Whilst parking above the village of Zoppé we already knew that we would get soaked again on the path towards the Pelmo, and as predicted a heavy storm soon fell on us… however in only 1½ humid hours we reached the comfort of the rifugio Venezia hut to dry off for the night.
8 perfect hours’ rest followed by breakfast before sunrise. Even though some of us pretended to be still sleeping, we eventually all started walking by 5:30 am to be back before being hit by the habitual afternoon storms of this period.
The wind had frightened away all the clouds and a clear dusk transformed into a blue sky with bands of violet, red, orange and yellow and even the mountain was a palette of colours, and fascinating by these surroundings we put on our safety gear. Some of us hadn’t slept all night worrying about the famous Cengia di Ball ledge whilst others still slept walking along it… Soon the rope was out to protect the precarious passage of 6 people, moving slowly but in safety.
In just over 1½ hours we were off of the ledge, beginning the long procession toward the summit. Exhaustion started to hit the bodies of the newly formed alpinists, but at 9 a.m. we were at the Vant, at a height of 2900m. Surprised that the endless holes on the Pelmo’s plateau were still covered with snow, (SCARY!) we carefully walked to the right, away from the area, to the COL, 3050m. From there just ½ hour to the summit. At 10:30 a.m. we were sitting around the cross left on top of one of the most beautiful peaks of the Dolomites… |
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