Refugio Fanes (2060m) to Refugio Lagazoui (2573m)
- Distance: 16.5 km
- Time: 9 hours
- Ascent: 1290m
- Descent: 562m
- Steps: 26796
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| This shows the shortcut through Forcella del Lago. We did a large descent and climb instead, with a much longer journey. |
Refugio Lagazoui was the highest point on our walk (but not the highest refugio, which is just under 3,000m), with great views and a large outdoor sitting area. We did not take the recommended short-cut through a very steep pass (pictured below) so we ended up walking a lot further with a long descent into a valley and then a big climb back out. But the views over the valley were spectacular. The last km ascent to the refugio was past World War I fortifications and a scramble and zig-zag up a very steep hill next to a ski piste. This was the most ascending we did on any single day.
From Lagazoui, we could see the glacier at Marmolada which broke off only a few days earlier, killing over a dozen hikers. To add to the danger, we heard of a UK hiker who fell to her death while hiking in the Dolomites just after we got back.
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| The cleft in the mountains to the left shows the steep fork short-cut that we avoided, instead going to the right, into and out of a valley, eventually reaching the other side of that mountain pass. |
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| View of the fork for a steep ascent / descent that we avoided |
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| View over the valley we sent into before turning left to ascend the other side |
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| Resting for a strudel half way up the climb |
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| With a friend |
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| Climbing out of the valley: relentless and steep |
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| The back-end of the shortcut, you can just make out a zig-zag trail coming down the scree |
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| After a long ascent, we could just make out our destination, Refugio Lagazoui, in the distance |
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| The final steep ascent into Refugio Lagazoui |
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| The dormitory |
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| The deck |
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| The view (part of the view - we had a 360 degree view of the mountains from Lagazoui) |
