Passo Campolongo - Boeseekofel / Piz da Lech (Via Ferrata)

Access to the starting point:
Drive through the Karavanke Tunnel into Austria, then continue to Spittal and on to Lienz (the motorway ends a little after Spittal). We continue along a relatively nice and wide road through the Drava Valley, which leads us into Itali. The road continues past Dobbiaco/Toblach and Brunico/Bruneck. Just after the last-mentioned town, which is passed by a bypass road, we turn left into the Val Badia valley. Continue along the valley past La Vila and Corvara. Then climb up to the Passo Campolongo. A few hundred metres before the pass, you will see a gravel parking area on your left. The parking lot is located behind the Hotel Laguscei, opposite the bus stop. The lower station of the chairlift is also along the road. There is also a smaller parking lot on the right hand side of the road in front of the bus station.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue along the main road (south) to the Hotel Boe, which is on the right west side of the road. At the hotel, where there are also signs, turn right onto the dirt road after the signs "Rifugio Lago Boe". After the hotel, the road turns right and descends a little, then starts to climb and crosses the ski slope. The road then climbs briefly through the woods and then leads to mountain pasture Malga Plan Fisti
Continue on the road via mountain pasture and just after mountain pasture you will come to a marked crossroads where a footpath branches off to the left towards the Kaiser Hütte hut. We continue to the right and continue to climb up the road. After a short climb, the 638A trail then branches off to the right towards the summit of Crep de Munt. We continue left along the road, which offers beautiful views towards the Marmolada and the mountains above the Val Badia valley. The road climbs a little steeper here and leads us back to the ski slopes. A little higher up, the road turns to the right and continues to climb along the mostly grassy slopes. The road then becomes flatter and soon leads to the Rifugio Lago Boe hut. The hut is also reached by a circular cable car from Corvara in Val Badia. Near the hut, there is also the lower station of the chairlift leading to the Vallon peak (2530m). Both lifts are also in operation during the summer months.

Near the hut where there is a crossroads, continue left along the ski slope to the signs for Lech de Boe lake and Ütia Franz Kostner hut. The trail follows the right edge of the ski slope and after a short climb leads to the aforementioned lake, which is located to the right of the ski slope under a rocky ridge.

From the lake, continue along route 638, which turns left and crosses the ski resort. The trail then runs slightly to the left of the ski slope on partly grassy terrain. The path soon leads to a marked crossroads where path 636 branches off to the left towards the Kaiser Hütte (Rifugio Bec de Roces). We continue on the path as it climbs the slope parallel to the ski slope and soon path 646A branches off to the right towards the summit of Boeseekofel (Piz da Lech). We continue along the path to the left of the ski slope and slowly beautiful views begin to open up towards hut Ütia Franz Kostner and the precipitous cliffs of the nearby peaks in the Sella mountain group. The slope becomes a little more gentle and the path leads to a marked crossroads.
At the crossroads, leave the path towards hut Ütia Franz Kostner and turn right towards the top station of the Valon cable car. From the crossroads, climb gently up the view slope and quickly reach the upper station of the cable car where there are also signposts.

Continue left after the "Piz da Lech" signs and after a short descent you are back at the crossroads. At the crossroads, turn left towards the protected path, where you will be directed by the signs "Via Ferrata". To the right is an easier path to Piz da Lech, and a little further left is the circular path Roda de Valun, from which you can also continue on to Piz Boe
From the crossroads, our route climbs up to the left and leads us under the precipitous cliffs of the summit of Piz da Lech. There is a short crossing which leads to a ravine where the protected path begins. The old markings in the ravine should not mislead us, as the entrance to the protected path is located slightly to the left of the ravine.

Before entering the climbing part of the route, be sure to equip yourself with a self-protection kit and a helmet. At the very beginning, the protected route ascends almost vertically along a rope (difficulty C) and then turns slightly to the left and ascends along a narrow couloir. The path then turns to the right and crosses the wall to the right, climbing steeply along the steel cable a few times (difficulty C). Higher up, the steepness eases for a short time and the path leads along a short, less steep side ridge. When you get below the vertical walls again, the path turns to the left and leads to a longer ladder.

We climb up two ladders, which make it easier to climb over the otherwise almost vertical and smooth wall. Above the ladder, there is a short, difficult climb with a few scrambles to help (difficulty C/D), after which the difficulty eases slightly. A few more climbs along the steel (difficulty up to B) lead to a small bridge crossing a narrow gully. From the bridge, we climb along the steel for a short time on a slightly less steep slope, and then the protected path ends.

The trail continues along the top slope of the mountain, which is marked with red dots and a number of cairns. The path then turns slightly to the left and a wonderful view opens up to the north-west of the precipitous peaks in the vicinity. The path then turns to the right and soon leads us along a ridge to a viewpoint on which stands a cross.
From the summit, descend on an easier path to the east side. The path down is also difficult in a short part, but it is very well protected with a rope and many staples.

On the way: Malga Plan Fisti (1930m), Rifugio Lago Boe (2185m), Lago Boe (2252m), Vallon (2533m)

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