Jôf Fuart via Gola Nord Ovest
Jôf Fuart (also known as Viš or Wischberg) is a 2,666-meter peak located in the Italian Julian Alps, near Tarvisio. Its massive limestone walls and exposed ridges make it a demanding mountain for climbers and mountaineers. During World War I, the surrounding valleys and ridges were part of the Italian front, and traces of military paths and fortifications from that period can still be found. Mountain can be climbed from the north and south using marked trails - Gola Nord Est (northeast gorge) and via normale (partly Anita Goitan via-ferata) respectively. There are also numerous more demanding routes to the top and gola nord ovest (northwest gorge) is one of them. It’s a truly solitary climb through wild landscape of northwest gorge. The route takes approximately 700 meters of elevation gain and another 1000 meters to get to its start. Ascent is pretty lengthy and located in remote area of Saisera valley. Together with not that obvious orientation on the way and spots with climbing grade of III gola nord ovest is quite a challenging mountain adventure but totally worth invested effort. Majestic rocky landscapes, unique tunnel at the exit of the gorge and remnants of I WW make it a truly versatile trip.
Setting off from Malga Saisera parking lot we follow trail no. 616 (sentiero Carlo Chersi) in the direction of Sella Nabois (1970 m) pass. We go past Dario Mazzeni bivouac and traverse slopes of Cima de Lis Codis (2380 m). After descending to get past a snow field we go up again and land on a grassy culmination of around 1950 meters with characteristic larch tree. Here we leave the marked path cutting through dwarf pine groove. Then we go diagonally to the right via a ramp and land on a wide grassy ledge that runs horizontally to the wall, we turn left and continue to the foot of the northeast gorge. There are some cairns on the way but the entrance is not really marked. Once we stand under overhang on the left and slabs in front of us we should go up.
Since the route is quite long and many variants are possible the general rule is to keep to the right side of the gorge. Sometimes that will be immediately close distance to the gorge, sometimes we stray a bit further. There are however three key spots we need to watch.
At the altitude of around 2100 just next to a snowfield there’s a rocky threshold that needs to be climbed, there are many variants, the easiest is presumably a 6m long chimney on the right side of the gorge. It is rated as III climbing grade, for me personally wasn’t really that pleasant. You can try other spots but these may be more difficult. Just above this threshold the route crosses Cengia degli Dei (ledge of the gods in English) route - which is a ledge system running around the Jôf Fuart massif. There are cairns in place that can lead you off the route - which happened to me. Against intuition you need to follow the gorge keeping more to the left in here landing under what seems a vertical wall - according to the descriptions I read before setting off there is a hidden passage. However my case showed it can also be by-passed from above - so first going a bit right along Cengia degli Dei and then traversing back in the direction of the gorge. Except for the mentioned rocky threshold climbing difficulty does not exceed II+ grade. However that is dependent on the variant you choose so keep a good eye on the way up.
In the last sections you need to look up and aim for so called Jôf Fuart tunnel - an uncanny window that needs to be crossed to get to the ridge. Be careful in the window, there are tons of loose material inside.
Once entering the ridge (and sun again) we turn left and use the ledges to climb flat towers. Summit can already be seen from here. In 15 minutes we land on the peak of Jôf Fuart with cross and statue of Madonna, however that is a pre-summit and we still need to walk a bit to get to the actual one.
The descent runs along the marked and well-protected trail of northeast gorge (gola nord est). First streches of this route are pretty nasty, with steep slope descent in crumbly terrain. Lower, once the actual gorge is entered things get better in terms of rock quality but also more vertical and challenging. The route is protected with wires, metal steps and partly wooden ladders. All these make it an interesting down-climb, however after all these hours already they are not that easy to enjoy. Eventually we land in a grassy terrain with some paths, then cross a scree section under a giant snow field and get back to trail no. 616 and follow it in direction of Pellarini mountain hut. Then the trail is to be followed to get back to the bottom of the Saisera valley and eventually to the parking lot.
Links:Route course - no. 198
Warm to hot temperatures with storm forecast for afternoon/evening, a bit cloudy. Short sleeve was enough for the whole day.
Marked parts of the route are in good condition, the marking is sufficient. Trail 616 - sentiero Carlo Chersi is less frequented in upper parts and bit demanding. Before Spalla Nabois pass there is a bit of crumbliness while traversing. Northeast gorge (gola nord est) which is a descent route from Jôf Fuart is really nasty in the first parts below the summit with lots of loose material. When entering the actual gorge it is much better, also the protection is of really good quality in there.
The northwest gorge (gola nord ovest) has an average rock quality, there are sections we need to be especially careful. Since the route is barely frequented there are lot of loose rocks - of every size.
We can use Luigi Pellarini mountain hut or Dario Mazzeni bivouac that will ease the trip a bit by splitting the effort into two days.
Starting point reached by car. Access to Saisera valley is protected with barrier and it costs 6 EUR. This does not apply if you show up in the early morning - before 6 AM there's no one to charge you.
Links:Parking lot location
Had climbing equipment however used only helmet in the end, exposition is rather limited.
The route is recommended to be climbed in late summer to be sure no snow awaits us in key moments. It is also a good proposal for stuffy, sunny days because 80% of the route is done in shade, either coming from trees or rocky walls.
Orientation problems, route is not that obvious to follow in lower and upper parts. It's also not that popular so I wouldn't count on other climbers. Therefore also a stable weather is a prerequisite for the trip. Since we are hidden behind northern wall more than half of the sky is not visible - thus we might not know what's happening on the other side until we get to the top.
ascent shoes, 20L rucksack, helmet, harness, personal climbing set, 30m rope, couple loops, couple of friends
