Prima Sorella (or Punta delle Tre Sorelle) from San Vito di Cadore

Premise

This route was traveled on July 19, 2022, and all subsequent observations and considerations fully apply only to that day.

I absolutely recommend reading the guide “Dolomiti Sorapíš e Marmarole Occidentali – 101% vera montagna” by Paolo Beltrame: the report on the ascent to the Prima Sorella is unmatched and removes any doubt for anyone.

↓

Approach to the final ascent channel for the Prima Sorella

From Rifugio San Marco follow the CAI 226 signs towards Forcella Grande.

From the sign “FORCELLA GRANDE MT 2255” continue contouring to the left (along CAI 246) the basin that closes the upper Val di San Vito, passing a second sign “FON DE RU SECCO MT 2445” with a clearly incorrect elevation (it is a few tens of meters higher than the previous one).

Now advance starting to climb over easy small steps on a path always well traced until the large plateau of Fond de Rusecco or Ruseco (at an altitude slightly above 2,500 meters) where the trail continuing towards Bivacco Slataper is abandoned.

On the right towards the arrival direction there is a fairly evident path trace marked with cairns from the first meters, and it is the one heading towards the base scree of the normal route to Ponta del Sorapíš.

Continue on this path until a few meters from the beginning of the scree where, to the right, there are low rock bastions.

There is a large cairn somewhat outward to the right between the first and second low bastion: here the normal route to Ponta del Sorapíš is abandoned and you slip between the two bastions, also finding some old and faded paint marks of the Sentiero Carlo Minazio.

Shortly, following the ground path and cairns, you arrive at the end of the bastions and notice – at a slightly lower altitude to the left – an obvious scree bench with a ledge trace.

(Up to this point you arrive anyway even not exactly guessing the trace of the old Sentiero Carlo Minazio: just turn right among the low previous rock bastions, even after the second one.)

Abandon the continuation of Sentiero Carlo Minazio and enter the bench following the not difficult ledge path.

This initial ledge-bench ends inside the large gully that descends from Forcella della Caccia Grande, and to cross it you first descend a few meters on steep “green steps”.

Then climb up from the other side always on a ledge-like trace, and you immediately arrive (carefully following a couple of cairns) to bypass a rock hump-protrusion with an exposed passage of good grade I horizontal: there are enough footholds and handholds but you have to hold on a bit and be careful – if it seems more than grade I with some jumps, the line is wrong.

Enter a green section where you climb up, and then the cairns guide you on a nice almost flat traverse.

At the end of the traverse there is a diagonal climb approaching the rock band without reaching it, then the cairns lead to a longer diagonal traverse with a slight upward tendency.

You come into view of an incredible yellow pyramid-shaped tower with a large cave at the base on the right, and here you climb directly up the steep slope to reach it.

On an easy ledge-like trail pass under the large tower and its cave, and finally enter the amphitheater of the Tre Sorelle (on the opposite side facing you is the VERY OBVIOUS continuation of the Cengia delle Tre Sorelle; see link to the itinerary → Cengia delle Tre Sorelle from San Vito di Cadore to Cresta dei Nani).

In the amphitheater there are three channels ascending towards the left in the direction of the arrival.

The first encountered is narrow and it is immediately clear that, due to the jumps present from the bottom, it is not hiking.

The second is the right one and is marked by a large cairn at the base.

It is very wide overall, I would define it more a highly articulated valley.

The first meters of the main drainage are probably of good grade III and are bypassed starting to follow the cairns on the left side in the climbing direction.

↓

Final climb to the Prima Sorella

The bypass of the initial grade III jump is on steps where hands are used without probably reaching full grade I.

Then from the left climbing direction you move to the right relative to the initial main drainage and there is not much to say for a long stretch – it seems “almost” all the same on the wide slope, and you have to follow the cairns if you want to completely avoid climbing steps: just watch out for some occasional slippery steps due to scree-pebble deposits.

At some point you cross leftwards a secondary scree gully, and you get back towards the main one with in view above a clear small ridge saddle.

To continue towards the summit of Prima Sorella you do not need to reach the ridge saddle: I reached it to have a look on the other side, but nothing more can be seen compared to what will be possible to admire further on.

The ascent route for the Prima Sorella continues by entering a ledge to the left (always marked by cairns) about 20 meters below the ridge saddle.

The ledge is quite easy with a “near cat step” in the first part if you want to avoid a non-trivial external passage.

You arrive at a bypass point of a ridge where the ledge trace turns 90° to go inside a deep gully.

There is a good cairn at the bypass point, and this means … that you have to climb the ridge directly with some solid grade I steps: you immediately find other cairns.

Then you bend left with some exposed solid steps to go and cross the narrow gully (avoided lower) at its top and a mini-saddle.

After the top crossing you descend a few meters and start climbing again on the steep diagonal arriving on a small flat rock terrace at a wider saddle: from here a first view from above (very ... high) on Lago del Sorapíš on the north side.

From the terrace you move a few meters left under rock jumps that reach grade I+ for a few steps, and you have to climb: solid holds and grips can be found (not all are solid but they can be found) and can be clearly seen also during descent.

After this you climb a short notch-gully with scree-soil base until you find the ridge again one last time, and then in 3 minutes you reach the summit of the Prima Sorella always well assisted by cairns.