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Hi,

I'm looking for recommendations for climbs, treks, via ferratas or mountain biking (especially single track) in the Dolomites for the 4-15th June. We are a group of 4 Kiwis (New Zealanders) with a lot of mountaineering experience (one is a mountain guide). We are quite keen to visit the Brenta group and do a hut to hut trek/via ferrata, but it seems we're a little early and most of the alpine huts and lodges are still "shut" over that time. Is it possible to stay in a "winter room" at the same huts, or is everything completely shut? We don't mind being self-sufficient and having to deal with tougher conditions, as we are used to long days, very basic accommodation, carrying heavy packs with our own food and overnight gear (cooker, pots, sleeping bag, mat, etc.) from mountaineering trips in NZ. We're particularly interested in the more technical treks or climbs.

Any recommendations for suitable trips over the period 4-15th June would be very welcome (as well as suggestions for cheap accommodation)!

You might be looking here:
http://www.dolomiti-altevie.it/en/

The Alte Vie are concepted in a way that you'll require a day between the huts. Also, they are extremely popular so that I would expect most of the huts will already be open in June. But quite generally you are right that the huts usually open by mid June or the start of July.

A very good resource for huts worldwide is Jo's Hüttenliste (unfortunately only in German - they used to have an English version but not anymore after their upgrade), For the Brenta Group this would be:

http://www.tourenwelt.info/huettenliste ... .php?id=68

If you e.g. click on Rifugio F.F. Tucket you'll get a lot of information, for instance "Winterraum im Rifugio Quintino Sella." - Which would answer your question about this specific winter room.

Dolomites would be here:

http://www.tourenwelt.info/huettenliste ... .php?id=66

Hi Gangolf,

Thank you for replying and thank you for the very useful information

This book has a description of 9 via ferratas in the Brenta area, all concentrated around the Via delle Bocchette route:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Via-Ferratas-It ... +dolomites

The books mentions most refugios opening June 20th with a few June 15th.