UKC

Hi all

I'm going to the Dolomites with my wife for 2 weeks in July (arriving on the 6th) - I've been half a dozen times before (but not recently) but my wife has skied there but not visited in summer before.  For the first week we're staying in an apartment near Canazei and I know that area reasonably well.  For the second week I would really like to visit the Pala area for the first time.  I know (from my old guidebooks) that most of the climbs require a night in a hut first due to the walk-ins, and partly for that reason we haven't booked any accommodation - we were hoping to camp as and when required, but I'm not sure whether there are campsites in that area (or in the Dolomites more generally) where you can turn up in July and expect to find a space - should we book somewhere in advance, and is there any base anyone would recommend?  We're driving from the UK so will have a car to move around.

Also, although the Pala area is covered in my old Alpine Club (Ron James) and Koehler/Memmel guides, it's not in the Dolomites Rockfax and I wondered if there was a more recent guide that covered the area (preferably in English, though if it's well illustrated then I could get a German or Italian guide).  If anyone has any other beta or recommendations about the Pala area, I'd love to hear them - there aren't many logbook ticks!

Thanks for any help

Cheers

Rick 

In Canazei the Sport Bernard shop and the tabac Il Giornalgaio, both had a selection of guidebooks last year. Mostly Italian and German though.

If the weather is ok, you have to call several huts and look where space is availlable. We only got space in the Rosetta hut and found it a fine place to stay.

There is a reasonably new Versante Sud guidebook to the Pala, but we did not find it specifically useful.

One route suggestion that is not in Köhler/Memmel, and we really loved it: Nuvolo Scalet: http://www.quartogrado.com/relazioni/NUVOLO_Scalet.htm

Enjoy!

Not so much about the Pala, but the Lagorai which is right next door at Passo Rolle. Toognaza is one of my favourite crags in the Dolomites and is a welcome change from dolomite as its porphyry. It has 7-8 pitch trad and sport. Via del Vento, Via Danilo Busin and Flower power are all good. There is a Lagorai guidebook, but I can't remember who it's published by and only in Italian.

Versante Sud m thinks

Pala del Rifugio, NW face, Frisch/Corradini (HVS)

Do these routes.

Highly recommended

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/pala_del_rifugio_and_sasso...

I stayed at [this campsite](https://www.openstreetmap.org/search?query=Tonadico#map=16/46.1959/11.8652) near Tonadico to the South, didn't book in advance, we only had a small 2/3 person tunnel tent.

We did the [Frisch/Corradini](https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/val_canali-2793/pala_del_rifugio_n...) route mentioned with an early start, driving up the valley and hiking past the Rifugio Treviso, although being slow we topped out at sunset and descended in the dark the long way round (when description says "climb the gully" it doesn't mean down!). First two pitches (wet due to inversion!) and some of the higher ones were quite run out, last fix or so are very easy (in hindsight we should have unroped and scrambled these).

We also hiked up to Rifugio Pradidali for a few nights. From vague memory we didn't book too far in advance but it was busy as there is a popular hiking route passing by. If you go there don't miss [Fissure Buhl/Buhlriss](https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/cima_canali-23157/buhlriss-418292), its amazing (although we abbed from the top of the climbing, some 11 pitches, rather than scrambling to the top and making a long descent in no small part because of low cloud and forecast thunder!).

Guidebook wise I think the [mid-grade climbs in the Dolomites (Volume 2)](https://www.cordee.co.uk/mid-grade-trad-rock-western-dolomites-vol-2-cce414...) is worth getting, without checking though I can't say how much of the Pala region it covers if any but we definitely had the Ron James guide and that served us well.

The general area seemed quieter than other areas of the Dolomites and I'd love to go back. Enjoy its great in the Dolomites.

Thanks very much for the recommendations - I've been away for a few days hence  the slow reply but that's really helpful.  I've ordered the mid-grade trad guidebook! (Hoping that whatever the definition of "mid-grade" is stretches far enough down for me...)

Cheers

Rick

Camping Calavise is nice... https://campingcalavise.it/en/pool/ You've got a pool and a pizzeria. Slightly south of San Martino (and so cheaper all round) but only 20 mins from Val Canali, which is the access point for the very popular climbs above Rifugio Treviso. Couldn't say if you can just turn up though...