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thewyseclimber
Oct 3, 2004, 4:54 AM
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This summer the camp I work at needed to order 3 new harnesses to replace 3 that were pilfered, and we wanted them to match the existing Singing Rock fully adjustable something or other model. Anyway. In my research to find the harnesses to order, I came across all the literature from Singing Rock, and they rate each harness they manufacture for its best uses, i.e. one harness might say 5 stars for sport, 3 for trad, and 4 for via ferrata. or something to that effect. Anyway.
(the point of my post...)
what the heck is via ferrata? Until that point I had never heard mention of the term, and a search of the forums for "via ferrata" found nothing more in 10 minutes than posts mentioning via ferrata here, via ferrata there, but nothing pertinent to what it actually is. So what is via ferrata? Some help please. Nothing in the FAQs either. Enlighten me.
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taraus_de_bull
Oct 3, 2004, 5:00 AM
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look on petzl's website, they make alot of gear for it. i'm tried so i don't feel like trying to type it all out now. :(
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coldclimb
Oct 3, 2004, 5:02 AM
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From what I've gathered, "via ferrata" means something like "by cable", and it's basically climbing by use of a cable, or rope, or something like that. Rather popular in Europe. Mind you all I know about it is random gleening while reading the forums here, but this is what I think it is. ;)
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spiderwomann
Oct 3, 2004, 5:02 AM
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So I was just wondering the same thing the other day (seriously). This is what I found:
It's how some people, mainly Italians fit mountains with ladders and steel cords and stuff, that are kinda like permanent aid. This is just the impression I got from ten minutes of searching on Google, so I'm not 100% right in any way, so don't quote me. Just trying to help...
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slobmonster
Oct 3, 2004, 5:06 AM
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Via ferrata = "way of iron."
In WWII the Italians fitted many of their mountain passes, ridges, summits and the like with metal ladders, cables, etc., to facilitate their defense. If you recall the (awful) film 'Cliffhanger' you might remember John Lithgow's character's demise: in a helicopter, perched perilously from a metal ladder on a cliff face... this would be a via ferrata in the Dolomites.
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skinnyjim
Oct 3, 2004, 5:11 AM
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It is essentially a permanent aid ladder that is bolted to a face.. just work your way up it using biners and some redundancy. Aid climbing - all the gear.
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thewyseclimber
Oct 3, 2004, 6:22 AM
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Thanks a pantload.
Question effectively answered. Though I deduced the meaning of the words (iron, etc...) I hadn't a clue what it meant.
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antigrav
Oct 3, 2004, 7:56 AM
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In reply to: It is essentially a permanent aid ladder that is bolted to a face.. just work your way up it using biners and some redundancy. Aid climbing - all the gear.
Hmm... That's like approaching the bolts on a bolted route like there is permanent "aid fixtures" there... You can always climb the Via Ferrata regarding the iron as fixed protection, and only clip into it, otherwise freeclimbing.
Just tried this for a week in the Dolomites, and it was great fun! Like ascending a thousand metres on lead, moderately difficult, or easy climbing, without the hassle of a heavy rope... You just have to tell yourself not to hang on the protection, i.e., the wire...
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mr-pink
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Oct 3, 2004, 11:36 AM
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it's what translated 'road of iron' or something in that genre.
you will also hear klettersteig as a name gor via ferrata.
the story about the war is true.
you just follow the cable's with the via ferrata set (looks like this http://www.petzl.com/petzl/SportProduits?MotRecherche=Quick+Search&pays=0&Langue=en&Activite=28&Famille=20&SousFamille=0&Produit=324&Conseil=&ProduitAssocie= ) the chop out holds and place ladders when it's to hard.
But it's not that safe!! because of you fall you fall higher and the shock rating is higher!
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esimhs99
Oct 3, 2004, 12:43 PM
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the camp i work at sent out an adventure trip this summer climbing all over the east coast. one of their stops was at nelson rocks, WV. here they also went across the via ferrada. the stories and pictures were amazing. i think when i get back home to va, i will plan a trip to nelson rocks to check it out.
they way it looked was almost like a bunch of elements and obsticles that you are on in order to traverse the mountains. i know they had more useful purposes in the past, but i think this one is just for fun.
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feanor007
Oct 3, 2004, 1:15 PM
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if your ever in the red, oneof the ares, torrant falls, has a via ferreta that you can pay to climb
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overlord
Oct 3, 2004, 2:46 PM
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via ferrata... a route usually across otherwise difficult or dangerous rocky terrain where you use fixed cables, pins and ladders for "climbing".
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elwood86
Oct 3, 2004, 3:36 PM
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If you go to Nelson Rocks preserve website it will give you a description and the prices of the Via Ferrata. I have done it several times and its still alot of fun. Stew and the guys put alot of time and effort into builing it and I suggest you go try it.
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antigrav
Oct 4, 2004, 7:19 AM
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Here's another Via Ferrata picture for you:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=41071
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overlord
Oct 4, 2004, 7:45 AM
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In reply to: Here's another Via Ferrata picture for you: http://www.rockclimbing.com/photos.php?Action=ListPhoto&PhotoID=41071
yes, that would be a classic one. good pic.
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timstich
Oct 4, 2004, 9:26 AM
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I didn't see any iron rings, ladder rungs, bridges, towers, or other installed junk in that photo. It just looks like someone traversing with a climbing rope without any pro protecting the traverse.
The thing to me that is interesting about via ferrata is that it is possible to generate fall factors higher than 2, hence the introduction of these enegy absorbing devices Petzl makes that you clip into the cables with.
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tisar
Oct 4, 2004, 10:07 AM
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In reply to: I didn't see any iron rings, ladder rungs, bridges, towers, or other installed junk in that photo. It just looks like someone traversing with a climbing rope without any pro protecting the traverse. The thing to me that is interesting about via ferrata is that it is possible to generate fall factors higher than 2, hence the introduction of these enegy absorbing devices Petzl makes that you clip into the cables with.
The "climbing rope" in the picture is a steel cable which is permanently mounted. The high fall factors are exactly what don't make via ferratas "the savest way" of climbing as mentioned above. There are also VFs which go vertical on steep terrain. Try to imagine a 15 ft. fall into a steel cable, all the way falling close to the rock and beeing halted by a shock absorbing device instead of a dynamic rope...
Haven't done a trip on those by myself but a friend of mine told me bout a guy in his group really who got beaten up by just a small fall.
- Daniel
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antigrav
Oct 4, 2004, 10:22 AM
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In reply to: I didn't see any iron rings, ladder rungs, bridges, towers, or other installed junk in that photo. It just looks like someone traversing with a climbing rope without any pro protecting the traverse. The thing to me that is interesting about via ferrata is that it is possible to generate fall factors higher than 2, hence the introduction of these enegy absorbing devices Petzl makes that you clip into the cables with.
The thing looking like a rope, is a fixed wire. There was plenty of iron on this ferrata, but I thought this was one of the more successful pictures I made. This traverse was also one of the technically most difficult parts. (Assuming you just use the wire for pro, not actually holding on to it while traversing.)
What really surprised me wrt. the >2 ff-stuff, is that it is to some extent of academic interest only. Very often, if you fall, you will actually hit the deck, so in my opinion the protection is partly just to ease your mind!
The kind of ferratas we tried, I would compare to easy climbing on lead, fixed protection, interspersed with some easy freesoloing (that is, when the pro is just for show...) maybe at 5.4-5.6?? (not too familiar with the US scale...)
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jkarns
Oct 4, 2004, 12:44 PM
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A loose translation of "Via Ferrata" from that Italian origin is CAN'T CLIMB!
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marcel
Oct 4, 2004, 1:26 PM
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In reply to: A loose translation of "Via Ferrata" from that Italian origin is CAN'T CLIMB!
Vie Ferrata translates to IRON WAYS. Anyone who thinks that it means can't climb hasn't done one of the higher rated ferratas in the Dolimites. They are very, very exposed and reguire skill and balance to manover over them. I've seen experinced sport and trad climbers terrified of the heights and tuckered out from a day of ferratas. Also, the 1st ferratas went up prior to the 1st WW. They were used by the Austrian and Italian troops during the 1st WW. :D
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kimmyt
Oct 4, 2004, 2:28 PM
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Someone mentioned that there are harder via ferratas in the Dolomites, is there a grading system for the difficulty of a VF?
K.
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kimmyt
Oct 4, 2004, 2:29 PM
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Someone mentioned that there are harder via ferratas in the Dolomites, is there a grading system for the difficulty of a VF?
K.
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