Ferrata Degli Alpini, Col dei Bos
Ferrata Degli Alpini, Col dei Bos
Duration - 4 hours
DIFFICULT
Drive west from Cortina on the Falzarego Pass. 20 minutes after Pocol, just before the top of the pass, park on the right-hand side of the road at Refuge de Strobel (mainly a restaurant) which has a large parking area. Take the track, clearly marked, northeast for 45 minutes as it gently climbs through the pine scrub and by a few derelict buildings until you reach the base of the Ferrata Degli Alpini.
It starts quite steeply, which is probably one of the most demanding sections, but has modern equipment with thick wire and rubber caps on the staples. There are 2 sections to the climb both providing great views to the south over to Cinque Torri. It finishes on a flat area just below a circle of rock that has some caves/gun positions cut into it.
The descent leads to the northwest on a prominent path taken from the top of the Via Ferrata. The top is a great sun trap and, if appropriate, a place to stop for a sandwich. The best route down is to climb up and above the cirque of rocks (previously mentioned) onto a plateau and the top of Col de Bos. From here travel east towards the towering Tofana de Rozes and pick your way over a gentle grass slope, punctuated with various trench systems from WW1 to the Forcella de Bos, a well-defended pass during the war. Here you will join route 402 and find a lot of metal, caves, and trenches from the war.
Take this route south down the mountain. Lower down the path leads onto route 412 and becomes a graveled track that passes through a tunnel just before you reach a junction. Continue on 412 by turning right and after 50m left as the track goes back to being a path. Take the path through the woods and down to the main road in the Falzarego Pass. Then follow the road west, using a number of easily visible shortcuts that cut off some of the large bends, to the car park at Refuge de Strobel.
Would you like a guided tour?
Please get in touch if you would like to arrange a private guided via ferrata tour of the Dolomites.