 The Dolomites Alta Via 1 The Dolomites Alta Via 1 is quite simply, sublime. Beginning alongside a turquoise lake beneath towering Dolomite peaks, the trail heads south through some of the Dolomites most majestic terrain. 1000 meter tall walls, towers, crystal clear lakes, lush, wildflower covered green meadows and of course an unrivaled hut system offering Italian cuisine, comfortable beds and friendly atmosphere. Backpacker Magazine wisely called the Alta Via 1 one of the world’s finest treks, and not to be missed for trekkers. But, it is not just for hikers. As the fast & light style begins to grow, many are discovering the potential for doing European trails with 6-8kg packs on their backs, and living it up along the way. For trail running, the potential grows even more as long distances may be covered quickly with little weight to slow one down. The Alta Via 1 is about 145 km in length and the time to do it is typically between 5-12 days. As a sidenote, the record for the Alta Via 1 is by American Topher Gaylord in an astounding 19 hours 44 minutes, an account of which will be coming to DolomiteSport in the coming week. We just returned from the Alta Via 1 after spending 5 days running it from north to south. Appropriately, while we were away, the Dolomites became added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites, confirming the region’s beauty and importance in maintaining its culture and natural state. The running tour we did is hosted by our partners at Holimites.com. The same trip will repeat in mid July and September, check in to their site for more info. Photos tell the story best, please visit our Alta Via One Gallery to see the whole journey. |
The Dolomites Alta Via One
The Dolomites Alta Via 1: Follow us as we run it, live
We will be running/fast packing Italy’s most famous trail, the Dolomites Alta Via 1, 21-25 June. Together with 3 friends, we’ll set out from Lago di Braies with hydration packs weighing 12lbs for 5 days.Utilizing the hut system, we can travel without weight as food, beds and drink are all available each night. We just have to get there. Follow us via Twitter as we travel amongst the Dolomites most famous peaks, spectacular terrain and WWI historical sites. The DolomiteSport Twitter feed is: http://twitter.com/dolomitesport. Or, all the posts from the trip will be in one spot at #dav1 This run is the first of the offered Trail Running Tours through Holimites. If you are interested in taking part in the next tour this summer, visit the Holimites site for dates and availabilty. All of the fun that you will see here on the DolomiteSport site, …could still be you later this summer, or again next year.  Hiking the Dolomites Alta Via 1 Photos and stories when we are back. |
DolomiteSport profiled by Backpacker Magazine
Exciting news for DolomiteSport, Backpacker Magazine has put a profile of our work and site on their website: Backpacker Magazine This is ahead of their August issue sporting another of our photos from the Dolomites on the cover. We are super happy to be noticed by these guys! |
Pfunderer Hohenweg: A Preview
 The Pfunderer Hohenweg We have just returned from one of the most enjoyable tours we have ever done, the Pfunderer Hohenweg. For now this will have to be a brief summary as I will do a full tour write up in the coming days for both the Hiking and Trail Running Pages. The trail is approximately 75km in length with a lot of up and down, we’ll consult the Garmin devices to see just how much. Let’s just say that the tour is a classic, but especially for mountain running which is the style in which we did it. We had it all; ridge traversing, wide open meadows, huge flower covered hillsides, countless peak bagging opportunities and lots and lots of late season snowy couloirs to trudge up. We were shocked at the amount of snow still in the high country, and also at how many skiers are still out. In fact the only other people we saw on the tour were skiers and other mountain runners. Hut keepers told us we were likely the first to do the tour this season as the passes have so much snow. This announcement was usually followed by a reminder that we had running shoes and lycra on, not alpine boots and Schoeller. It did look like winter but it all went down not too far off a typical summer outing in the big mountains. This trip was particularly satisfying for us as photographers as we shot how we did it in the early days, all on the fly and all just for fun. A perfect combo of life as an athlete and life as a photographer just spending time with our closest friend. Below is a quick glimpse of photos in order of capture, from our home in Bruneck to Sterzing. And remember, to follow our live feeds from these runs or whatever other silliness we are up to, visit our Twitter page Next week we’ll be running Italy’s most famous trail, the Alta Via 1.  Day 1 above the Pfundertal  Janine airing out the feet and having Andreas check scent  Andreas Irsara and Janine, kilometer 26, day 1  Day 1, gaining elevation to the hut  Andreas and Janine, day 1, final kilometer to the hut  Dan & Andreas, course 2, Edelraut Hut  Janine and Andreas, day 2 departure  Andreas and Janine  Andreas and Janine arriving to the Bodner Alm, day 2  Climbing the first of our big snow couloirs, day 2  Janine and Andreas, easier ground at the Brixner Hut  Andreas Irsara eating at the Brixner Hut  Janine and Andreas, day 3 and another snowy pass to climb
 Andreas and Janine running in a not so summery landscape, the Wildersee/Lago Salvaggio  Lower elevation encounters  The final kilometer to the car  Flavoring the fountain water
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3 Day Mountain Running Tour: What is in my pack?
One of the biggest benefits of the European mountains is of course the hut system. Perhaps no other sport benefits as much as trail running. In fact in some ways, thanks to the huts, a whole new sport has started with the massive popularity of trail running. Long, multi-day tours running in alpine terrain with less than 8 kg (18lbs) on your back (much less if you are not a photographer). And with a comfy bed to look forward to after a big, tasty, calorie rich meal in a beautiful setting. For the mountain runner, the Alps and Dolomites have endless potential. Open a map, connect the huts via all the many trails – go. This weekend kicks of the mountain running season for Janine, our great friend Andreas Irsara and myself. The first goal is what we look at from our bedroom window, the Zillertal Alpen’s Pfunderer Hohenweg, the mountain range separating Austria from Italy. We are not exactly sure how long it is, about 80km with a lot of up and down. And there is still snow. We’ll do it in three days, staying in two huts. A warm up for next weekend’s departure to run the Dolomite’s Alta Via 1. So what does one take? My pack’s contents are pictured below. Shoes: La Sportiva Wildcats Pack: Deuter Pace 20 2 handbottles Minimal clothing: just keep moving. But rain gear for sure, and extra socks are mandatory for wet, snowy feet. A few bars – the huts sell day food Garmin GPS – we’ll post the trip to DolomiteSport, this is a super classic hiking tour as well with views to the Dolomites on one side, Austrian Alps the other. iPhone – for Twittering…… follow our progress with pics at: http://www.twitter.com/dolomitesport Headlamp And of course my burden, the camera. For running tours we use the Canon 5d, a 16-35 2.8 and a 70-200 4.0 – which Andreas we’ll find in his pack tomorrow morning. Ah yes, and a handful of Euros.  Pack contents for a three day running tour For a complete trip report, check back in next Tuesday. And as a reminder, follow us on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/dolomitesport |
Mountain Biking in the Dolomites: by Steve Casimiro
After 6 straight days of rain, and little to show for it but two very muddy mountain bikes sitting on our balcony – I will let our friend, and National Geographic Adventure Editor, Steve Casimiro do the talking for mountain biking in the Dolomites. Steve also runs the wildly popular and succesful website/blog/adventure news site: The Adventure Life He just posted a fun read from a past trip to the Dolomites, along with some phenomenal photos. Thanks Steve for the great story: Mountain Biking in the Most Beautiful Places on Earth: Italy’s Dolomite Mountains |
Riding & Racing the Italian Granfondos
For the road racers in the audience… let’s face it, watching Euro racing on TV gets our heart rates up, makes us drool at the roads, the fans, the landscape and especially the energy. Who doesn’t dream of racing in Europe? Not a pro? Not a problem. Opportunity is knocking in the form of the Italian Granfondo. No matter where you find yourself in Italy, odds are that come the weekend, there is a Granfondo nearby. Big or small, they are all relatively massive events; from the smaller 1000 rider races to the main event, the Maratona dles Dolomites with nearly 10,000 participants. Intimidated? Don’t be – the Italian road racing mentality appears menacing, but I have found the crowd, regardless of skill, to be quite friendly and anti-snobbish. A welcome discovery after racing in the US for many years. Of course you’ll learn all new hand gestures as they love to bicker and yell in the peloton over who isn’t pulling enough, but really it is all in good fun. It wouldn’t be Italy without the added drama, whether it’s needed or not. As an amateur I have ridden through a tunnel of screaming fans on passes, zipped through small villages who’s residents have turned out en masse to cheer, done the huge roundabout splits, descended the twisting turning roads made famous from helicopter shots, and of course charged along behind the police motorcycles as they clear the way on closed roads. The larger Granfondos attract famous current, and ex, pro racers. To sit in a pack with Cipollini, Bartoli, Mercxk, Lemond, Phinney, and oh so many more feels pretty good. I am lucky enough to have done it, but then again, I do the Granfondos and it is part of the program. So can you. These are the things that make European road racing so incredibly tantelizing, and it’s all there for the taking, and experiencing. To get started: Where and when are they? Il Calendario Granfondo – in Italian but easy enough to figure out Quick Info: Mass starts are the rule, line up according to your race number, a chip on your bike starts and stops your time when you cross the start and finish. Results will indicate an overall and category place. With the exception of the lead groups, it is pretty much a free for all. Feed zones will be found throughout including roadside neutral feeds. Take your own flat repair kit. Registering ahead of time via the web makes race day less stressful. The chips for recording time may be rented (about $12/day) when you pick up your race pack. Book hotels in the area of the start well ahead of time! Suggested Races: And the KING: The Maratona dles Dolomites More info: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly part of Granfondos – Biciveneto Sport Tour Packages: the official Maratona dles Dolomites Tour Operator: Holimites |
Trail Running Poles, a new trick
Last year we had a photoshoot for a nordic walking product, for the job we had to get some Nordic Walking Poles from Leki. After the shoot, we weren’t sure what to do with the poles, we are not nordic walkers, we are mountain trail runners, but we we often use poles in the rocky terrain of the Dolomites and Alps. The Nordic Poles looked interesting to us so we tried them out for running and discovered that they are fantastic; super light and stiff. But the drawback was that for descending they have no ball grip on top or under, so we would fall right off the grip unless tightly holding on, or we would stab ourselves in the palm. Janine had the idea to try them with the strap provided for Nordic Walking, it is much like a nordic ski pole strap, once on, it is really on, no easy on or off but your hand becomes part of the pole. We loved the system. The beauty of the Leki system is that they have a small loop of perlon cord that slides and locks into place, so instead of removing your hand from the strap, you remove the strap, with your hand still in it, from the pole. With the nordic ski like loop and support, descending a rocky trail while running is a completely different experience, it feels like skiing. And for climbing, you have all the power without having to use your grip, the strap does the work for you so you can use your whole arm for support. When you don’t want to use them, simply unclick the cord from the pole with the easy button releaase, and the poles are free of your strap.  Straps locked in  Unlocked and off for carrying |
Recommended Dolomite Hiking Tours
 Janine headed up the Passo dei Rondoi May 29, 2009. Just three days ago we had record heat, today we felt like we were ski touring in January. Freezing and incredibly windy. With the weekend’s weather being cold and wet, we thought we’d head out for a long mountain run prior to. Also, this post serves as a current conditions report for all the many Twitter folks we have been chatting with who are enroute to the Dolomites. The snow is on the way out, but be prepared to walk through a fair amount if you go above 2000 meters. The passes are melting out, it is fairly soft by late morning, and the travel is mostly comforatable on the surface. From Sesto: The Valle Campo di Dentro for the Punta Tre Scarperi/Drei Schusterspitze. We parked and proceeded to mountain bike as far as the trails would allow, about 1km past the Rifugio Tre Scarperi, which to our horror, was not serving food today, not even a strudel. Our goal, the loop around the Punta Mattina via the Passo dei Rondoi. Perfect for a day hike or trail run. A long climb to the pass is rewarded by stunning views of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the icon of the Dolomites. Continue past the obvious spot to gawk at the towers to a WWI trench system still in place. One can still enter the tunnels and peer through the gun turret holes. It feels odd to think of all that occured here, the fear, misery, and death, especially while crusing around in lycra while on a trail run and checking email on the iPhone. After the WWI area, begin to descend to the obvious low col well below and east of the Punta Mattina. The trails are obvious and it is signed throughout the tour. We give this tour a 4 star rating. Tabacoo Map Cadore-Cortina #1  Janine climbing the Passo dei Rondoi  Dan after crossing the Passo dei Rondoi
 Dan trail running with the Tre Cime behind, lots of snow for end of May
 Back in the valley and headed for the stashed mtn bikes |
Thunderstorms Explode onto Scene
 Trail running in the Italian Dolomites With a vengeance, the thunderstorms reminded us of who is in charge today and it clearly is not us. Luckily we got our fun run in prior to the commencement of explosives, but an evening photo shoot session was canceled as we dashed for cover.
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