South Arete, Sass de Stria

A Popular Route

It was a fine day, early August in the Dolomites, which is the peak holiday season in the area, so it was no surprise to find others with the same idea as us: climbing the south arete of Sass de Stria. There was a party on the first pitch, others were waiting their turn to start. The forecast was good, it's not an extremely long route, and the descent is a walk down, so we had nothing to worry about and joined the queue.

Before long, a few climbers came down because one of their party got more than expected. After that, the short queue soon got moving.

History

The area around Sass de Stria was strategically very important in the first World War. There are fortifications still visible all over the mountains, including on the north side of Sass de Stria itself. The normal route (which we descended) partly leads through a maze of fortifications and trenches. Interesting to see it now, but it must have been hell for those deployed here, especially in winter.

Images

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