VGF

Hi All,

My wife and I did a five day hut-to-hut trip in the Dolomite Mountains a couple of weeks ago. It snowed a lot, but we had a good guide, and the huts, or "refuges", were quite nice inside, with good food in big common dining rooms and clean bedrooms and bathrooms. My site is not a commercial site, so I think this is OK with the guidelines... the photos from the trip are at the link below. The first couple of days were cloudy, but still visually interesting. We had sun the next two days, then it again snowed all night and day at the end.

http://fisherphotocraft.blogspot.com...-northern.html

Thanks!

VGF

I forgot to mention we started and finished in Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the nicest ski towns in Italy. They said they hadn't had much snow before Christmas, so business hadn't been so good that year. But it snowed all the time when we were there. The last morning, we finally saw the spectacular setting of the town - surrounded by towering, craggy orange peaks outlined in fresh white snow. Really impressive!

indyhiker

Wow; beautiful shots; thank you for sharing! I look forward to seeing the rest of your photos. I keep dreaming of the Dolomites for a summer/early fall hiking trip. Each time I read a trip report from that area, the trip moves higher on my wish list.

sandralist

Wonderful report. I was fascinated by the photos too. You are much braver than I am. If I guide told me that the first thing we were going to do is learn how to survive an avalanche, I would have handed back the snowshoes and enjoyed the views from inside a hotel!

For me, the Dolomiti are right at the top of the most beautiful things I have seen on this earth (and from the air too). Suprised more people who come to Italy don't make seeing them a greater priority.

VGF

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Seeing them from the air must be amazing. I always look out the window of the plane when I get the chance to see mountains from the air! I flew over the Himalayas to Ladakh from Delhi. That was amazing. Are you a pilot, or did you mean like me, from a regular flight?

sandralist

I meant from a regular flight, as a passenger. The best views I have had of the Dolomiti have been flying from Bologna to Vienna, but also nice views flying from Genoa to Munich. Even flying from New York to Milan or vice versa, if the weather is clear you can see some of the Dolomiti. I would also think many flights in and out of Venice have great views.

elbegewa

It looks like a great trip. I envy your trip.

The terrain doesn't look too steep ... did you consider XC skis instead of snowshoes (can travel further easier that way)?

And the ONLY way to get into the mountains on foot outside of resorts is to first have good avalanche training. Your guide was right on in doing that first.

Barbara_in_FL

What spectacular photos. The Dolomites are very high on my wish list. Thanks for the report.

mnag

Dolomites are stunning. You are brave indeed. We visited in the summer months. Agree, for me they are at the top of the list of most spectacular scenery.

Adelaidean

What a fascinating experience. Such beautiful photos.
It's surreal to us, having seen 'snow' in Europe once, the leftovers on Zugspitze in summer, but so exciting for our boys, hurling snowballs at each other while other tourists regretted a lack of view, we were thrilled the cooler summer meant some residual snow to experience.
We will visit the Dolomites in July, but I crave green as south Australia is so dry, so a summer visit is perfect for us.
Congratulations to the photographer, and thanks for sharing this.

VGF

Thanks for the kind words!

About the question on cross-country skiing. Since I'm always carrying a big camera and a couple of extra lenses, and stopping every 10 minutes to take photos, I don't mind the slower pace of the snowshoes. Also, my wife doesn't ski yet. She'd be OK with the flat parts, but not with the downhill parts! So, it's a compromise that gets us both out on a great trip, even if we cover a lot less ground.

Oh yeah, another thing about it. We did hear from guests in one lodge who were cross-country skiing (what they call ski touring in Europe, because they think of cross-country as racing). Because there hadn't been as much snow as normal this year, they kept sliding over rocks just under the surface of the snow and tearing their ski "skins"... so they were sewing up the skins with needle and thread some nights.