Sass Bece West Ridge

Approach:

From Passo Pordoi, follow a hiking trail towards Rifugio Fredarola below the east face of Sass Bece, passing a chapel, until you reach a small notch south of Sass Bece (point 2360 on the AV and Tabacco maps). About 30 minutes to here.

From here, follow path traces north to the base of the south face, and along it to the rather indistinct west ridge (see picture), where the path descends slightly and leads around the lowest spur of the west ridge. You come to a scree gully. The start is a few meters above this and reached by a short step. At the start there is an hourglass with an hourglass sling, which is not easily visible from below. About 10 minutes from the notch to the start.

Route:

1. Pitch (up to 4-, approx. 30 m)
   From the start at the hourglass sling, initially ascend slightly diagonally right, partly along a ledge, to a small-hold slabby ramp (4-) with another hourglass as intermediate protection. Continue upwards to a belay with 2 bolts.
2. Pitch (up to 3-, 27 m)
   From the belay, follow ledges to a rock head used as a belay if climbing the route in 5 pitches as described in the Bernardi guidebook. You are now just left of the ridge edge. To another hourglass, then over a step, finally trending slightly left, to a belay with 2 bolts.
3. Pitch (up to 4-, 30 m)
   From the belay, again trending slightly left, go over a small-hold ramp to a ledge that you follow right up to just before the ridge edge. Here, in a kind of corner (1 bolt, 4-), climb steeply upwards to a scree ledge. At its rear end, at the start of a new ramp, is the next belay with 2 bolts. The crux with the black slab is already clearly visible from here.
4. Pitch (4, 35 m, crux)
   From the belay, climb steeply diagonally left to the start of the black slab. This ascends diagonally right along several bolts and pitons. The artificial holds described on bergsteigen.com no longer exist (status September 2023), but drill holes and glue remnants are still visible. The slab transitions into a steep corner above, which is followed (protection with pitons, placement of friends possible) to a belay with 2 bolts.
5. Pitch (up to 4-, 35 m)
   Very easy over ledges and terraces back to the ridge edge and just left of it, a short ramp upwards (4-) to a belay at a scree ledge.
6. Pitch (2, 35 m)
   Near the ridge edge, ascend easily over ledges to the belay on a rock head, from which the via ferrata is already visible.

Descent via abseil route:
From the belay area, a few meters north to the right (SE) where a gully leads down. Here you can abseil on a ring down a visible steel cable (also possible to downclimb). This leads to the abseil route. Since we descended via the via ferrata, we have no further details for this variant.

Descent via the via ferrata:
From the belay, past the abseil ring a few meters down to a visible metal ladder and along steel cables to the summit of Sass Bece. From here along the summit ridge heading NNW, crossing several points. The gorges between these are crossed by 3 rope bridges.
Difficulty of the via ferrata: approx. B, although the rope bridges are quite exposed.
After the last summit (marked by a pole), the descent continues NNW along the ridge, partially secured by steel cables and marked by cairns. After a distinct notch, over a wooden ladder and upwards again slightly on the NE side before reaching the end of the via ferrata, where a good trail with switchbacks leads down to Passo Pordoi.