Croda della Calva (Kalfanwand) from the Martello Valley (Martelltal)

This route was walked on January 31, 2026, and all subsequent observations and considerations can apply in full only to that day.

In the following report by the term "guidebook" I refer to Ulrich Kössler's "Ski Mountaineering Central South Tyrol."

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Ascent to Croda della Calva (Kalfanwand) from the parking lot at the end of the valley in Val Martello

From the parking lot turn back a short distance on asphalt to the entrance of the groomed snow road of CAI trails 20 and 39.

Shortly after a bridge you leave the road, which continues to Malga Livi, and turn onto CAI trail 39 to Malga Peder.

Here today I put on my snowshoes and continued on already made ground track ending at Malga Peder.

At this point the guidebook writes, "We continue the ascent diagonally to the right in a wide open field, go around a knoll to the right, and ascend the wide valley proceeding straight ahead in a northerly direction ..."

I started traversing to the right on soft snow that was not too deep, but already after a few tens of meters of elevation gain the thickness of the snowpack had completely changed.

After a real sinking I simply started to go to points where I could sense there was less snow, avoiding, of course, the outcropping rocks of the very jagged bottom.

It is clear that with transformed snow it would be a piece of cake.

Then, as recommended in the guidebook, I started to lean obliquely to the left to take me to the ridge that climbs more or less straight up to the summit.

I think I did this earlier than one would guess from the published aerial photo with line of travel.

The lower part of this ridge is very wide and furrowed by several mini gullies-valleys where I always found fairly comfortable passages.

I thus arrived at the base of a wider and more regular little valley that lies just to the right uphill direction of a rounder section of the main ridge.

I continued up the small valley with plenty of snow because at first the uphill side above the back of the ridge seemed too steep for snowshoes (at least the way the snow was distributed today).

When I saw that it was safely possible I climbed back up over the back of the ridge where, as is almost always the case, the wind had blown away some of the snow allowing me to advance with less effort.

For the last part of the ascent the rounded ridge gives way to a sharp ridge that plunges into Val Peder, leaving a shallowly sloping band on the other side to the right-east compatible with snowshoes if with settled snow as should always be basic for these outings.

Arrival at the summit was almost relaxing because of the fair amount of snow left after the post-snowfall wind work, and I was accompanied by chamois tracks to the big final cairn.

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Descent from Croda della Calva (Kalfanwand).

On the descent, with a clearer view, I made a couple of different choices than on the ascent.

I stayed longer on the rounded ridge on which I had not climbed immediately on the way up, and indeed it all ensured a smoother ride today.

Then, on a plateau just above 2400 meters elevation, I crossed a multitude of tracks of ski mountaineers who had started the ascent after me and were continuing on with different objectives from Croda della Calva.

I followed these tracks returning to Malga Peder from a different direction than on the way up.