way down to the car, I looked back at the face. There were still people on it - halfway up, having started 30 minutes after me.

I hope they made it.

u/kitbook — 2 months ago
▲ 9 r/Ultralight

OMM Z-Lite Carbon poles - too short-term review

How's your luck with the OMM Z-Lite Carbon poles?

I was so excited about them, super light (130g at 130cm per single pole), pack close to nothing (4 piece construction), comfortable straps and cushion, silent. But the first one broke in half at the joint during the very first descent from a mountain (on trail), while the second - after a week on the second descent. I know carbon poles are fragile and you have to be aware how much pressure you put on them, especially on descent. At 185cm / 85kg I don't consider myself overweight, but these poles probably can't deal with anything much above 50kg. My partner has the cheaper and only a few grams heavier OMM Z-Lite aluminium poles, and those are actually great!

Kudos to OMM customer support - they issued a refund no questions asked. But without strengthening the joints, or creating an interlocking system - I can't see a way for these poles to be trustable.

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u/kitbook — 3 months ago
▲ 5 r/alpinism

Leaving the tent during the summit push in the alps

Is it ok/safe to leave the tent while summiting and then return for it during the descent? Never did that myself, but saw a few tents left standing at the bottom of the slope during the years. Does anyone do that? Not scared that it’ll be stolen? Now thinking specifically of the south side of Piz Bernina, but this question is valid for any 4k peaks with longer approach.

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u/kitbook — 3 months ago
▲ 0 r/alpinism

This is a genuine happy/proud post, but your feedback is very welcome and crucial for further development.

I had a monstrous spreadsheet which grew from plain gear inventory to packing weight calculator, and eventually gear economics tracker. I wanted to know how much I've actually spent on alpine gear, including discarded items (I still paid for them). It wasn't just to know the 'price' of my mountain pursuits, but an attempt to make it more efficient. If I buy an ice axe on a very good sale, use it, then resell for profit - that's a little off the total expenditure. This taught me to make purchases knowing the actual life cycle cost of the item, and focusing on increasing my ROI. How much money will I recover if one day I won't be able to climb anymore and sell everything off?

But there are limits to what you can do in a spreadsheet, and trying to use one in a hut at 1am with no signal the night before summiting added to frustration.

So I built Kit Book. Live on iOS, Android, and web:

  • Gear and clothing catalogue with specs, ratings, and lifecycle cost tracking
  • Pack builder with worn/carried split, consumable weights, trip saving, and upcoming trip widget
  • Research tab - 20k item database with consolidated reviews, pros and cons, filters by weight, cost, brand, keywords, with direct wishlist adding and precalculated net upgrade costs
  • Spreadsheet import for bulk entries and AI prefill for manual adding
  • Wishlist and upgrade system - flag an item for upgrade, assign a wishlisted replacement, see the net cost of the swap

Free up to 20 items and 1 saved trip. kitbook.app

Here's my current kit snapshot the app generates - 116 items, and 100% estimated recovery at sell-off if I sold everything today

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u/kitbook — 4 months ago