Ossario del Pordoi - Piz Boe (Lichtenfels)

Access to starting point:
Access from Gorenjska: Via the border crossings at Rateče or Predel to Trbiž / Tarvisio and then on the highway in the direction of Vidma / Udine to the Tolmezzo exit. From Tolmezzo we follow the road in the direction of the village Ampezzo and mountain pass Passo della Mauria. The road then descends and brings us to a junction, where we continue left (also right is possible) in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo. At all following junctions we follow the signs for Cortina d'Ampezzo.

In Cortina d'Ampezzo we then follow the signs for the alpine pass Passo di Falzarego. We follow this ascending road to the mentioned pass. At the pass we arrive at a junction, where we continue on the left road in the direction of Marmolada and the settlement Arabba (right Alta Badia). The road further descends for quite some time, then brings us to a junction, where we continue right in the direction of the pass Passo Pordoi (left Marmolada). We follow the relatively wide and ascending road all the way to the mentioned pass. At the pass we then turn right onto a narrow asphalted road towards the ossuary of German soldiers (Cimitero Militare Germanico). We park at the parking lot at the end of the mentioned road.

From the Primorska side: We drive on the highway towards Venice / Venezia. At Portogruaro we leave the highway towards Venice and continue right on the highway towards Pordenone. At the next highway junction near Conegliano we continue right towards Belluno. Near Belluno the highway ends, and at the next junctions we continue in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Further we follow the above description.

Path description:
From the parking lot we continue on a well-maintained path towards the ossuary where 8582 German soldiers who fell in the First World War and 849 soldiers who fell in the Second World War are buried. At the ossuary we then continue left where the signposts for the via ferrata path Via Ferrata Cesare Piazzetta direct us. The path then leads us across a panoramic grassy slope and soon begins to ascend somewhat more steeply. For a short time the path then crosses a steeper slope to the right, then resumes ascending the slope upwards. The path, which is mostly marked with red arrows, then ascends until we approach the mighty wall where we join path 626.

Here we continue right and after a short traverse the path brings us to a sign that marks the start of the extremely demanding path Via Ferrata Cesare Piazzetta. We continue on the easy path that traverses the slopes below vertical walls towards the east. The path then traverses such a slope for quite some time and in doing so rises and falls slightly a few times. From the path a view soon opens towards the hut Ütia Franz Kostner and after a short descent we reach a marked junction.

To the left upwards branches path 638, which via the gully Rissa di Pigolerz leads towards the summit Piz Boe. At the junction we continue on path 626, which further traverses slopes below sheer walls. Along the path we will also notice some ruins from the First World War, and the path also leads past a small lake. The path then turns slightly left and after a short descent brings us to another junction.

To the right it is only a few minutes' walk to the hut Ütia Franz Kostner. If we also visit the hut, we return to the junction and continue left on the Lichtenfels path (path 672). From the junction the path begins to ascend the scree and runs up the right side of the valley. At the end of the valley the path turns right into the rocks and becomes more demanding. The path, which is well secured with a cable here, runs across a steep rocky slope and ascends somewhat more steeply a few times. More experienced mountaineers will manage the ascent without self-securing. The relatively short secured section then ends and the path becomes less demanding.

Further the path then turns left and for some time mostly in a gentle ascent traverses steep slopes on the eastern side of the peak Pizes dl Valun. After the traverse the path brings us to less steep slopes where we reach a marked junction.

At the junction we continue right on path 672 (Lichtenfels), straight ahead the path leads which later joins path 638. Our path then ascends somewhat to the left of the wide and relatively gentle valley and runs westwards. When we reach the southwest side of the peak Pizes dl Valun the path turns even more to the left and brings us to a wide ridge from which a fine view opens towards the summit Piz Boe. We continue westwards and soon arrive below the slope of the peak Piz Lech Dlace. Here the path moves to the right side of the ridge and after a short ascent on scree the secured path Via Ferrata Vallon joins from the right.

At the junction the path turns left and ascends a steeper rocky slope. On a short section some cables assist us. On the ridge we then continue right and soon reach the summit Piz Lech Dlace on which a larger cairn stands.

From the summit we continue along the ridge and after a short descent reach a saddle where there is a junction. From the right another path from the secured path Via Ferrata Vallon joins here. Likewise to the right a traverse path branches to the hut Rifugio Boe, from the left an unmarked trail past lake Eissee joins.

We continue straight and begin ascending the rocky slope again. Slightly higher the path slowly turns left and brings us to the ridge from where a view opens to the west. We continue along the ridge southwards and then traverse steeper slopes along the ridge. On a short section a cable assists. When we reach the ridge again we attain the somewhat less known summit Cresta Strenta, which at 3124 m is the second highest summit in the Sella group.

We continue southwards and further the path runs along the gentler western side of the ridge. Soon the path from hut Rifugio Boe joins from the right and to the summit only a short easy ascent remains.

On the way: Ütia Franz Kostner (2500m), Piz Lech Dlace (3009m), Cresta Strenta (3124m), Forces dai Ciamorces (3110m)