The Pompanin-Alverà route on the third pillar of Tofana di Rozes is, for my feeling, the most amusing route of the whole wall, maybe also the most "old fashion" (no crowd and almost deserted):

- definetely more difficult than the classic Dimai and less dangerous for falling stones
- as difficult as the Pompanin-Alverà on the first pillar but longer and on better rock (the key passage is on yellow bad rock !) and less crowded
- less difficult than the Costantini-Apollonio on the second pillar (big satisfaction but a little too difficult to be really amusing - and this is also for the other, more difficult, routes on the wall)

You climb in a wonderful environment, surrounded by vertical red walls giving you a big impression for the total exposure ... but on very fine quality rock and with the help of very few pegs (I remember I have used only 3-4 pegs along the whole route)
And the key passage, exiting in the total empty, from a big comfortable cave almost at the end of the route, gives the same sensations you can find on the N walls of Lavaredo : the difficulties are lower and the amusement is total, if you don't suffer from vertigo of course !

I only regret we had taken very few photos: in a wonderful weather day we were 3 rope teams, but one of us gave over so we had to make a rope team of 3 climbers and started to climb at 11 am ... we liked better climb in a hurry, without "loosing time" for the pics.

The difference of elevation of the pillar is more than 600m (2000ft) and the development is about 800m

Getting There

Access: from Falzarego pass down toward Cortina, on the mountain side (left coming from Falzarego, right from Cortina) a dirt road leads to rif. Dibona (in July and August the road will be closed after 9 o clock . ask for info)

From the car parking follow the path to Tofana and Rifugio Giussani.
Once you find the sign for Ferrata Lipella follow this path (left) toward the base of the wall.
A track toward right leads to the channel left of the third spur.
Enter the channel to get the rocks : the starting point is the right border of a ledge on the wall on the right side.
Time to get here 30-40 minutes from Rifugio Dibona

Route description

there where no difficulty is pointed out you must read IV UIAA

On along a grey dihedral, pass a small overhang on the right side and get a small ledge on the left
To the left to arrive at the starting of a big square dihedral
Straight along it (V) till a roof, exit to the left and follow along a chimney
Straight along some short cracked walls then to the right to get the base of a narrow dihedral
Along it till a ledge then to another one under a red wall.
Cross along the ledge to get the base of a big dihedral
Along it (V) on the right part, then in the middle and at last on the left side
Along a chimney
Up (II) along a ridge then climb to arrive to a niche under a red holed wall

Up along it (V) till an overhang, pass on the left side and cross to the left till a niche
Now, (V+), follow straight on passing 2 overhangs and getting the edge on the right side
Follow the edge, then along a narrow dihedral (V)
On easy rocks (II/III) to get, after about 100m, the big big cave
From the left border of the cave cross (V+ - key passage - extreme exposure) for 10-15 metres to get an overhanging crack that gives access to a wonderful grey slab that ends the route

Descent:
follow some not well defined narrow ledges toward right descending, where possible, toward the tracks coming from the Second and the First pillars
follow that track to arrive to the channel descendin toward Rifugio Giussani
Warning : debris and very dangerous if iced

here a good description of the route with a beta
I think I've climbed, somewhere in the lower part, out of the route :)

Essential Gear

50 metres rope, a small choice of nuts and friends, some bindings

Difficulty table

UIAA	French	USA
1°	F	2
2°	PD	3 - 4
3°inf - 3° - 3° sup	AD	5 - 5.2
4° inf - 4° - 4° sup	D	5.3 - 5.5
5° inf - 5° - 5° sup	TD	5.6 - 5.8
6° inf - 6° - 6° sup	ED	5.9 - 5.11
7°	EX	5.11a - 5.11b