Stage B25
ANTERMOIA REF. - BOLZANO REF.

ROUTE STAGE:

Description of the stage in the Trieste-Monaco direction:
Starting at the Antermoia refuge, cross the stream and head left towards the Antermoia lake. With its pretty grey-blue colours, local folk tales say it was the meeting place for Val di Fassa witches. Walk along the left bank and then cross over the fl at alluvial Valon d’Antermoa. Climb up along its head, often still snow-bound at the beginning of the summer season, until you reach the Antermoia pass. From there, follow the screes at the foot of the Catinaccio d’Antermoia, until you reach the Principe pass and the mountain refuge by the same name. Enter the Province of Bolzano along the path with steep and sharp bends that descends into the Principe hollow. At a crossroads, turn right through the above mentioned hollow, and then walk up the narrow gorge towards the Molignon pass. Cross through peak stone grounds and then descend towards the Alpe di Tires refuge. From there, go west on the easy trail that cuts through the high-altitude meadows of Buco dell’Orso. Along sharp bends, climb up a steep hill, go round the base of the Terrarossa peak, cross diagonally to overtake a pylon of porphyry lava, and fi nally exit onto the Sciliar plateau. Pass through two modest elevations consisting of dolomia rock, one of the rare examples of this kind of rock formation still existing in the Eastern Dolomites. Finally, along plaques of smooth rock, grasslands and stone quarries, through the narrowest part of the plateau, reach path No. 1, that to the left, leads to the Bolzano refuge (Schlernhaus).

Alternative route:
Even if used prevailingly in the opposite direction, it is possible to ascend to the peak of Catinaccio di Antermoia along the eastern via ferrata and then descend along its western section (signpost 585). The via ferrata branches off just before reaching the Antermoia pass and climbs up towards the peak, exploiting the rock face’s numerous narrow ledges and canals. To reach the peak you need to follow the rather exposed ridge northwards. Then, to get down, you must take the same ridge southwards and then, along the other ledges and canals of the southern slope, descend towards the Principe pass.

Description of the route in the opposite direction:
Starting at the Bolzano refuge (Schlernhaus), cross the peak stone grounds of the Sciliar eastbound. First descend along the steep and rocky slopes and then, once on the plain, you reach the Alpe di Tires refuge. Climb along the rocks of the opposite slope and then descend down to the fi rst saddle. Go towards the nearby Molignon pass. Opposite are the Principe pass and the refuge, reached through the hollow. Climb left towards the Antermoia pass from which you can climb down into the underlying valley and reach the Antermoia refuge.

WHAT TO SEE:

Environment - Along the entire route it is possible to observe the action of the ice that until about ten thousand years ago covered the entire area. There are practically no trees but the attempt at colonisation by the fi rst grass species that have adapted to the altitude and to the environment is clearly visible. Vertical dolomitic rock towers dominate almost the entire northern slope of the territory crossed, while to the south, the mountain shapes are more gentle, modelled by the erosive action of the ice.