More problems in Italy’s dangerous mountains: A series of rockfalls swept down the Cima Falkner in Italy’s Brenta Dolomites early this week. It closed trails and access to huts and forced the evacuation of hundreds of hikers and climbers in the area.
While some of the trails have since reopened, visitors should exercise caution and seek up-to-date information about conditions.
A loud bang
On Monday, witnesses told La Republica that they first heard a loud bang, and then saw a cascade of rocks falling down. All hikers in the area were evacuated to the Stoppani al Grostè refuge and to the top station of the Groste chairlift.
“All climbing routes and hiking trails directly affected by the area have been immediately closed, including the Benini via ferrata (No. 305) and trails No. 315, 316, and 331,” Trentino rescue corps initially reported.
However, authorities reopened trails numbers 315 and 316 yesterday.
Still unstable
Geologists flew to the summit on the morning after the slides and concluded that the area remains unstable due to permafrost degradation, Dolomiti Brenta Trek reported. Footage from drones has shown that 36,000 cubic meters of rock were affected, according to the local Trentino government.
Drones assessed the magnitude of Monday’s rockfall on Cima Falkner. Photo: Press Office, Provicia Autonoma di Trento
Although some areas have reopened, visitors should not leave the marked trails. The via ferrata (trail 305) and trail 331 (from the junction of trail 316 to the junction with trail 305) remain closed.
A popular summit
At 2,999m, Cima Falkner is one of the highest peaks in Italy’s Brenta Dolomites. Its summit is reachable only by via ferrata — the spectacular Sentiero Attrezzato Alfredo e Rodolfo Benini. The airy but straightforward via ferrata is quite busy in summer.
Rockslides are common in the Dolomites, but their frequency and intensity seem to be increasing since rising temperatures have thawed the permafrost, according to geologist Matteo Zumiani of Trento’s Civil Protection Corps.
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Visitors have recently reported rockfalls in several areas of the Dolomites, The Guardian reported.
“Clouds of dust rose from Monte Pelmo in the Val di Zoldo after rocky pinnacles broke away and crashed down into the valley below in the municipality of Selva di Cadore in Italy’s Belluno province,” the paper noted.
The section of Cima Falkner affected by the rockfall. Photo: Press Office, Provicia Autonoma di Trento
