Lauren Taylor
t’s not dangerous – as long as you don’t make any errors,” says climbing instructor Roman Valentini, as he slips a rope into a figure of eight and loops it through my harness. I’m staring up at a waterfall, now a solid wall of ice, with crampons attached to my boots and an axe in each hand.
We’re deep in the Dolomites, South Tyrol, in northern Italy, an area so beautiful it’s been declared a Unesco World Heritage site. The landscape is famous for its rounded, boulderlike mountaintops, jagged spires and plateaus, creating views you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
In winter, it’s a stunning ski destination with an incredible 1,200km of slopes and in summer, the sheer mountain faces attract keen climbers.
Waterfalls that flow freely in the warmer months become frozen blocks of ice by December, right through to spring – and some are solid enough to climb up, if you’re brave enough.
The sport of ice climbing is more accessible for beginners than it might look. The area around Colfosco, close to Hotel Sassongher in Corvara where I’m staying, is recommended only to those with a lot of experience, but Capanna Alpina – a short drive and a 30-minute snowy hike away – is ideal for first-timers.
Along with admiring a view of the valley and the imposing 3,000 metre peaks of the Contourines mountains, skiers stop mid-slope to take a curious look at the rope Roman has screwed into the ice above us as he effortlessly scaled the wall.
Then again, he’s been climbing since the age of 11 and ice climbing from 15, and he once ice climbed 300 metres high, so we’re in safe hands.
For anyone who’s rock-climbed before, Roman says, difficulty-wise, the two are comparable, and the power you need to haul yourself up is the same – but ice poses an additional challenge. “On rock, it’s easier, because you have more options, but on ice you have to make the right decision,” he says. No pressure then.
The ice needs to be frozen all the way through, and therefore usually always in shade, so hearing some water trickling through isn’t helping my pre-climb nerves. “You look scared,” Roman smiles, as he whacks an axe into the wall so it sticks. “Now