Via Ferratta

The Klettersteig- Via Ferratta

Do you seek adrenaline? How about climbing a cliff face 1000 ft up with only a harness attached to you and metal poles to hold onto. The Via Ferratta is a protected climbing park fixed with a steel cable along a route up the side of a mountain. The Swiss word for Via Ferratta is actually called "Klettersteig". The pathway is clearly marked so there is no chance of getting stuck on an area you shouldn't be on, but it's the height you have to worry about. Via Ferratta's are scattered all about the Swiss Alps and some in the Dolomites Mountain Range in Italy. There are about 37 Via Ferratta's within the Bernese Oberland region alone and more outside of this area. The Swiss are large on being active so these courses serve as a perfect past time for the people. If you are an active person who isn't squeamish when it comes to heights, I highly suggest trying out a Via Ferrata. It is a challenge that feels so rewarding once you reach the top and look down on what you have just conquered.

The Via Ferratta I did was close to Bern in a secluded town with a scarce amount of houses and people. The mountain I was about to climb was decorated with a beautiful waterfall and surrounded by green grass fields where cows grazed. The day we arrived it was very foggy which gave the mountain an even more intense affect. It looked as though the waterfall was coming out of the clouds. Because it was such a muggy day, there were two other groups here. On an otherwise bright and sunny day, the mountain would be littered with people. I very much enjoyed this because I did not have to wait for any other group to move across the mountain. The climb takes about three hours to ascend. So if you plan on going, go early so that you are not stuck on the mountain during dusk.

Luckily, the friends I was staying with had the correct gear and had done this Via Ferratta plenty of times which made me feel more comfortable about trying this out. The gear included is: a helmet, harness, four carabiners with two strong ropes attached, gloves, and lots of courage. Also, I recommend going with a guide as this climb is necessary to do with another person. never do one by yourself! If you don't want to pay for a guide, go with someone who has done this particular Via Ferratta before let alone someone who has done A Via Ferratta. I also recommend that the first timer let the seasoned professionals go first. This way you can watch all of the moves that they are making and also you will not stop them up from moving at their own pace.

The Climb

The day we went was a very foggy. This might have worked to my advantage because I was not able to see the ground from so high up and it made climbing hundreds of feet into the sky that much easier. From the parking lot, you must walk a marked trail for the Via Ferratta which takes about 10 minutes to reach. There is also a gondola at the parking lot to transfer you down the mountain. Or if you have some friends who don't want to participate, they can take it up and meet you at the top. The initial view from he bottom of the Via Ferratta is quite beautiful as you stare up at this flowing waterfall surrounded by long green grass.

Starting off at the bottom close to the waterfall, you first ascend up a few ladders. Once you're up a hundred feet, you immediately become immersed in the fog. Here's my favorite part: the first rope bridge. Crossing the top bridges are a little intimidating because instead of having a stable mountain to hold onto, the rope bridges move in the wind and also with the pressure you are applying on it. It is a balancing act. But if you grab onto each side of the support ropes, you'll instantly become more stable than only holding onto one side. This first rope bridge is so awesome because you cross over the waterfall here. It's also hard to be fearful of the highs when you have such a breathtaking view. I even stopped on the shaky ropes dangling in mid air to pull out my gopro and take a few pictures of it.

Shortly after crossing the rope bridge, it the coolest ladder I've ever climbed. Instead of being attached to the cliff face, this ladder jutted out of a cave into mid air and reconnected with the mountain cliff face. What's so cool about it is that the ladder twists as you climb because you are first facing outwards, then back towards the mountain. Once you reach the top of the ladder, you continue climbing sideways with a few metal rods as your stepping stones.

Most of the Via Ferratta is a sideways climb which zig zags across the mountain face. This makes it easier on your muscles and your vertigo. Most of the way is marked with those metal rods used to step on. As you walk across them, you should hold onto the cable for upper body support instead of pressing yourself up against the mountain. This makes it easier to move and more secure knowing your hands have something to grab onto.

Other areas of the Via Ferratta have ladders to climb and ascend straight up. There is one section of ladders which are scattered and jagged about the cliff and it looks like something out of a National Geographics magazine. The affect of the fog made it look so very intimidating. But this part of the climb was actually pretty easy. You're close to the top, about 3/4 of the way. Keep going!

Near to the end is the fun part. You have two options, you can either cross another rope bridge, OR you could do a zip line across the waterfall. Of course, I opted to do the zip line. Thank God I had Bruno there with me because the directions by the zip line for this are written in another language. But it is quite easy: you simply attach one of your ropes to the zip line anchor and the other to your harness. If you have never zipplined before, this is how you do it. If you have a special glove for this, you hold onto the line behind the anchor which acts as a break. If not, you simple hold onto the anchor rope. Here's the secret to zip lining: do not worry about breaking or running into the mountain because you think you are going too fast. Usually the amount of speed by just lifting your feet off the ground is enough to get you to the other side. And if you break too early, you have to pull yourself the rest of the way across. So just let the zip line do all the work and enjoy the ride. This way an awesome experience for me because the zip line led straight into a bundle of clouds and I had no idea where I would end up or how far the zip line was. That's all part of the adventure right.

Here's Bruno following shortly after me.

Almost to the top from here. About another 10 minutes and you'll be on flat ground. The stretch is a straight up inline with rods and a few ladders. At this point, I'm so ready to have conquered the mountain that I was moving at lightning speed. Not to mention that I had figured out the prefect formula for moving my carabiners across the ropes, it had become second nature for me. I probably finished the last part in 5 minutes instead of 10, stopping to take a few pictures along the way. Can you see how excited I look.

We've made it! Finally at the top, I belted a giant "WoooHoo" and reached my tired arms up in victory. Having finished the Via Ferratta in 2 hours instead of 3 was an amazing feat for a first timer. I felt as if I could conquer anything at this point. I could only imagine the view from here if it weren't so foggy. Looking out over Switzerland's rolling green hills would have been such a dream. From here, you can unclip yourself from the line and head on a 10 minute hike to the gondola. This actually was the hardest part for me because of exhaustion and walking is the last thing you want to do after climbing a mountain. But at the end is a little restaurant where they serve hot chocolate to warm your hands and a post climb snack. 'm sure I'll be doing alot more Via Ferratta's in my lifetime. I'm addicted. And I'm sure all of you other adrenaline junkies out there would feel the same. Happy climbing.

It's safe

If it is fear of falling hundreds of feet to the ground below that keeps you from doing this, do not worry. You are 100 % secure at all times (as long as you follow the directions). The way that the Via Ferratta is constructed is by a long steel cable that spans the entire course to the top. It is about two inches thick and bolted to the mountain so you know it is going nowhere. The course is always equipped with something to step on or hold onto so you aren't relying on mountain crevasses. At times they have metal ladders bolted to the cliff and other times there are thin rods sticking out to step on. There are even a few rope bridges along the way. One crossing over the waterfall is just amazing!

So this is how you operate the Via Ferratta. Your two ropes with carabiners attached the each side of them, are attached to your harness on one end. You clip in both ropes to the large steel cable attached to the mountain form the other end. As you climb and move across the mountain, the cable cuts off from being bolted down to the rock. You must move your carabiner across it. This is for safety purposes because if you do fall, you will only fall as far as the last bolt you crossed. You do this by detaching one rope at a time and move it past the bolt. You must ALWAYS HAVE ONE ROPE ATTACHED to the cable at all times. If you are moving one, the other one is attached and vice versa. The first few bolts you have to cross take a bit of time because you want to get your technique right but within a few minutes you'll be doing it fluidly.

As you can see, I alway have one rope attached to the cable. Keep one attached to the bottom side of the bolted cable while you are transferring the other past the break in cable line. Once that rope is on fully, then you can transfer the other one. This ensures that you are always attached to the mountain. So follow these rules precisely and you'll never ever fall.

Enjoy!!! Thanks for Reading