via ferrata???

[dbconlin]

what does this mean? i see the term popping up everywhere i look in climbing literature and catalogs, but i don't really know what it is. can anyone help me out here?

 

probably some euro thang...

[Cpt.Caveman]

it means aid climbing (or walking on) on metal bars, rods, or other structure drilled into the rock.

 

 

[ 11-12-2002, 10:15 AM: Message edited by: Cpt.Caveman ]

[Gary_Yngve]

quote:

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Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

it means aid climbing (or walking on) on metal bars, rods, or other structure drilled into the rock.

 

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bastard... you edited the post and beat me to a pic. well, here's my pic. bonus points for guessing where i took it.

 

[Greg_W]

I was surprised to find some of that in the Enchantments. I don't know how necessary it was as it was on fairly low-angle rock.

[ivan]

italy is supposed to have some fantastic via ferrata stuff...during ww1 & 2 they had all these defensive positions high in the alps, and since soldiers don't feel like free soloing w/ machine guns on their backs, they put in all this aid stuff for them, much of which is still there...apparently all you need is a harness and some prusiks and you can have a blast

[rbw1966]

Eagle creek trail in the gorge used to have a via ferrata section. Dunno if its still there.

 

A lot of euro countries have via ferrata lines. Opens the great outdoors to the masses. All I know is I'd hate to fall on one.

[forrest_m]

from what I understand, you don’t use just prussiks, most people use this y-shaped clip-in with 2 big biners (so you can move one without being totally unclipped) and some kind of screamer or sliding metal brake deal on the stem to reduce the shock if you fall. this is less because they worry about the steel breaking (a lot of them are very large diameter and they are largely wired together with continuous steel cables), but more to keep you from hurting yourself with a static fall. check out the petzl website, they have lots of cool gizmos…

 

a friend of mine recently did a bunch of via ferratti in the dolomites, he said it was awesome, there’s some entire mountains that are sort of hollowed out (they would tunnel frantically to try to get better firing angles) with combination caving/climbing/hiking trips that go all over the place. I’d hate to see our wilderness areas get cluttered up with that kind of thing, but in europe, where the mountains have so much more human history, I guess it’s ok…

[rbw1966]

When I was climbing in Slovakia this summer I would come across old links from via ferrata chains (they use chains as opposed to cables there) and nails from hob-nailed boots. Its really interesting to see.

[freeclimb9]

The ferrata --iron ladders-- were first implaced in the Dolomites during World War I to facilitate battles between Austria and Italy. They allowed bumbly troops to move quickly over technical ground without huge risk. And, to this day, the ferrata still allow bumblies to access the mountains.

[iain]

the beacon rock trail is via ferrata orygun style

[rbw1966]

quote:

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Originally posted by iain:

the beacon rock trail is via ferrata orygun style

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Did they move the border?

[Beaver_Joe]

Back when I was about 12 I went on a family vacation in Europe. This was before I knew what rock climbing and safety equipment were. So we went on this "hike" one foggy day and encountered these rebar ladders. The moisture in the air made the rebar extra slippery too. Didn't think much of it, we just kept climbing. It was more fun than any other hike I'd ever been on and the danger factor never crossed my mind. Not even after we passed another family that was clipped into the steel cable. We got to the top and had no view at all. Hiked down in the fog (via a different route than the ascent) and encountered a lost GUIDED group . We decided to stay near them so there would only be one lost party on the mtn. Only now, after getting into rock climbing do I realize that we were facing some serious falls. I was 12, I wasn't looking down

Later my mom said how gripped with fear she was watching my brother, father and me climb.

 

On the other hand, another person we passed was a 70 year old lady who had been doing this hike for something like 30 years in a row. No harness, I think maybe even a skirt. granny!

[iain]

close enough.

[ScottP]

The last little bit before the summit of McClellan Butte used to have some sort of hand railing or something. It's been a long time since I first did that peak, and it wasn't there on later ascents.

The east route on Lundin has those huge memorial bolts that seem to me to be in the ferrata tradition.

The Grand Wall at Squamish used to have a big ass fixed hawser that was done hand-over-hand up around the Sword pitch.

The last bit up to the south summit of Three Fingers is rigged with ladders.

The whirly cables up to the summit of Half Dome are definately in the ferrata tradition.

I don't know of, or remember anything else that I have encountered in the Cascades, Rockies, or Sierras.

[snoboy]

quote:

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Originally posted by ScottP:

The Grand Wall at Squamish used to have a big ass fixed hawser that was done hand-over-hand up around the Sword pitch.

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Bolt Ladder now. Or 5.13 variation.

 

quote:

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I don't know of, or remember anything else that I have encountered in the Cascades, Rockies, or Sierras.

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Does the access to the gorge at Smith count?

 

[ 11-12-2002, 03:58 PM: Message edited by: snoboy ]

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

quote:

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Originally posted by snoboy:

Does the access to the gorge at Smith count?

---

 

Hell yeah! That probably qualifies as the world's shortest via ferrata!

[Dru]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ScottP:

The last little bit before the summit of McClellan Butte used to have some sort of hand railing or something. It's been a long time since I first did that peak, and it wasn't there on later ascents.

The east route on Lundin has those huge memorial bolts that seem to me to be in the ferrata tradition.

The Grand Wall at Squamish used to have a big ass fixed hawser that was done hand-over-hand up around the Sword pitch.

The last bit up to the south summit of Three Fingers is rigged with ladders.

The whirly cables up to the summit of Half Dome are definately in the ferrata tradition.

I don't know of, or remember anything else that I have encountered in the Cascades, Rockies, or Sierras.

---

I read here earlier in the summer that Golden Horn and other Cascade peaks have fixed aiders on syummit blocks to allow weak peak baggers to weasel out of having to do some 4th class moves with that?

[dbb]

 

Via Ferrettas are like jungle-gyms for adults. This one was in Southern France, and included a short climb up a steep spire, a cable bridge over to the next spire, an overhanging traverse into a big ramp on the side of a huge cliff, and an inside-facing-out ladder that surmounted an overhang over a huge cave.

 

The locals looked at us like "stoooopud Americans" for going up in our Tevas.

 

It is a lot of fun though, and you should check em out if you go to Europe.

[pope]

quote:

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Originally posted by freeclimb9:

The ferrata --iron ladders-- were first implaced in the Dolomites during World War I to facilitate battles between Austria and Italy. They allowed bumbly troops to move quickly over technical ground without huge risk. And, to this day, the ferrata still allow bumblies to access the mountains.

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Oh, I get it. The historical equivalent of today's sport routes!

[texplorer]

does via ferrata mean literally -by way of iron

[Thinker]

quote:

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Originally posted by texplorer:

does via ferrata mean literally -by way of iron

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Dolomite "Vie Ferrate" Italian (iron ways) singular "Via Ferrata", from this page.

 

more good info here

[klar404]

for a RUSH try the miner ladders on the Buckeye Basin route. The crazy men looking for gold humped very heavy shit far up steep mountains. Stallions, if a bit whacked.

 

[ 11-14-2002, 05:20 PM: Message edited by: klar404 ]

[mvs]

I liked Forrest's comments above. I did some via ferratas in Italy this summer, mostly, they were a lot of fun. I wouldn't want to see them here either, but I think they are a natural part of the landscape in the alps, along with the lifts, and villages in every valley.

 

Some of them can be enjoyed from the standpoint of a climber too. One called Monte Albano was very difficult, zig-zagging up a vertical cliff twice as high as the Index Town Wall. It combined some thrilling "Traverse of the Angels" type stuff with overhanging corners. I wore rock shoes and did plenty of backstepping, mantelling and other "real climbing" techniques. The rock was _extremely_ polished due to popularity.

 

I got to cover a lot of ground in exposed terrain, all before lunch, all by myself. If the Euro's are OK with these things in their mountains, so am I.

 

Seriously though, how about a AAC Mountain Hut in the Picketts? <flame suit on>

 

--Michael

[Stefan]

MVS: I hope your site is updated with your pictures from Italy. You have a cool website!

 

I would rather see more trails in the Pickets area.....but asking for more trails is like asking the Bush daughters to stop drinking alcohol.