Isabel Hadley

What do you get when you convene 15 DMC members and their loved ones for a summer trip to the Dolomites? Fifteen different agendas, varying from sketching to Extreme climbing, a plethora of pizza and strudel, and (hopefully) a strengthening of social bonds.

Base camp comprised a trio of comfortable apartments in the beautiful alpine village of Selva/Wolkenstein, at the top end of Val Gardena/Grödental in the northern Italian region of Alto Adige/Südtirol (here, propriety demands that I use at least two of the languages of the area: Italian and German).

This gave us ready access to the gigantic Sella and Sassolungo massifs, along with the more prosaic advantages of proximity to supermarkets, restaurants, buses and ski lifts. For walkers, there is a well-signposted network of footpaths leading across alpine meadows to cosy refuges. For those comfortable with exposure but not with the whole rigmarole of roped climbing, there are the famous via ferratas – protected scrambling with a reassuring cable to provide both security and route direction. For climbers: long traditional ‘alpine’ routes (in other words, dubious route-finding, loose rock and terrifying descents) as well as easy-access crags, sport climbing and bouldering.

The week was dry and sunny, albeit with some cold winds on north-facing walls at altitudes up to 3000m. Some notable ticks of the trip included:

• Ferratas: Col Rodella, Piccola Cir, Pössnecker Path
• Climbs:
  • Sella Towers: Kasnapoff, Vinatzer, Delenda Carthago, Grosse Platten Führe 
  • Sassolungo Group: The Thumb (Cinque Dita) and Ostkante (Torre Toni Demetz)
• Walks: circuit of the Sassolungo, Alpe di Siusi, Seceda and Rasciesa

 Alas, not all aspects of the trip proceeded according to plan – on the first day of climbing, one of our number fell seriously ill (not directly climbing-related). Thanks to the prompt actions of his companions and the Italian medical service, he was air-lifted to hospital and is currently recovering at home.

Finally, the lure of the area is such that two of our number decided to stay for a further couple of weeks, whilst others are already campaigning for a repeat visit in 2027. Anyone interested, simply e-mail me using the subject heading ‘I would like to arrange next year’s trip’.