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| Guided
Marmolada Summit & Glacier Treks |
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marmolada - 3343m |
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in
a nutshell |
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Guided
Glacier Trek |
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Every
Tuesday - £50 per person. Please pre-book
as early as possible with our UK Office prior
to departure. A reasonable level of fitness
is required but alpine experience is not necessary. |
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| Ropes,
crampons and ice axes are supplied. Depart
Arabba at about 7am and return mid/late afternoon.
Packed lunch included. |
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Marmolada
Summit Trek |
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Every
Friday - £60 per person. Please pre-book
as early as possible with our UK Office
prior to departure. A reasonable level of
fitness is required along with some alpine
experience. |
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| Ropes,
crampons, ice axes and Via Ferrata kit are
supplied. Depart Arabba at about 7am and return
mid/late afternoon. Packed lunch included. |
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Equipment |
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Whilst
equipment is provided you must come with
your own warm clothes, waterproofs, stiff
boots (that can take a crampon), hats and
gloves. A reccommended kit list will be
provided. |
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| Queen
of the Dolomites |
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The
highest peak in this range is the magnificent Marmolada,
known locally as the 'Queen of the Dolomites'. Her summit
at Punta Penìa (3343m) and her brilliant white
glacier dominate many a beautiful panorama. Most will
admire this awesome spectacle from a distance in the
comparative comfort of a waymarked trail lower down
in the valleys or you can go there yourself via the
cable car, which rises dramatically in front of the
vast eastern wall, against which the cable car itself
looks like a 'matchbox' toy! |
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| Each
week, Collett's offers two professionally guided excursions
on the glacier with Francesco Tremolada, an English
speaking and fully qualified mountain guide. |
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| Descending
from the sub summit, Punta Rocca on the Glacier trek. |
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glacier
trek |
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north face of the Marmolada is covered by the most extensive
ice formation in the Dolomites, indeed in the whole
of the eastern Alps, making it hard to believe this
was the scene of fierce military combat in WWI between
the Austrians and Italians. This huge glacier preserves
the remains of the 'City of Ice', an extraordinary labyrinth
of up to five miles of tunnels built under the ice by
the Austrians. |
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Marmolada summit at 3,343 metres towers above the
Val di Fassa. |
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Getting into the
swing of things after about half an hour on the glacier,
you can see the snout of the glacier and the Rifugio
Capanna dal Ghiaccaio in the middle distance. |
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Each
Tuesday, Collett's offers you the chance to trek across the
glacier, traversing crevasses and touching snow and blue ice.
Francesco will take you to the snout of the glacier via what
we call the 'yoghurt pots.’ There you will start the
beautiful glacier walk and enjoy breathtaking views all around.
You will see positions taken up by soldiers in the Great War
and make your way right across the snow and ice to the Marmolada’s
second summit, Punta Rocca. A sound level of fitness is required
for the glacier trek but alpine experience is not necessary. |
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| Gearing
up at the snout of the glacier at the start of the trek. |
marmolada
summit trek via the west ridge via ferrata |
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Francesco
will take you to Lake Fedaia, where you will rise to the snout
of the glacier in the aforementioned 'yoghurt pot' lift. From
here you trek across the glacier to a ridge at the western
end of the majestic and vast south wall, (800m high and 3kms
wide) before using one of the area's most famous and ancient
via ferratas to access the summit. You will return to the
'yoghurt pots' by descending a wall just below the summit
and then trekking down the glacier. It is an amazing experience
in an awe-inspiring and wild environment. The views of the
verdant valleys below and the great Dolomite peaks all around
are quite unforgettable. This excursion is offered every Friday.
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| High
on the West Ridge Via Ferrata. |
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| Descending
the summit glacier after reaching after reaching the peak,
Punta Penia at 3,343 metres, before descending the rock wall
on a Via Ferrata to the right onto the main glacier itself. |
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| On the West Ridge Via Ferrata |
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Approaching
the Marmolada Summit. |
| notes |
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| These should be booked and paid for
in advance of your holiday. Please contact us and we will send
you a 'Guided Glacier Treks Booking Form', or see the information
here, for the Guided Glacier
Trek or here for the Marmolada
Summit via the West Ridge Via Ferrata, which contains essential
information about the day. Prices as follows: |
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marmolada
glacier trek (every tuesday)
£50 per person (Party Size - 6) |
marmolada
summit (every
friday)
£60 per person (Party Size - 4) |
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An average level of fitness is
required for the glacier trek, but alpine experience
is not necessary. As for the West Ridge Via |
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Ferrata to the summit, it is not
technically difficult but its length, exposure and altitude
(along with the descent of the summit |
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wall and glacier) demand some alpine
experience, a head for heights and a good level of fitness.
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Whilst we are happy to book you
guides for excursions you might choose to do independently
during your stay, these glacier |
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treks should be booked and paid
for in advance of your holiday. |
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All the necessary technical equipment
for these guided itineraries is provided by Francesco
(i.e. crampons, rope, helmets, ice |
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axes, harnesses and, in the case
of the summit excursion, Via Ferrata equipment), but
not clothing or boots. |
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Prices include a packed lunch,
but not the lift pass. |
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If bad weather causes cancellation,
your money is refunded. |
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Our guide is also offering an opportunity
for small parties of two (no more, no less) to join
him on big mountain days scaling |
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one of the great 3000m
peaks. These are long days with very early starts. |
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