Night without a lantern on the via ferrata: rescuers in the Dolomites managed to get there before the weather worsened
On the evening of October 29, mountain rescuers in Trentino, Italy, conducted two parallel operations. The first call came due to the disappearance of a resident of the Vigolan plateau, born in 1933. The man went to pick mushrooms in the forest above the village of Bosentino and did not return home, after which his wife called for help. The rescue unit from Levico and local fire brigades were involved in the search. At around 6:30 p.m., the elderly mushroom picker was found unharmed and escorted to his car.
Almost simultaneously, help was needed high up in the Brenta Dolomites. A 17-year-old tourist from Hungary was climbing the difficult section of the Oliva Detassis via ferrata, which is a branch of the Bocchette Alte route, when night suddenly fell on him. The teenager did not have a headlamp or clothing suitable for the night temperature in the mountains, so he called 112.
Due to the risk of rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, the coordination center immediately dispatched a rescue helicopter to the mountains. The helicopter managed to approach the rocks at dusk, pick up the young man, and deliver him down to the valley before the storm hit.
Context
The Sentiero Oliva Detassis via ferrata in the Brenta Dolomites is considered one of the most open and physically demanding routes in the region. Its key feature is the ascent of a sheer rock face over 100 metres high by means of a continuous series of vertical metal ladders, connecting the Brenta glacial cirque to the Boccetta Bassa dei Massodi pass at an altitude of almost 2,800 metres.
This route is often used as a quick but technically demanding link to the high-altitude Bocchette Alte trail or descent. Due to the significant exposure on the northwestern cliffs, the rock face and iron steps can remain wet and cold even in the height of summer, and the total traverse, including the approach and return to the valley shelters, takes 6 to 8 hours of active movement.