Nordique

Thanks so much, Alex, for the report! Have spent a lot of time on the via ferrata routes in the Dolomites and it was great to revisit them via your TR! My eight-month old is still too young to take on these routes!

A friend of mine was hiking on Little Si yesterday and she emailed me: "We were just passing the area where the climbers always practice when we heard loud shouting. When we looked up, we saw the climber falling down the wall and then hit the ground with a loud thump. It was a horrifying sight. It seems now like a miracle that he survived the fall. He didn't even wear a helmet. He landed next to a tree and all climbers immediately rushed down to him. Fortunately, there was also a doctor among them. Since there were a lot of people who dealt with the situation, we moved on. When we came back to the parking lot, the sheriff was just about to leave. Eric asked about the condition of the climber and he said that he was doing quite well, he was breathing ok and probably had some broken bones, but his legs were quite 'mangled'."

Great trip report, Jesse, and I liked the chance to see your photos again. That via ferrata is the Via Merlone; we turned around on it after the first roll of thunder. Too many ladders to be a good via ferrata; the best ones are where you clip the cable and climb on the rock entirely.

Jim, thanks for the very complete report! Say, are you climbing this Sunday?