Sass Dlacia – climbing and hiking in the Dolomites

We were excited about this for a very long time and I couldn’t wait to spend the summer in the Dolomites. COVID had almost ensured that the whole story could not continue: in the spring this region was hit hard by corona, but things were going well again, fortunately. Two years ago I was in the Dolomites with two friends of mine, Michael and Bas, when I went to visit them for a week on their campervan trip. That had made a big impression on me, but of course, it was way too short. Now we are here for a longer period!

Climbing in Sass Dlacia

The climbing is getting better for us in the meantime, we can climb 6a’s more often now. But the rock isn’t really what our recovering injuries could use at the moment. Lots of straight walls with very long routes and sharp, small edges.

Dolomite rock resembles limestone, but unlike limestone, dolomite does not dissolve in water. Limestone therefore often has flatter shapes and dripstone formations. Dolomite doesn’t have that at all. Because this rock does not dissolve, cracks and fractures are never glued together with new rock, which ís the case with limestone. This makes the edges sharp, and the rock can also be brittle.

For these reasons, we didn’t climb as much as we wanted to in this region. But because the area is so crazy beautiful, we hiked a lot!

Hiking around Sass Dlacia: Armentarola – Pralongia – San Cassiano

Wat een uitzicht heb je hier toch. Maakt niet uit welke kant je opkijkt. Overal zie je idyllische grasweides met schattige berghutjes en op de achtergrond grillige bergtoppen. Wat een contrast! Je kunt hier zo prachtig mooi wandelen. Hieronder wat foto’s van de 18 km lange wandeling langs Armentarola, Pralongia & San Cassiano. De wandeling had een hoogte verschil van 620 meter: we starten op 1.533m hoogte en op 2.157m waren wij op het hoogste punt. Heerlijk!

Look at this incredible view. It doesn’t matter which direction you look, everywhere you see idyllic grassy meadows with cute mountain huts and rugged mountain peaks in the background. What a contrast! You can hike so beautifully here. Below are some pictures of the 18 km walk along Armentarola, Pralongia & San Cassiano. The hike had a height difference of 620 meters: we started at 1,533m and at 2,157m we were at the highest point. Fantastic!