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

Access to starting point:
Through the Karawanks Tunnel, we drive to Austria, and then we continue driving towards Spittal and forward towards Lienz (a little after Spittal highway ends). Further, we drive on a relatively nice and wide road through Drau valley, which brings us in Italy. The road further leads past Dobbiaco / Toblach and Brunico / Bruneck. Only a little after the last-mentioned town, past which leads a bypass road, we turn left into a valley Val Badia. Further, we drive through the mentioned valley past settlements La Vila and Corvara. Next follows an ascent towards the mountain pass Passo Campolongo. Some hundred meters before the mountain pass, we will notice on the left side a macadam parking lot on which we park. The parking lot is located after the hotel Laguscei on the opposite side of the bus stop. By the road is also a bottom station of the chairlift. A smaller parking lot is also on the right side of the road before the bus stop.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue by the main road (towards the south) to hotel Boe, which is located on the right west side of the road. At the hotel where there are also signposts we go right on a macadam road following the signs »Rifugio Lago Boe«. Behind the hotel, the road turns to the right and slightly descends, and then starts ascending and crosses the ski slope. Further, the road is for a short time ascending through the forest and then it brings us on the mountain pasture Malga Plan Fisti.
We continue on the road over a mountain pasture and a little after the mountain pasture we come to a marked crossing where the footpath towards the mountain hut Kaiser Hütte branches off to the left. We continue right and continue to ascend on the road. After a short ascent then also the path 638A towards the summit Crep de Munt branches off to the right. We continue left on the road from which beautiful views are opening up towards Marmolada and on mountains above the valley Val Badia. The road here ascends a little steeper and again brings us to a ski slope. A little higher road turns to the right and continues to ascend by mostly grassy slopes. The road then becomes less steep and soon brings us to the hut Rifugio Lago Boe. To the hut also runs a cable car from the settlement Corvara in Val Badia. Near the mountain hut is also a bottom station of a chairlift, which runs towards the summit Vallon (2530m). Both cableways operate also in the summer months.
Near the mountain hut where there is a crossing, we continue left on a ski slope where signs point us to the lake Lech de Boe and mountain hut Ütia Franz Kostner. The path runs on the right edge of the ski slope and after a short ascent, it brings us to the mentioned lake, which is located right from the ski slope below the rocky ridge.
From the lake, we still continue on the path 638, which turns to the left and crosses a ski slope. Further, the path then runs a little left from a ski slope on partly grassy terrain. The path soon brings us to a marked crossing where the path 636 towards the mountain hut Kaiser Hütte (Rifugio Bec de Roces) branches off to the left. We still continue on the path which is ascending on a slope parallel with a ski slope and soon the path 646A towards the summit Boeseekofel (Piz that Lech) branches off to the right. We still continue on the path which runs left from the ski slope and slowly nice views are opening up towards the mountain hut Ütia Franz Kostner and on the precipitous walls of the nearby peaks in the mountain group Sella. Further, the slope becomes a little less steep and the path brings us to a marked crossing.
At the crossing, we leave the path towards the mountain hut Ütia Franz Kostner and go right towards the upper station of the cableway Valon. From the crossing, we are slightly ascending on a panoramic slope and we quickly reach the upper station of the cableway where there are also signposts.
We continue left following the signs »Piz da Lech« and after a short descent, we are again at the crossing. At the crossing, we go left towards the secured path where the signs »Via Ferrata« point us to. Right leads an easier path on Piz da Lech, and a little more left a circular path Roda de Valun from which we can continue also further on Piz Boe.
Our path from the crossing ascends left upwards and brings us below precipitous walls of the peak Piz da Lech. Next follows a shorter crossing, which brings us to a gully where the secured path begins. Let's not be deceived by old blazes, which are in the gully, because entrance into a secured path is located a little left from the gully.
In front of the entry into a climbing part of the path, we must equip ourselves with a self-belay set and a helmet. In the very beginning, the secured path almost vertically ascends by the steel cable (difficulty C) and then turns slightly to the left and ascend by a narrow groove. The path further turns to the right and crosses the wall to the right, and few times also steeply ascends by the steel cable (difficulty to C). Higher, the steepness for a short time decreases and the path leads us on a shorter less steep side ridge. When we come again below a vertical wall path turns to the left and it brings us to a longer ladder.
We ascend over two ladders, which make the ascent easier through otherwise almost vertical and smooth walls. Above the ladder follows a short demanding ascent where we get some help from stemples (difficulty C/D), and then difficulty decreases a little. Few more times we ascend by the steel cable (difficulty to B) and the path brings us to a smaller bridge, which crosses narrow gully. From the bridge, we are for a short time still ascending by the steel cable on a little less steep slope after that the secured path ends.
Further, the path leads us on the upper slope of the mountain, which is marked with red dots and numerous cairns. After that, the path turns slightly to the left and a breathtaking view opens up towards the northwest on precipitous peaks nearby. The path then turns right and by the ridge soon brings us to the panoramic summit on which stands a cross.
From the top, we descend on an easier path on the eastern side. The path on which we descend is on the shorter part also demanding, but is very well secured with a steel cable and numerous stemples.

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