Dolomites Climbing Guides
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Hello People of MP! I am going to Italy in about a month and I will be with my family, none of whom climb. I want to hit up the Dolomites for a few days while I'm there and was wondering if anyone new any good guiding companies out there that won't totally break my minuscule, post-college-graduate bank account. I know there is a lot of Via Feratta but I would rather do some free climbing (if I'm there I might as well right?). Thanks everyone for your input! |
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winston wrote:Hello People of MP! I am going to Italy in about a month and I will be with my family, none of whom climb. I want to hit up the Dolomites for a few days while I'm there and was wondering if anyone new any good guiding companies out there that won't totally break my minuscule, post-college-graduate bank account. I know there is a lot of Via Feratta but I would rather do some free climbing (if I'm there I might as well right?). Thanks everyone for your input!Try Jorg Wilz with ontopmountaineering.com He is a great guy. |
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I've climbed near Arco and used the book Italian Rock by Al Churcher |
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Paolo Tassi of Gruppo Guide Alpine Cortina would be an excellent guide. No idea what he would cost |
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Great place but the weather may be a little iffy in early June. I went for about 5 days in late June several years back, got three and a half clear days, and the locals commented on how nice the weather was for that time of year. You may want to try Michael Chessler for guidebooks. As far as guides, it'll help to know where in the Dolomites you're going before hiring someone. |
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In Italy only certified guides can legally accompany customers. Guides belong to regional associations that decide a common fee structure. This fee structure may leave some room for negotiation in case of long, hard routes, but typically fixes the cost of a guide's services for trade routes. You are probably looking at about 250-300 euros for a mellow day of climbing and twice as much for a long, committing route. The client is also responsible for the cost of food, lodging, and transportation, both for him/herself and the guide. |
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You all ROCK! thanks for the great input! |
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weak dollar = bank broken. |
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I hired a guide from the South Tyrol at catores.com/. We climbed the First Sella Tower, Rosse Route, 6+ (5.10C) We visited in October. Climbing was cold w/dusting of snow. My guide was Lucas Pitzscheider. He did a great job! Climbing in the Dolomites varies a lot from textured to polished. What you can expect for limestone. Goodluck! |
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I climbed the Vajolet Towers a couple of years ago with an excellent guide named Alberto Felicetti. He can be reached at guidealpinedolomiti.net or directly at matoberto@interfree.it. The climbing is fantastic, but the guides are expensive! Good Luck. |
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So, how much should I tentatively plan on spending for say...2 full days of climbing? As cheaply as possible (limited distance traveled, lodging etc.) |
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It's been six years since we visited Italy. My guide cost me 350 euro's |
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I hate to tell you this but Italy right now will definitely break your miniscule bank account. |
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for a thousand dollars, I think i would just buy some more gear, plus a rope solo device like an ushba, and go rope soloing. spend the loot you save on the family and have a fun vacation. be safe, and have a good time. |
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Yup. I haven't been since my honeymoon in June 2002, but I lived there in '95-'97 before the euro. The EU and euro standardization seemed to introduce Northern European prices to Southern Europe. Things were much more expensive in 2002 than when I lived there, though the only difference was going from lira to euro, and this was with the dollar at about 1 euro = $.95. Now with the dollar at its weakest in who know s how long (1 euro = $1.60), it's gonna be expensive. |
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If you need affordable lodging in northern Italy (specifically Verona): lospite.com. The owner/operator, a friend of mine, is a wonderful person, and will bend over backwards to help you enjoy your stay in Italy. She's currently #1 on tripadvisor.com |