Cengia Paolina Colleselli with a circuit around Tofana di Mezzo and di Dentro

Premise

This route was traveled on July 19, 2021, and all subsequent observations and considerations fully apply only to that day.

In the following daily report, the term "guide" refers to the book "Guide to via ferratas and ledge routes of Cortina d’Ampezzo and surroundings" by Fabio Cammelli.

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From Rifugio Angelo Dibona to Forcella di Ra Ola via the Giuseppe Olivieri Equipped Trail and the Via dei Volontari

From the parking lot, take the path heading east indicated for Rifugio Capanna Pomedes, which rises on a steep slope, always well marked and recognizable.

From the refuge, cross a wide cirque slope up to the rock band where the equipment of the Giuseppe Olivieri Equipped Trail begins.

After a recess to cross a gully, you reach the first of two ladders, and with a final notch-gully (niche with a small Madonna shrine beside it) you crest on the "ski side" of the Tofane just above the Ra Valles station of the Freccia nel Cielo cable car.

Since you must continue on CAI path 407 from here, I did not reach the cable car station but cut directly down a ski slope.

After rejoining the CAI 407 path, turn left over a rocky ridge and find the Via dei Volontari plaque.

The restored Via dei Volontari path continues very clearly to the well-marked junction for the Alpini Bivouac and the summit of Tofana di Dentro.

Here go right and descend towards the base of the rock band and a path section with some delicate ledge-like passages: some steps are on unstable ground.

With a nice diagonal, reach the ruins of the war shelter dedicated to Sub-Lieutenants Giulio Franceschini and Pietro Domini.

Soon after is Forcella di Ra Ola, which introduces the homonymous valley and marks the start of the Cengia Paolina.

Next to Forcella di Ra Ola is a rounded peak with a helicopter landing pad.

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Traversing the Cengia Paolina from Forcella di Ra Ola to the snowfield shortly before joining the Masarè Path

From the pass, descend (where CAI signs for path 407 remain) through Valón de Ra Ola, staying on the right side, for about 60/70 meters of altitude loss, and find a track crossing the valley from right to left.

The track soon reaches a small pass from which, to the right, descends a nice path.

After losing about 35 meters of altitude, you have to leave the good path for a faint trace to the left (about a 90-degree turn) which continues on a middle-distance ledge.

Descending, I reached the "first little surprise" of the day: a snow-filled gully with the sound of water flowing underneath.

Descent of about twenty meters to pass over a flat rock slab and then scree uphill.

From here in a few minutes, the track leads to the entrance of the first of three large amphitheaters that characterize the Cengia Paolina.

The first half of the cirque is a slight climb on good track, but here too I found a well-inclined and treacherous snow tongue covering the track, forcing a sideways and downward detour of about a hundred linear meters in scree.

After the ascent ends, begin the exit towards the connection with the second amphitheater: orientation attention is needed despite signage.

The track is no longer so good and becomes exposed with unstable footing.

I followed it by sight and reached a dead end: then I read carefully the photocopies I had, backtracked a few meters (this diversion was erased from the GPS recording), and descended a ledge (5 meters according to the guide) with one or two easy grade I passages – in fact, you reach the ledge by walking through a comfortable corridor in the dwarf pines.

At the base of the ledge, I saw the first red-orange mark painted in a more visible position for those coming from the opposite direction: from here on, these red marks, along with white-red CAI-style bands, accompany the cairns.

After the ledge is an exposed diagonal descent to the left that leads onto a calmer stretch.

You reach a climb over solid rocks of almost grade I crossing a cluster of war barbed wire, then "war fixings" (better not to hang on them), and with a short twisting descent over rocks with some signs, pass below a shelter cave with remains of war huts.

Another exposed but not difficult traverse enters the second large amphitheater.

Unlike the first, here you perform one long hard diagonal climb of about 300 meters elevation.

The track is always present, more evident at the bottom and multiple (but with cairns and some red marks) at the top.

Here, because of early season conditions, I had to leave the "almost comfortable" path several times to avoid snow bridges.

You reach above a large detrital terrace (at the base of the Potofana scree) where the descent towards the connection to the third amphitheater begins.

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In this area, the direct descent path to Val Travenanzes crosses from the route (already mentioned in the "Summary" sheet) at the link → Cengia Kajetan Jelinek from Tofana di Mezzo to Val Travenànzes.

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Continuing on the Cengia Paolina, after the detrital terrace, descend a gully initially divided in two by a central rocky ridge.

Descend above the ridge (some paint marks) and enter a narrow gully-notch splitting the ridge: about twenty steep but not difficult meters of altitude loss where two obvious CAI-style marks are found at the base.

Then you must climb down a ledge low on the left, the logical continuation, losing a few tens of meters altitude on a truly twisted track.

Here I went very slowly to avoid crumbling drops, and always found some small cairns or paint marks (usually more visible in the opposite direction).

Soon you reach the entrance to the third amphitheater with, opposite, the spectacle of the north face of Nemesis: S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R!

You must take the central ledge of the great face, just higher than the amphitheater entrance altitude.

The guide advises staying as close as possible under the rock band to be aligned in altitude with the ledge entrance.

The track, indeed, is under the rock band, but enters the head of various snow tongues including the first of the two permanent snow cones indicated in the guide to be crossed with ice axe and crampons.

Today the heads of the various snow cones were frozen steeply at the base of the rock band, and I had to descend on the not difficult but tiring scree of the ledge for the various crossings.

I descended a few more meters to cross a simpler section of the cone requiring ice axe and crampons – this, as indicated in the guide, could be entirely bypassed below, but my legs refused and I preferred to wear crampons.

However, after passing this at any height, you really need to CLIMB BACK TO THE BASE OF THE ROCK BAND because the correct Nemesis ledge entrance is at least one hundred meters before the gully defining the start of the great north face.

You must refer to a large yellowish cavern on the face where there is also a nice CAI-style mark: I didn’t see it from below, but climbing in the ledge along the gully it presents alpine difficulties and it is logical to try it first – indeed… I reached below the gully and only there suspected the solution was further back (I erased this diversion from the GPS recording).

From this yellowish cavern, a trail with characteristics of a narrow ledge, somewhat unstable but well marked, leads accurately – continuing on flat ground with some recesses – above the large correct Nemesis ledge.

End of orientation problems.

Now always follow the ledge rim that bypasses a couple of ridges with a long path and finally leads for the last part inside the large valley towards Rifugio Giussani still well above the Masarè Path.

In the second part, there is a recess with an exposed passage and a couple of other very brief points requiring attention.

You thus reach the snow cone exit from the Cengia Paolina: I crossed it with ice axe and crampons on a slight diagonal descent to rejoin more shortly the CAI path, and then – finally with relaxing walking – up to Rifugio Giussani and down to Rifugio Dibona.

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Final note on altitude difference

The altitude difference indicated in the summary data for this excursion is 1,580 meters, but it is influenced by the particular snow conditions of the day that forced several detours.

The altitude difference in optimal conditions is certainly a bit lower, probably about 1,500 meters net total.