Page 32 - Wish Stream Year of 2018

Exercise FALZAREGO CADET
2600m above sea level in Italy’s Dolomite mountains, all four of us were clipped in and leaning back in our harnesses; the
views have been spectacular all week despite the afternoon thunderstorms. Looking down at idyllic Italian villages, snow-peaked mountains, and hearing the high pitch shrieks from the local marmots, it’s hard to believe such a beautiful and peaceful place was once inflicted by such bloody violence in WW1.
Many of the routes are still littered with shrap- nel, barbed wire and tunnels cutting through the landscape. During WW1, cabling, ladders and bridges were used throughout the mountains as a means of supply lines, hauling equipment up the mountains. Since the war the routes have been developed and new ones made for the everyday climber ranging from easy to very technical, allowing everyone to experience this history-rich area along the ‘iron-way’.
The equipment for Via Ferrata is very sim- ple. Everyone is equipped with a waist har- ness, helmet, gloves and a Y-Shape rig. The rig consists of two energy-absorbing
lanyards, two self-closing karabiners, and a block containing a tear-out webbing. This kit is essential as it reduces your fall factor from a 5 to a 2; without this energy absorber, a fall could lead to serious injury or death.
We were based just outside Cortina d’ampezzo, a beautiful ski village and a mecca for Via Fer- rata. Luck wasn’t on our side for the first day – EasyJet lost our luggage with all our equipment in, and electrical storms meant we were forced to wait until Monday before we could take on the “iron way”! We decided to head up to the Lagazuoi to soak up the local history. An existing field hospital, which is now an open-air museum, still stands at the top. In 1915 the Lagazuoi used to be under Austro-Hungarian rule and endured very heavy fighting; the Austrians dominated the mountains, building lines of fortifications and tunnels, forming the Dolomite front against the Italians.
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