Ferratas in the Dolomites – Our Passion and Expertise
For nearly 20 years, via ferratas have been one of the most important parts of our mountain trips. We spend most of our time in the Dolomites, returning every year to explore new routes, revisit familiar ones and check what has changed.
We have completed more than 150 via ferratas, mainly in the Dolomites. Every route described in our guidebooks has been completed by us personally.
Many of them we have climbed more than once — to verify the route, difficulty, exposure, timings and technical details, or simply because these are places we enjoy returning to.
Kate & Lech
More Than 150 Via Ferratas Checked Personally
Before each trip, we prepare carefully. We use guidebooks, maps, local sources and historical materials to understand the route, its background and the details that may matter on the day.
Then we climb the route ourselves, making our own notes, taking photographs and collecting information in the field.
Afterwards, we verify everything again, comparing our observations with different sources in Italian, German, English and Polish, as well as with several maps.
This combination of personal experience, fieldwork, photographic documentation and later verification is the basis of every route description we publish.
We use the same difficulty scale throughout our guidebooks and database, so that the descriptions are consistent and easy to compare.
Not Only Via Ferratas
Via ferratas are the main focus of our mountain activity, but not the only one.
Over the years, we have spent a great deal of time in the Alps, hiking, climbing and travelling through different mountain regions.
We have climbed peaks such as Grossglockner, Grossvenediger and Monte Rosa, and we have also spent time in the Mont Blanc area.
We have experience in glacier travel, using glacier equipment and moving in high mountain terrain. We have also taken part in avalanche training.
This broader mountain experience is important when we describe via ferratas. It helps us assess not only the technical difficulty of a route, but also the character of the terrain, exposure, length of the day and the consequences of changing conditions.
Not Only Via Ferratas
Via ferratas are the main focus of our mountain activity, but not the only one.
Over the years, we have spent a great deal of time in the Alps, hiking, climbing and travelling through different mountain regions.
We have climbed peaks such as Grossglockner, Grossvenediger and Monte Rosa, and we have also spent time in the Mont Blanc area.
We have experience in glacier travel, using glacier equipment and moving in high mountain terrain. We have also taken part in avalanche training.
This broader mountain experience is important when we describe via ferratas. It helps us assess not only the technical difficulty of a route, but also the character of the terrain, exposure, length of the day and the consequences of changing conditions.
How Our Guidebooks Are Created
Lech is mainly responsible for route descriptions, collecting and organising data, preparing maps and researching historical information. The history of the Dolomites and via ferratas has been one of his main interests for many years.
Katarzyna focuses on editing, clarity and consistency, and also looks at each route from the perspective of someone visiting the area for the first time. She is also responsible for much of the photography, photo selection and preparation of material for publication.
During our stays in the Dolomites, we also speak with mountain guides, people involved in building and maintaining via ferratas, and mountain hut wardens. These conversations often help us understand not only the route itself, but also its history, planned changes and the wider context of the area.
Our guidebooks are therefore created not only at a desk, but above all in the mountains.
How It All Started
Our via ferrata story began with a photograph.
It showed the famous Figari ledge on the Via delle Bocchette in the Brenta Dolomites. One photograph was enough for us to know that we wanted to go there.
That first trip was followed by many more. We started exploring different parts of the Dolomites, climbing more ferratas and spending more and more time in the mountains each year.
With time, we began returning to certain routes — sometimes to check what had changed, sometimes to take better photographs, and sometimes simply because they had become our favourites.
Eventually, this passion for exploring the Dolomites in greater detail led us to create our guidebooks.
