Tofana traverse

We start under blue skies with the first small gondola up out of Cortina and ride up to the middle station in the big gondola. From here it's through some ugly ski area mess (amazing how the ski crap can even look awful in an all rock and gravel landscape) for a bit until we pick up the trail up, up towards the Cima Formenton. During the long traverse of the scree slope we run across a small group of chamois and get to watch their version of scree running. When things start to get steeper we stop and put on the helmets (just in time too: as we stop in a protected place to put on the helmets a group above us, the first we've seen this morning, kicks a bunch of rocks loose above us) and then continue up, up. This is a pretty easy and well made trail weaving through a weak spot in the wall; there's cable where you'd want it. Up on the ridge we follow the use trail past some WWI ruins to the end (the Cima Formenton), where we take a food break (about 1:40 to this point) and enjoy the views.

After the break we head back to the main trail and start our way up, up, up to the Tofana di Dentro. This is some fun scrambling at first but the last bit is a bit of a slog up a long scree slope. The fact that we're above 3000m is noticeable. We pass some groups coming down (including some who'd been on the gondola up with us... what have they been up to the whole time?), but have the peak to ourselves for a while when we arrive (total time up: ~3 hours). We take another food break and enjoy the views. There are clouds, particularly on the Tofana di Mezzo (so many people up there!), but we still have amazing views. After the break we put the klettersteig stuff on (since we'll be passing people) and follow the cable along a nice, though somewhat worn, route down to the Forcella Tofana. From here it's up, up a band, also somewhat of a slog, until topping out on the ridge. A short walk takes us to the summit of the Tofana di Mezzo. Of course we aren't alone up here. :-) Some more enjoying of the views, pack away the gear, and then we walk down the first of three gondolas to get back to Cortina.

It would have been nice if there'd been less clouds for this one, but it was still a really good tour.

Stats: 5:15, 8.0 km, ~1100m up, less down