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Goferrata.com - New search engine of European Via Ferratas

Original Post
Goferrata.com · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2015 · Points: 0

Hello.

If you like Via ferratas and are considering a trip to Europe, you might be interested in recently published page Goferrata.com. Based on Klettersteig data, it provides complete overview of all known European tracks combined with user friendly interface that allows you to set filtering criteria such as lenght, difficulty, expected time scale and shows all matches on the map in real time. Click on what you like, get more specific info and you can start planing. No paid membership required. Completely free-of-charge project created by enthusiast, aimed to help others in pursuing this great hobby. Feel free to share and spread amogst your like minded friends.

chris vultaggio · · The Gunks · Joined Dec 2008 · Points: 535

Fixed link: goferrata.com/

Great resource, I'm headed to Dachstein in a few weeks and will find this useful.

Brian in SLC · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Oct 2003 · Points: 21,711

Interesting...nice database and interactive...

I'd be curious to know the best/most popular especially in the Berchtesgaden, Kaisergebirge and Zupspitze areas.

I'd rather do an easy classic than something hard and short.

Best to do on a semi rainy day (instead of climbing)?

Cheers!

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608
Brian in SLC wrote:I'd be curious to know the best/most popular
"best" for what?
"most popular" with what sort of user?

Myself the "best" I'm looking for Via Ferrata routes that permit lots of interesting free climbing moves -- with my hands and feet directly on the rock. As opposed to pulling on a steel cable, or standing on metal rungs; i.e. climbing with fixed aid. Some VF routes allow lots of free climbing, but many have a high percentage of required aid moves.

At least 90% of Via Ferrata users have not the slightest interest in free climbing moves. They just want to haul on the steel cable and get through the route as quickly and easily. So "most popular" does not help me.

After several years of climbing many VF routes in several countries, I've found a few select routes that are great for free climbing (clipping the steel cable only for protection, not aid). And I love to go back and do them again.

Near as I can tell, this database says almost nothing about percentage of free climbing on a route. Or at what difficulty grade most (or all) of a route goes free. Unlike MountainProject, there's not evan a way for user to vote on either of these key questions.

Ken

P.S. Protection:
Most VF books and databases do not actually rate the seriousness of the consequences of taking an actual fall while on a crux section of a VF route - (instead they rate the quality of the hardward for aid). In many cases the placement of the cable anchors or other fixed hardware is pretty scary: Long falls with high FFs: because the cable anchors usually are placed for convenience of aid, not falling. Also some of the fixed aid hardward protrudes in ways that would badly chop you up if you fell on it.

Unless you're using a Skylotec Skyrider VF kit, blowing a move on a VF route is like taking a Leader fall in roped rock climbing. But near as I that crucial kind of rating of Protection is little addressed on this new database. And unlike MountainProject, there's no way for knowledgable climbers to vote on it.
kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608
chris_vultaggio wrote:I'm headed to Dachstein in a few weeks
Then I suggest checking out bergsteigen.at -- better yet get their print guidebook for Klettersteig Oesterreich (mainly German, but some English sidebars, and anyway much of the key info is symbolic or graphic).
This guidebook also covers Berchtesgaden and Zugspitze areas (and of course the Kaisergebirge are in Austria).

If you want to do the great high alpine VF routes in the Dachstein at this time of year, bring crampons for the approaches. Note that some of the fixed aid hardware (protruding rods) on the newer routes would be pretty brutal if you fell onto one.

For a free-climber's perspective (quality of free climbing moves, free difficulty rating) on many VF routes, try links from this page
. (includes some from Dachstein, Zugspitze, Kaisergebirge, Berchtesgaden area, Dolomites, France)

Search also for reports on UKclimbing forum, including within the last five years a thread about free climbing grades for some VF routes.

Ken
MalcolmX · · Munich, Germany · Joined Oct 2014 · Points: 0
kenr wrote: Unless you're using a Skylotec Skyrider VF kit, blowing a move on a VF route is like taking a Leader fall in roped rock climbing.
I know it is a bit off topic, but that is not true. Falling in a VF is much severe than i a normal lead fall. If i go sport climbing, falling is part of the game and quite normal. On a VF, the protection is just a safety net so that you don't kill yourself if you blow a move, but still injuries are quite likely. So if there is a slightes chance that you blow a move while on a VF, just use the steel cable.
Brian in SLC · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Oct 2003 · Points: 21,711
kenr wrote: "best" for what? "most popular" with what sort of user? Myself the "best" I'm looking for Via Ferrata routes that permit lots of interesting free climbing moves -- with my hands and feet directly on the rock. As opposed to pulling on a steel cable, or standing on metal rungs; i.e. climbing with fixed aid. Some VF routes allow lots of free climbing, but many have a high percentage of required aid moves. At least 90% of Via Ferrata users have not the slightest interest in free climbing moves. They just want to haul on the steel cable and get through the route as quickly and easily. So "most popular" does not help me.
What sort of user? Me. I'm the user.

I'm more interested in routes with great scenery and great position over routes that simulate climbing movement. And, history.

The Giovanni Lipella on Tofana di Rozes for example.

I do via ferrata when the weather is crappy and/or I'm looking for a break from climbing. Routes that have climbing movement might be fairly sketchy in bad weather, and, I'd rather climb if the weather is nice.

Classic position over crappy, fairly unclimbable rock, works too. I wouldn't care to do a via ferrata on a classic ridge if there was an adjacent classic rock route, given an option to do just one on a nice day.

So, classic routes. Hate to miss a classic on a rainy day...
kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608
MalcolmX wrote:On a VF, the protection is just a safety net so that you don't kill yourself if you blow a move, but still injuries are quite likely.
I agree with your assessment of most Via Ferrata climbing. Some of us think that assessment is also true of Trad leader falls in non-VF rock climbing.

MalcolmX wrote:So if there is a slightes chance that you blow a move while on a VF, just use the steel cable.
Unless I'm using my Skylotec Skyrider VF kit. With that I'm free to try hard moves and take falls on a Via Ferrata route.

Ken
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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