When in Rome

A recent trip to the Dolomites in Italy lent some insight to the mature and varied European outdoor market.

Rifugio Tuckett in the Brenta

With my family, we traversed the Brenta Range staying in rifugios and hiking, climbing and doing via ferratas point-to-point. We then cruised around Cortina for a few more days near Cinque Torri. If you like long days in the mountains, great coffee, wine, beer and pasta (with an occasional wiener schnitzel) this is great country. Here are some observations from the Sud Tirol.

Chutes and ladders

Trekking Poles: No surprise here. Everyone uses trekking poles. Old, young, alpinists and trekkers. Trust me, your knees will thank you. I’m no Nordic walker but for mountain travel, snow and long scree descents, t-poles are the way to go. Warning – be careful of the Euro vibe as the manpri/trekking pole combo could be fateful to core status…

New BD Onyx pack and award-winning Ultra Distance Poles

WTF is VF? Via Ferrata is a semi-foreign concept in North America. The “iron way” was initially used to move troops safely through the mountains during WWI when the Austrians and Italians battled to control the high mountain passes of the Dolomites. Today via ferratas make access easy to super rad terrain. In this sense the Europeans have it figured out. Make the mountains easy and enjoyable and you’ll get more people out there.

What is down there?

Boots: When you arrive at any hut common courtesy is to remove your boots and rucksack. As we stashed our footwear in the entry cubbies, we were consistently the only shoes on any shelf. Leather boots were the norm. Heavier, more durable, clunky. Steeped in tradition, not so sure the Euros have it right here. Sticky rubber and pair of Exums seemed to handle it all pretty darn well.

Heavy lifting and sticky rubber

Packs: With multi-generations out there hiking you see a lot of varied packs. Most are smaller ~30L sizes, some tightly packed others loaded with ropes, crampons, ice tools and baguettes. We saw everything from old school neon Millet packs to new, sleek adventure racing models. Here’s a decidedly Deutsch review recently from ALPIN magazine where the Gregory Z-40 scores an Editor’s Pick.

Lunch and afternoon planning

Rifugios: We call them huts. In America they are fairly rustic mountain accommodations where you do you own cooking and supply your own sleeping bag. In the Dolomites, they are family run affairs that offer hand cut minestrone and pasta, beer, house wine, homemade grappa and espresso. Bring a travel sheet and your Visa. See you out there!

View from above