Piccolo Dain - via ferrata Rino Pisetta

Popular very difficult Via Ferrata in pleasant setting near Arco, that offers special option of many fun thoughtful sequences which be done in Free rock-climbing style. Normal Via Ferrata style using cable and hardware for Aid also fun and interesting.

• Free rock-climbing (moves with hands and feet directly on the rock, using fixed hardware and cable only for Protection, not Aid), mainly on face and cracks less than vertical. Difficulty up to 5c or perhaps 6a, much in the 4a to 5b range, also easier links between sections.
• Aid “normal” Via Ferrata style - Not much installed hardware other than the cable and the cable-to-rock attachment posts, so need to be thoughtful about placing feet.
• Protection is fairly good for Via Ferrata of high difficulty on less-than-vertical rock - (see details under Remarks).
• Approach: Straightforward hike, very well signed.
• Descent: easy (but longer) option, or shorter steeper. Also two options for bike or car shuttle to shorten descent.
• Rock mostly sound, though with the usual loose little stuff that gathers on ledges - and maybe a couple of handholds felt a bit wobbly.
• Some polish, but really bad only in a couple of sequences (though enough to get your attention on first pitch off the ground)

Approach

Driving from the S from Arco or Riva del Garda, come to the central roundabout of the town of Sarche, and take the second exit (somewhat Left) toward W, then immediately turn off right (NW) onto steep driveway and park near its end alongside indoor hall for playing “bocce” - GPS latitude longitude approx (N46.0476 E10.9510).

Hiking

Follow the signs for “Rino Pisetta” (or sometimes faded red paint on rock). First up a little, then long gentle E, then up a ways, then NE and some zig-zags roughly NNW, finally SW to bottom start of cable.

Climb

Lower half mixes straight-up sections with traverse horizontal left or diagonal up left (later a crux horizontal right traverse). Upper half has a long uphill walk generally W (No signs up here, so hope for guidance from faded red paint on rocks) before reaching a short cable on easy ridge soon leading to finish at wooden bench not far from summit of Piccolo Dain (sometimes also called “Dain Picol” or “Cima Garzolet” or “Monte Garzolet”).

Descent

Wide dirt trail down from summit bench overall NNW but with some big zig-zags, to meet asphalt road. Sign for “Sarche” indicates go R (NNE) on road (though there are rumors of a short steep difficult trail toward the L). Soon about 300m meet R turn with sign for “Sarche”. Or continue another 130m farther (and up a little) to a three-way fork and take R fork down (roughly E) to meet another road. Go R down this, overall ESE but with many zig-zags, to meet main highway just W of Castel Toblino at the shore of the lake. If did not spot a bike (or car) here (or at the Sport-climbing crags up the steep asphalt road), finish by run/walk alongside highway west for a mile flat, back to Parking. (If truly lazy about the descent, could advance spot a bike or car high in village of Ranzo. Drive car up by way of village of Lon. But that’s a lot of extra driving / set-up time just to avoid 460 vertical meters of easy downhill).

GPS # useful waypoints

• Parking in town of Sarche . (N46.0476 E10.9510) . (elev ~ 265m) - at W end of indoor hall for playing “bocce”.
• bottom start of VF cable . (N46.0527 E10.9521) . (elev ~ 570m)
• summit bench . (N46.0527 E10.9485) . (elev ~ 970m)
• water near below summit . (N46.0572 E10.9448)
• descent trail from summit meets asphalt road . (N46.0596 E10.9419) . (elev ~ 720m) by village of Ranzo.
• top of Trail 613 with sign for “Sarche” . (N46.0619 E10.9440) – not checked by us.
• turn R at 3-way fork (N46.0630 E10.9447) to start descent to reach main highway near Castel Toblino
• Sport-climbing crags along steep asphalt road . (N46.0598 E10.9638)
• meet main road . (N46.0563 E10.9655) - just W from Castel Toblino, and about 1.6 km / 1.0 mile East from Parking.

Protection

What happens if a climber should actually take a fall on one of the non-easy sections? If clipping the Via Ferrata kit karabiners only to the steel cable, then fall down to a meter or two below the nearest lower cable-to-rack attachment post. If also connect one karabiner of VF kit to an intermediate steel rung / stemple higher than that attachment post, then fall down to a meter or two below that rung (not so far).

Via Ferrata Rino Pisetta has very little fixed hardware other than the cable and its attachment-to-rock posts (because it was desiged to be very difficult). So assuming the Via Ferrata kit is used correctly, the chance of injury from a fall depends on the placement and the quality of the attachment posts.

The quality is similar to many Via Ferrata routes around NE Italy and Dolomites: that is, lacking modern design safety practices: (a) well-shaped rubber bumpers on top of the post; (b) slack cable length, so the low bight of the cable drops down below the post.

The point of the modern practices is to reduce the chance that a karabiner might break in high-speed impact with attachment post.

The positions of the attachment posts generally fairly close together (compared with many other routes in NE Italy and Dolomites). Too much closer and you’d spend more time re-clipping than climbing. Still if the climber actually falls, because this route is less-than-vertical it is not unlikely to hit something protruding such as a rock horn or a ledge, or a cable-to-rock attachment post - and so not unlikely to get injured perhaps seriously.

One way to avoid this hazard is to use a special Skylotec Skyrider which if properly used keeps the fall very short - (and the cable used in the non-easy sections of this Via Ferrata route is compatible with the Skyrider kit).

Another way to avoid this hazard is to get a normal “climber-following” belay by a rope from above - which means that some other climber must go up first, and carry a short rope and a couple slings and carabiners, and some sort of belay device - and know how to use that equipment in a Via Ferrata context. … professional mountain Guide services often are experienced in guiding via ferrata routes.