Vetta Bella - Rampa Mediane
Vetta Bella (Schönkopf, Lepa Glava) with the altitude of 2049 meters is a lesser known peak lying in Western Julian Alps in Italy. Name of the peak can be translated as 'beautiful head'. There are no marked trails going to the top. The normal route is unmarked and of II grade difficulty but is quite unpleasant with lots of loose rock.
'Rampa Mediane' runs along ramp system in southern wall of Vetta Bella, it's a middle one, between the eastern and western. It offers fairly easy climbing with spots of more technical difficulty. The route is not equipped with bolts, however there is quite plenty of pittons and bit of loops that will help us on the way. Bringing your own protection is also necessary. Quality of rock is good with minor exceptions in walking terrain which is also present on the route.
Starting from Rio Bianco parking lot we take trail no. 625 and head for Capanna Brunner lodge. From here we continue still on trail no. 625 in direction of Forcella di Rio Bianco pass and change to trail no. 630. After ascending a bit and getting closer to southern wall of Vetta Bella we turn right into a narrow path (cairn), cross the ravine and enter the ledge system, a bit of scrambling here, around II difficulty. We should pass a memorial board on our left but we continue up, in direction where eastern and southern wall join. Watch out for wet spots.
For the detailed route description please refer to the topo and images.
Route exits about 100 meters below the peak of Vetta Bella, we join the main path and need to walk up. Descent path is the same as ascent path after we left the climbing route and continues on milder, eastern slopes of Vetta Bella. Further down the path is rather nasty and requires lots of attention not to slip on loose rock material. There are some passages that require usage of hands but not exceeding II grade. There are traces of old marking in places as well as lots of cairns, however the path is well trodden and easy to navigate. In about 1 hour we should be back on trail no. 625 by Capanna Brunner lodge and follow it back to the parking lot.
Links:TOPO of the route
Warm and sunny day with stronger wind in the upper parts of the climb, however short sleeve and shorts were enough to feel comfortable.
Marked parts of the paths are in good condition and easy to follow. Normal route to Vetta Bella which is unmarked is a bit problematic and requires more attention due to loose rock material and steep sections. Climbing route rock quality is good.
There is an option to stay in Capanna Brunner hunting lodge which is located quite close to the start of the trail. However for the stay we need to get the key from CAI Tarvisio alpine club.
Starting point reached by car. There is a big paid parking available 100 meters from start of the trail, price is 8 EUR per day. However there are also numerous options on both sides of the road 76 if you arrive in the early morning.
Links:Parking location
Entrance chimney is wet even in good weather, probably after rainfalls it gets much worse. It is possible to by-pass it using eastern ramp (refer to topo)
The route is relatively safe even with teams above us, however that is unlikely as it isn't a really popular one.
20l rucksack, climbing shoes, hiking poles, helmet, harness, personal climbing set, 60m single rope, 6 friends, 3 x quickdraw, 3 x alpine quickdraw, nuts, couple of loops
