Fanes

Overview

This is a big Dolomite group, less known than the near Tofane group but full of summits and much more complicated.

It has a lenght of about 13 km and its boundaries are :
south : Passo di Val Parola and Passo Falzarego
west : Rio Sarè (val Badia)
north : San Vigilio valley and Rio Fanes
east : val Travenanzes (beutiful for walking and hiking)

It belongs to the Natural Park of Fanes-Sennes-Braies and contains 3 subgroups (starting from south):

Lagazuoi
Fanis
Cunturines

if you like to see this pano in HiRes click here

Getting There

Accessing the Group can be quickly in 3 different ways :

from north : Bolzano along the Val Badia road
from south : Belluno - Cortina - Falzarego and Valparola Pass
or Belluno - Alleghe - Falzarego Pass

Lagazuoi sub group

With the name of Lagazuoi is normally called the structure to the north of Passo del Falzarego



Its typical structure is made of vertical yellow, red and black walls divided by some big horizontal ledges where some paths pass.
This was one of the most important area in the Big War (1915-18) and we can find here many ruins and many war paths (even digged in the rock) that join passes and ledges allowing various hiking routes (not always easy).
One of this, a long gallery (lamp required) passes through the Piccolo Lagazuoi (from near the top till half way to Forcella Travenanzes path).
From this summit an indented ridge goes eastward and, between the walls, some passes crossed by easy paths allow hikers to cross to Armentarola and Val Travenanzes valleys.
Growing from the upper plateau is the Lagazuoi Grande that contains 3 main summits (and some minor towers)
Lagazuoi sud (2835 m)
Lagazuoi di mezzo (2750 m)
Lagazuoi nord (2804 m)
on this summits, expecially on their west walls, many very fine climbing routes

Fanis sub group

Just to the north of Grande Lagazuoi, divided from it by the Forcella Grande starts the Fanis sub group


view from SE

view from SW

This subgroup has the same characteristics of Lagazuoi Grande as for walls, ledges and rocks.
This is a not linear structure (see map) that has 3 big ridges departing from Cima Fanis sud - 2989 m


east branch contains 2 main summits : Cima Cadin di Fanis (2900 m) and Torre di Fanis (2922 m) and many minor towers

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the west branch is the strongest structure whose summits are :
Cima Fanis di Mezzo (2989 m - with its famous Gran Portale)

Cima Scotoni (2874 m) with its hard rock routes
-
Cima and Torre del Lago (2654 m)

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between Fanis di Mezzo and Fanis nord a not easy pass (war path) allows to cross from Val d'Ega and Val Travenanzes

northern branch starts from Cima Fanis nord (2969 m) and follows with less alpinistical important (but very fine for hiking) summits that are :
Monte Cavallo ( 2912 m) - from which starts toward north the ridge of Cime di Campestrin
Monte Casale (2894 m)
Monte Castello (2817 m)
the ridge goes on with 6 summits called Cime di Furcia Rossa
and ends with the Monte del Vallon Bianco - 2687 m

The best hiking route here is the one that gets the Cima Fanis Sud - 800m develope - strong and very exposed in many points

Cunturines sub group

Cunturines group is a strange structure that I think unique in the Alps.
It looks like a big sweet basin surrounded by a not marked ridge if seen from interior side but, on its peripherical side it is falls down with huge wall somewhere very impressive.



Starting from south we can identify a bulwark that divides the high mountains from their low part with a very big ledge, full with lot of vegetation, this is called the "cengia del Bandiarac"
On this ledge some difficult and somewhere dangerous hunting paths
This ledge is supported by some high and attractive (for climbers) pillars that are called :
Pilastri del Bandiarac
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Just behind this structure grows the highest mountain on the sub group :
Piz dles Cunturines 3064 m

to the north of this summit a valley, containing a very fine lake (Le Dlacià = Iced Lake ), divides it from the La Varella chain.

This is a long high ridge that is the southern border of the basin.
On this ridge the main summit:
La Varella 3055 m


from which start 3 important ridges :
west ridge : Cresta di Ridiferia
north ridge, ending with the Pizzes da Lé
east ridge, the longest, containing the Piz Paron, La Stiga and ending with Sass dai Bac

On the north of La Varella, after a high pass, Forcella de Medesc, starts the huge long wall of
Sass dla Crusc 2907 m

which is one of the finest and most difficult climbing area of Dolomites

Then the scenary changes, and while external wall become less steep and easier to be climbed, the internal margings become uniform and smooth walls where easy and difficult climbs live very near each other with delicate balance games.
These summits are
Sass da les Diisc 3026 m

and
Sass da les Nü 2968 m

On the nort-west side of this basin some minor summits
Monte Sella de Fanes (2655 m) and the small chain of Dont de Furcia dai Fers

Starting points

Rifigio Lagazuoi (2752 m)
private - restaurant - arrive here by the telpher

Rifugio Scotoni (1985 m)
in the middle of the Plan de Lagaccio - along the route from Lagazuoi to Armentarola

Bivouac Dalla Chiesa (2652 m)
9 beds - in the west side of Forcella Grande

Rifugio Fanis (2060 m)

Rifugio La Varella (2038 m)

When To Climb

summer, some rock walls can be climbed even in June
in winter and spring, in the lower part of the valley bringing to Capanna Scotoni, some ice structures allow safe ice-climbing (sun never arrives here)

Ski - touring

Rifugio Fanes is perhaps the best starting point for moderate and difficult ski tours in the whole Dolomites.

The comfortable hut is open from January until Easter.

Ski trips from there are are possible to
Col Becchei (2793 m) - mid difficulty
Cime di Furcia Rossa I, II, III - all difficult
Monte Castello (2817 m) - easy, if you don't climb the summit itself
Monte Casale (2894 m) - mid difficulty
Monte Cavallo (2912 m) - mid difficulty
Cima Fanis nord (2969 m) - difficult
Cima Fanis di mezzo (2989 m) - difficult
La Varella (3055 m) - difficult
Piz Parom (2953 m) - difficult
Piz Stiga (2786 m) - difficult
Heiligkreuzkofel = Punta Cavallo = Sass dla Crusc (2907 m) - easy
Zehnerspitze = Sass da les Diisc (3026 m) - mid difficulty
Monte Sella di Fanes (2655 m) - mid difficulty

info coming from Mathias Zehring

Red Tape

It belongs to the Natural Park of Fanes-Sennes-Braies

Camping

no camping allowed out of authorized campings in val Badia

some hiking images

here I would like to host hiking images coming from each that has amused this area.
I'll make sections :))

Images

View Fanes Image Gallery - 227 Images