Via Felici

Overview

Via Felici is an interesting climbing route on the Spazzacaldeira. It is very popular due to its short approach, five-ten minutes, from the cablecar station. Besides this the route is bolted.

Getting There

As mention on the page of Spazzacaldeira, the approach is short and simple. Take the cablecar from Pranzaira, which is situated a few kilometers below the Maloja pass. This cablecar will take you to the base of the Albigna dam. From the cablecar station it is a five-ten minutes walk over the road to the base of the route. The start of the route is indicated on the rock.

The cablecar runs from the June 1th till September 30th. The costs are approximately 18 CHF for a return ticket (2009).

If you don't want to use the cablecar you can walk just right of the cablecarstation in Pranzaira to the dam. The path is well marked and the trip will take about 3 hours.

Route Description

The first pitch of the routes leads slightly to the left over a slab (Note: the bolts are a little bit hidden!). The second pitch continues over the slab, be carefull to prevent rope friction). The third pitch starts with a short traverse to the right and continues then straight up over flakes to a small ledge. The fourth pitch starts about 5 metres to the right, It follows a crack and finishes in a small dihedral. The fifth pitch is short and continues straight up. The sixth pitch is the crux of the route and first lead slightly left, followed by a small crack leading around a corner and finishes straight up. The seventh and last pitch continues straight up to the top of a notch.

Descent

For the descent there are two options:
1. Abseil
Abseil ten metres to a platform. Then descent 60-70m through a gully and over grass towards an abseil piste (50m) followed by short downclimbing back to the road.
2. Continue up the NE ridge and descent the South ridge

Essential Gear

50 meter rope, 10 quickdraws, rope, helmet, (some larger friends friends might be usefull, but are not strictly necessary)

Additional Information

Cablecar
Luftseilbahn Albigna
Open: 01.06-30.09 from 7:00-16:45h
Tel: 0041 (0)81-8381414

Guidebooks
SAC Führer Bündner Alpen 4 "Sudliches Bergell- Disgrazia", Ruedi Meier & Peter Alig, SAC verlag, 2006
Schweiz Plaisir Sud, Sandro von Känel, Filidor verlag, 2011
Kletterführer Alpen Band II, Nicole Luzar & Volker Roth, Topoguide.de, 2010

Maps
SAC Map Val Bregaglia #1276, SAC verlag, 2005

Images

View Via Felici Image Gallery - 1 Images