Rifugio Valparola - Col di Lana (path 21)

Access to starting point:
Access from Gorenjska: Through 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 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, then we continue right towards the pass Passo Valparola. On the pass we park on one of the parking lots near the hut Rifugio Valparola.
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 we continue at the following junctions in the direction of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Further we follow the above description.

Path description:
From the hut Rifugio Valparola we continue towards the southwest following the signs »Settsass, Col di Lana«. The path then crosses grassy slopes on the right side of the lake Lago di Valparola and brings us to a junction. We continue left on path no. 23, right leads path no. 24 towards the summit Setsas.
From the junction the path slightly descends on a grassy slope and then brings us to somewhat steeper slopes on the south side of the ridge of peaks Setsas and Le Pale de Gerda. On a shorter section fixed safety gear also assists us. The path then begins to ascend slightly and crosses slopes towards the west. From the path we have a nice view all the time on the precipitous south walls of the peak Setsas, and the ridge of peaks Monte Sief and Col di Lana is also nicely visible. The path then soon brings us to another junction, where an unmarked path branches off to the right upwards, leading below the precipitous walls towards the summit Pico Setsas.
We continue slightly left on the lower path and further mostly in a gentle ascent cross the slopes towards the west. Such a path then brings us to grassy slopes below the summit Picco Setsas from which a wonderful view opens towards the mountain group Sella. Here we continue left and on the path that runs along the fence descend to the saddle Passo Sief.
At the saddle where there is a junction we continue straight along the ridge towards the summit Monte Sief. Here along the path we will notice numerous military tunnels and trenches that are nicely renovated. We then follow the panoramic path along the military trenches all the way to the summit Monte Sief from which even nicer views open also towards the south.
From the summit we continue along the ridge towards the east and descend into the crater that formed during the First World War when the Austrian side mined the ridge with 45,005 kg of explosives. From the crater we then with the aid of cables and a few pegs ascend back onto the ridge. Further a nicely arranged path runs mostly along the south side of the ridge and several times fixed safety gear assists us. From the path we otherwise have a nice view all the time on the mountains south of us, and along the path we will notice numerous remains from the time of the First World War. Later a somewhat steeper ascent follows via steps, then soon we will see ahead of us a chapel located below the summit. From here to the panoramic summit it is only a few meters of ascent.
We descend by the ascent path or descend by path 21B towards the northeast and then by path Teriol Ladin return to the saddle Passo Sief and from there back to the starting point at the Valparola pass.

On the way: Lago di Valparola (2140m), Passo Sief (2209m), Monte Sief (2424m)