News & Conclusion

Today, June 22, 2020, we finally received the last confirmation (from the Rifugio Attilio Tissi at the Civetta) that we are now allowed to stay overnight in all huts (subject to certain CORONA conditions): Great – so from today’s point of view, nothing seems to stand in the way of our project!

The time has come: we are off!

July 09, 2020:

August 05, 2020:

Summing up after the tour:

• Total distance we have run: 444 km
• Total walking time: 128 hrs. 35 min => much less or faster than planned according to the Rother guidebook)
• Total ascent: 21,664m uphill
• Total descent: 22,428m downhill

We could have combined or extended some stages (see also our tips under „Experiences and tips„), as we were on the road for a relatively short time. Examples are the stage between Schlüter Hut and Puez Hut or the stage from Piz Boé (Capanna Piz Fassa) to Rifugio Viel dal Pan. On the other hand, longer breaks were still very pleasant and there was more time to read, for example.

From our point of view, the most exciting stages are/were in the order of the tour:

• Karwendelhaus – Hallerangerhaus with the option to the Birkkarspitze (weather permitting): 6h 40min
• Glungezer Hütte – Lizumer Hütte (Glungezer – Geier trail): 5h 40min => more beautiful and exciting than any other conceivable route to the Lizumer Hütte
• Tuxerjochhaus – Friesenbergscharte – Friesenberghaus (or Olperer Hütte): Unfortunately, this stage is the only tour we have to make up for, as it was not safely doable due to fresh snow, rain and fog in connection with the short via ferrata south of the „Friesenbergscharte„!
• Stein – Gliederscharte – Obere Engbergalm: The rest of the way to Pfunders, from the upper Engbergalm, is „not really that exciting“, however, as it leads along farm tracks for another 12km or so.
• Rifugio Bruto Carestiato – Rifugio Pian de Fontana: 6h 00min => Absolutely gorgious and beautiful, comparatively lonely Dolomite hike on easy mountain trails, which can, however, be very strenuous due to a 600m climb at the end of the route, depending on the weather and time of day in the sun.
• Rifugio Pian de Fontana – Rifugio 7°Alpini (Ferrata Marmol): 6h 00min => the ultimate most awesome/exciting stage of the overall tour to Venice (in good weather). The really magnificent via ferrata (difficulty KS-3C) is doable also for beginners with a head for heights due to its good (steel rope and clamps) protection. It is therefore difficult to understand, why almost all tourers (both Munich-Venice and Alta Via-1) usually avoid this stage. In any case, the weather should be dry and above all free of thunderstorms, as the descent via the ferrata takes about 2.5 – 3 hours and there is a considerably increased risk of slipping in wet conditions. The 10 minutes here from Forcella Marmol to the highest point, from where you can already see the final destination of the stage (Rif. 7°Alpini), are actually negligible in terms of time. And if you’re in good shape and well in time you may even think about the diversions to the summit of the Schiara (+40 min and easy each direction from the highest point).

The equipment (see also packing list) had been put together pretty perfectly by us (in retrospect), so that nothing was really lacking. Without Corona, we could have saved about 500g of weight each (e.g. cabin sleeping bag instead of real sleeping bag; no pillow, no disinfectant and disinfectant wipes, etc.). Accordingly, the backpack packing list was modified somewhat after the tour and some deletions were marked. Our „ideal“ backpack would then have been approx. 1.0kg lighter and would have weighed only 8.9kg without food and 1.5l water, whereas with the latest „hardware“ (e.g. Orthovox Trad-38 or Peak-35) we could have saved another 400g). But we were still very satisfied with our „old“ backpacks.