I am planning to climb Marmolada Punta Penia the first week of july.
I want to climb via the West Ridge Via Ferrata. If I start from Porto vescovo I need to cross a small glacier to get to the west Ridge.
My question:

1)Are there any crevasses (1st week of july), so do we need to ''rope-up''?
2) Do I need crampons?

I preferably go without crampons & rope, so if I do need them I will probably ascent via Val Contrin towards the West Ridge via ferrata.

3) Is it doable to descent the West Ridge via Ferrata (same way back) or is it completely crowded?

why from Porta Vescovo ?
the starting point is the road of Passo Fedaia (road from Alba di Canazei of from Caprile)

here a good info

Hi Gabriele,

Yes, that is my second option (Starting from Alba and going trough Val Contrin), the reason for starting from Porta Vescovo is because it shortens the climb and makes it a day trip.
Thanks for the link! Any ideas about the glacier though?

Lodewijk wrote:.. starting from Porta Vescovo is because it shortens the climb and makes it a day trip.

how can it be if you must go down for about 700m :
Porta Vescovo is a fork on a ridge N of the Marmolada and a wonderful site for skiing (toward Arabba)
but this ridge (Mesola) is divided from Marmolada by the valleys arriving to Fedaia pass
give a look to a map
the shortest route is from Pian dei Fiacconi

gabriele wrote:

Lodewijk wrote:.. starting from Porta Vescovo is because it shortens the climb and makes it a day trip.

how can it be if you must go down for about 700m :
Porta Vescovo is a fork on a ridge N of the Marmolada and a wonderful site for skiing (toward Arabba)
but this ridge (Mesola) is divided from Marmolada by the valleys arriving to Fedaia pass
give a look to a map
the shortest route is from Pian dei Fiacconi

Aaaah! Yes of course you are absolutely right: I wrote down Porto Vescovo, but what I meant is Pian dei Fiacconi (the one you can reach also by a cableway, but is closest to Marmolada. I have to change the subject title as well, damn those Italian names

Anyway: the question reamains the same, what about the glacier I have to cross getting from Pian dei Fiacconi to Forcella Marmolada.....

Lodewijk wrote:... I have to change the subject title as well, damn those Italian names

ehi mister Tulip, maybe you need to change your pusher
Italian names are very fine, full of meanings, coming from a long history of civilisation started much before the invasions of Vikings in your homeland ...
Porto Vescovo doesn't exist - the correct is Porta (door) Vescovo
In every region of Italy (I used to travel all over the Europe for job) I met many acculturated foreigners that came to Italy to enjoy our innumerable cultural sites and learn our language that (they used to say) is the finest and the most difficult of the western world ...

Lodewijk wrote:Anyway: the question reamains the same, what about the glacier I have to cross getting from Pian dei Fiacconi to Forcella Marmolada.....

Carry with you iceaxe and crampons, they could be useful to get the ridge and very useful to come down along the normal route along the glacier

PS - give a deep look to the link I've put here, there are all the answers

gabriele wrote:

Lodewijk wrote:... I have to change the subject title as well, damn those Italian names

ehi mister Tulip, maybe you need to change your pusher
Italian names are very fine, full of meanings, coming from a long history of civilisation started much before the invasions of Vikings in your homeland ...
Porto Vescovo doesn't exist - the correct is Porta (door) Vescovo
In every region of Italy (I used to travel all over the Europe for job) I met many acculturated foreigners that came to Italy to enjoy our innumerable cultural sites and learn our language that (they used to say) is the finest and the most difficult of the western world ...

Lodewijk wrote:Anyway: the question reamains the same, what about the glacier I have to cross getting from Pian dei Fiacconi to Forcella Marmolada.....

Carry with you iceaxe and crampons, they could be useful to get the ridge and very useful to come down along the normal route along the glacier

PS - give a deep look to the link I've put here, there are all the answers

Hello there Gabriele, I was just joking about the Italian names but since you motivated your answer with suggesting the Italian language IS beautiful, I can't do nothing more than.......agree with you My tulip-country has is beautiful things as well, but the most important thing for me that Italians have and we don't .. are the mountains

Well enough about that. Thanks again for the link. I'll bring crampons + iceaxe to be sure.

Hi

Queen of the Dolomites - have a good time!!!

I climbed Punta Penia two times summer 2008. First time normal route up/down and second time VF up and normal down.

For the approach to the VF route you can go without crampons. It's just snow, but bring helmet, loose rocks in some places!!!
There is not much glacier left on Marmolada, but for the return you should bring crampons and axe.
About rope, well I am pretty think we used it for crossing the glacier after passing the short cabled section on the return but then skipped it further down as we hit the snow slopes.

-jesper

Lodewijk wrote:I am planning to climb Marmolada Punta Penia the first week of july.
I want to climb via the West Ridge Via Ferrata. If I start from Porto vescovo I need to cross a small glacier to get to the west Ridge.
My question:

1)Are there any crevasses (1st week of july), so do we need to ''rope-up''?
2) Do I need crampons?

I preferably go without crampons & rope, so if I do need them I will probably ascent via Val Contrin towards the West Ridge via ferrata.

3) Is it doable to descent the West Ridge via Ferrata (same way back) or is it completely crowded?

Descent the Via Ferrata is doable, but not advisable. Maybe the small glacier to Forcella Marmolada (vedretta del Vernale) doesn't need to be roped and equipped with axe and crampons, but the main glacier (Ghiacciaio della Marmolada) is crevassed and sure need the rope: if you descent by the normal route (not the West ridge) ice-axe, crampons and rope are mandatory.

Ciao,
Renato

The glacier under Forcella Marmolada could be tackled without crampons, a guy in our group did it because he forgot his! It was no fun though. Several teams passed us on their way down, most people though go down the main glacier (we did too). This one has obvious crevasses so we roped up. There was a very clear track, but we went later in the year (early August).