Gruppo: Sasso della Croce

The combination of ferrates to Sass de la Crusc (Sasso della Croce) and Ten is a great mountain route starting from Badia, in Val Badia. The equipped sections are of medium difficulty, but the path is long (more than 16 km, almost 1000 m of altitude difference) and for wide stretches runs on exposed and unprotected path: it must be faced with good preparation and stable time. In return it offers spectacular views of Val Badia, Sassolungo, Gruppo Sella and the Dolomites peaks of Cortina, with the summit in 3026 m.

The support is the Santa Croce refuge, on the eastern side of the Val Badia valley at the height of Badia, reachable with the chair lifts «La Crusc 1» and «La Crusc 2» or walk to the comfortable path 7 from Badia (about 1h 30'). Open road signs on Google Maps. From the mountain station (2045 m) you have in front of the imposing rampart of the Sass dla Crusc, the first destination of the day. Follow the signs 7 passing next to a white church; the path then climbs right towards the south, first sweet among the mughi and then più decided out of the wood, towards the wall. You walk under the rock along a path that takes you via più narrow and exposed: here begins the first equipped section (1h from the mountain station).

The first cable helps on an exposed nod followed by a vertical leap; continue alternating halfway path exposed to short equipped stretches. You go up a sloped ramp with the cable on the left and you go on l' exposed path that wanders the south-west wall of the Sass dla Crusc; after a stretch of unequipped rocks you meet a equipped with two metal brackets and an easy crossing. A long nod, più narrow of the preceding, è protected by a self-insurance rope; therefore turns south for l' last stretch of path, partially equipped where it enters a steep franose canal, up to the Forcella dla Crusc (2h 30' in total). At the fork, crossroads of paths, the sinistra is held to stay on the ' plateau. You walk between stones and wreaths a po' slippery but not difficult until the Piz Zuber, then at the junction for the Sass dla Crusc (2907 m, optional but recommended deviation), and continue along the panoramic crest towards Cima Ten. Here begins the second stretch ferrato: short but very exposed, goes up the southern edge for about fifty meters of vertical rocky leaps. After the first metres, a series of più jumps is approached; marked with the cable on the left; from a panoramic balcony rises on a strong display on two challenging sections, then wanders the edge on the eastern side and you see, at about fifteen meters, the wooden cross. A few steps horizontally enters a chimney that goes up in the split, from the right to the left; the last rocks lead to the summit plateau and the croce of Cima Dieci, with a 360° view; (2h from Forcella, 4h 30' in total ). The ridge that detaches towards Cima Nove è travels from its ferrata.

The first ferrata, the one that leads to the Forcella dla Crusc, è in the complex facile: it has three short and difficult vertical sections; techniques, while the other cables are mainly used to protect exposed paths. The Cima Ten hardware is short but intense, very exposed and with the first metà vertical and demanding.

The Sasso della Croce è linked to the history of ' mountaineering by Reinhold Messner: in July 1968, climbing the Pillar of Mezzo with his brother Günther, he found himself in a smooth four-metre plaque from which he could not né climb né Get down. The superò, as it tells in its famous «Settimo Grado», and the attributables; an evaluation of VIII degree, until then never used; it should be remembered that the facedò with rigid sole boots.

The GPS tracks (GPX and KMZ) can be downloaded from the card; the 4Land Val Badia map is useful for the area.

The descent takes place along the same path of the ' gone; the two equipped sections require special attention because of the eacute; downhill routes (3h from the summit, 7h 30' overall).

Hardly this tour leaves energy for a second ferrata in the day, but on several days from the Forcella dla Crusc you can climb to the Piz de Lavarella and get off towards the Sentiero Attrezzato Tru Dolomieu. In Val Badia there is Ferrata della Pace; by Corvara, on the Sella Group Ferrata at Piz de Lech and that of Vallontowards Passo Gardena la Ferrata at Gran Cir and, towards the Furcia Pass, the new Ferrata at Piz de Peres.