Traverse of the Cime di Valbona, Cresta dei Nani, and Cengia delle Tre Sorelle

This itinerary was followed on August 13, 2026, and all subsequent observations and considerations apply fully only to that day.

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Ascent to Forcella Bassa del Banco

From the parking lot at the entrance to the Somadida Nature Reserve, follow the well-marked CAI trails to Forcella Bassa del Banco.

The route begins on flat, narrow paths along CAI Trail 226, leading after a couple of kilometers to the crossing of the wide riverbed of the Rio de San Vido, at the point where CAI Trail 277 (the Osiride Brovedani Equipped Trail) begins on the opposite side.

This beautiful trail is “intermittently equipped” mostly with easy-to-use cables.

However, there are two short rocky sections that require the effort typical of a true via ferrata.

After climbing more than 700 meters from the start of CAI 277, you’ll reach the junction with CAI 243, a short distance from the Comici Bivouac.

The Comici Bivouac is on the right, but for this hike, turn left to quickly and easily reach the Forcella Bassa del Banco.

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From Forcella Bassa del Banco to Forcella della Busa

For this section, I referred to the description in the guidebook “Dolomiti Sorapíš and the Western Marmarole – 101% True Mountains” by Paolo Beltrame.

From Forcella Bassa del Banco, continue slightly uphill for about 70–80 linear meters until just before the trail begins a steep descent.

Here, you leave the CAI trails behind for good and begin climbing through grass and small rocks along wide passages among the mountain pines: today, right at the exit point, there was still a very old wooden arrow indicating the continuation of the Minazio Trail.

The first goal is to reach Forcella Alta del Banco at an elevation of 2,321.

Once past the few initial mountain pines, you’ll find yourself in open terrain among grasses and scattered rocks, climbing the slope fairly directly in a general southwesterly direction.

I saw a few small cairns, as noted in the guidebook, and reached the Forcella Alta del Banco without any trouble. On the other side, a small couloir drops steeply down, equipped with a cable for the first few meters: via this couloir, one could descend directly to the Minazio Trail.

For today’s itinerary, turn right uphill to enter a valley with a rockier base covered in gravel, where the main trail is more continuous than before and where a series of cairns alternate with a few faded red markers.

You’ll reach a rocky ledge where the narrow path, marked by cairns, makes a few tight and steep turns before crossing over a small secondary ridge to the left along a faint trail.

From this ridge, you enter a very wide basin with the high walls of the Torri della Busa directly ahead.

Just below the crossing point, after a secondary gully, there is a large cairn; after passing it, continue traversing the large basin to the left edge of the Torri della Busa walls.

The ridge bordering the Torri della Busa on the left is distinctly gray in color, and you must go around it to enter a gravelly gully that isn’t too steep at the start.

Once past the gully, you enter a slightly steeper slope with a more solid base, where you’ll find more cairns.

Now you must reach the rocky ledge directly ahead, which “supports” the Cime di Valbona.

Just before reaching the rocky ledge, the Forcella della Busa becomes very clearly visible on the right, along with the steep scree channel leading up to it.

Since you have to get below the rocky ledge anyway to climb the Cime di Valbona, I didn’t go all the way to Forcella della Busa to avoid the strenuous scree gully.

Instead, I continued (following other cairns) to the base of the rocky band and then cut across, following a well-defined trail, to reach the ridge just west of the saddle: this is where the final ascent to the Cime di Valbona begins.

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Final Ascent to the Cime di Valbona

For this section as well, I referred to the route description in the guidebook “Dolomiti Sorapíš and Western Marmarole – 101% True Mountains” by Paolo Beltrame.

From the short ridge connecting the Forcella della Busa to the rocky band, a distinct ledge begins, marked by a couple of cairns at the start and others visible further ahead.

Follow the ledge briefly until you reach a small gravelly basin, which you do not cross: from here, climb directly up the slope, which is no longer vertical.

Proceed by eye through various Grade I or, at most, Grade I+ sections—unless you want to waste time constantly searching for the easiest routes: the rock is generally solid, and you continue angling to the right.

After a while, I spotted a couple of cairns to the left and reached them to continue by eye along passages that were generally easier than at the start.

This leads to a “ridge” with a view of Ponta del Sorapis, and the going is so easy that I picked up the trekking poles I’d hung on my backpack.

You arrive below the lower Cima di Valbona Est, where a cairn marks the route to the other peak; however, with a short detour along an easy ridge, it’s definitely worth visiting this summit as well.

Back at the cairn mentioned above, I re-attached my trekking poles to my backpack and continued following the narrow trail below the ridge, which first descends to a tiny saddle and then climbs back up to the summit of the higher Cima di Valbona West.

Upon reaching the summit cairn, you find yourself facing—almost … within arm’s reach—the highest peak of the Cresta dei Nani, and you must decide whether to attempt to reach it to complete the connection with the Cengia delle Tre Sorelle.

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From Cima di Valbona Ovest to Forcella Valbona

For this section as well, I referred to the route description in the guidebook “Dolomiti Sorapíš e Marmarole Occidentali – 101% vera montagna” by Paolo Beltrame, which is the only one that describes it in this direction of travel: on such complicated slopes, it’s not easy to follow descriptions written for the opposite direction, especially since routes often change depending on the direction of travel.

Just before the summit cairn, on the Circo del Sorapis side, a gravel-strewn couloir descends with low, short steps rated I° and I°+.

With a few steep, minor zigzags, you’ll reach what the guidebook describes as a ledge: don’t expect a ledge with a clearly defined edge, but rather a traverse where you’ll always find footholds.

This traverse-ledge soon leads just above the small (very small) Forcella Valbona.

Upon arrival, you’ll clearly notice—thanks in part to a cairn—the ledge (this is a true ledge) that continues beyond the pass, starting just a little lower down.

As a final note, I can say that tackling this section in reverse isn’t difficult to figure out once you reach Forcella Valbona, but—though short—it should be quite strenuous due to the instability of the gully you’ll be climbing.

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From Forcella Valbona to the Cresta dei Nani

INTRODUCTION

This is the part that all authors “leave a bit vague,” indicating Grade I and II sections (all describe Grade I and II with varying degrees of rock stability, with Beltrame noting Grade I and II … if you take the right routes).

The face running beneath the Cresta dei Nani between Forcella Valbona and Forcella Sortsch is highly jagged, forming a labyrinthine system of micro-gullies, small ledges, terraces, and benches, with a single “connecting element”: the base ledge that is clearly visible from Forcella di Valbona and which should end below and just before Forcella Sortsch.

If you’re approaching in the opposite direction from today’s route, you’ll need to find—one way or another—this ledge, which isn’t clearly visible (or isn’t visible at all) from above the Cresta dei Nani.

The following three books propose three different ways to reach the ledge on the descent starting from the Cresta dei Nani:

• “Dolomiti Sorapíš and the Western Marmarole – 101% True Mountains” by Paolo Beltrame
• “The Book of Ledges—56 Horizontal Routes in the Dolomites” by Vittorino Mason
• “Guide to Via Ferrata Routes and Ledge Trails in CORTINA D’AMPEZZO AND SURROUNDINGS” by Fabio Cammelli

Beltrame suggests starting the descent directly from Forcella Sortsch; Mason suggests starting the descent roughly from the summit of the Cresta dei Nani; Cammelli suggests continuing a short distance beyond the summit of the Cresta dei Nani and then beginning the descent.

Therefore, it seems there are at least three possible ascent routes if starting from Forcella Valbona, encountering Cammelli’s route first, followed by Mason’s and Beltrame’s.

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With the above in mind, I set out along the ledge from Forcella Valbona and immediately came upon the prominent cairn at the bend around the initial edge.

Then you can see a good stretch of the ledge all the way to a ridge further away, and there are another couple of cairns close together—and that’s it (I imagine these other two cairns are placed for those coming from the opposite direction).

I continued along a relatively easy section, constantly checking the slope to the side for any climbing routes that would ensure I stayed within Grade II, and before reaching the more difficult sections of the ledge, I spotted a small gully that seemed more than manageable.

At this point, I was still below the vertical line of the summit of the Cresta dei Nani, and therefore likely in the area of the slope indicated by Cammelli.

I didn’t continue to check whether the areas indicated by Mason and Beltrame were better, because this one was already fine for me.

I climbed up the small gully for a stretch and then exited to the right onto a varied slope with “almost” consistently solid sections, consisting of nearly continuous Grade I and Grade I+ with isolated Grade II sections.

Finally, after a few more small detours to avoid loose rock, I reached the Cresta dei Nani, about forty meters as the crow flies from the highest point, which can now be reached without difficulty.

In conclusion: 1) the ascent is feasible with caution; 2) the descent is certainly more difficult and (if you’re not already familiar with it) should be attempted with confidence that the ledge will be found; 3) on the descent, a long abseil would solve all problems (again, provided you’re confident you’ll find the ledge).

Obviously, the GPS track is of no use for following the micro-routes on this slope below the Cresta dei Nani.

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Route along the Cengia delle Tre Sorelle starting from the Cresta dei Nani

I was already familiar with this route from the previously mentioned itinerary linked here → Cengia delle Tre Sorelle from San Vito di Cadore to the Cresta dei Nani.

In the second half of the day, the ledge goes into the shade, and the “vibrant colors” are lost in some of the characteristic sections; however, after the exertions of the long climb, it was actually more pleasant to be in the shade today. 👍🏻

From the summit of the Cresta dei Nani, you descend briefly to Forcella Sortsch and take the first, relatively easy section leading to the well-known crux that I described and photographed in greater detail in the itinerary mentioned above.

As you descend, you lower yourself down a step that’s completely exposed, next to the rope—which is frayed here and not very reassuring.

After 3 or 4 steps—extremely exposed but with full footing—you must choose whether to go around the outside or squeeze under the very low overhang, where you proceed in a “crawling position,” pushing your backpack forward.

I chose the second option again this time; in this direction, it’s a bit more tedious because you move forward with your head lower than your feet, and it can be bothersome since it lasts longer than just a minute or two.

Once again, I tied my backpack to a harness equipped with a sling to avoid the risk of losing it when I had to turn around (starting with my head down) in the narrow niche at the end of the “worm’s crawl.”

After putting the backpack back on with a couple of Grade I moves, you climb back up the reassuring continuation along the ledge.

Then you proceed without any particular problems, encountering only a gently sloping gully heavily littered with gravel and a short crack requiring another couple of Grade I moves.

Toward the end of the upper ledge section, you pass beneath the start of the standard route to the Tre Sorelle and then beneath a yellowish pyramid that appears vividly colored in the morning when well-lit by the sun. 🌞

For a possible ascent of the Prima Sorella (certainly not part of today’s plan), see the route described at the link → Prima Sorella (or Punta delle Tre Sorelle) from San Vito di Cadore.

From the yellowish pyramid, you begin to descend between one traverse and the next; the route is never difficult if you pay attention to the numerous cairns.

This leads to the crossing of the large gully descending from Forcella della Caccia Grande, preceded by a short traverse over rocky outcrops with a few Grade I sections.

Next, you ascend into the large basin of Fond de Ruseco, facing the massive rock face of the initial ascent to Ponta del Sorapis: if needed, see the route described at the link → Ponta del Sorapis (Sorapíš - Sorapiss) and Croda Marcora from Chiapuzza.

Once you reach the large cairn where the approach to this route begins, this section is effectively complete.

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Final descent to San Vito di Cadore

Now, with … km and elevation gain already under your belt, you can say that it’s all smooth sailing compared to before.

From the large cairn mentioned above, following other cairns, you’ll soon reach the CAI 246 trail, which you’ll follow all the way to Forcella Grande.

Then descend along the CAI 226 trail to the San Marco Mountain Hut for some much-needed fluids and… a few sweets❗🍰😋

Finally, down to San Vito di Cadore to the Brosolas Parking Lot, where I called a taxi to take me back to the starting point of the hike.