A Via Ferrata in the US? Awesome!!
A Via Ferrata in the US? Awesome!!
How this all started…
- Andy: Hey want to go do this? (shows Leah an awesome but scary picture of someone hanging off a cliff side)
- Leah: Sure, looks like fun!
- Andy: What? That is not what I expected you to say!
- Leah: What did you expect?
- Andy: No way!
And the next day we were attempting the Via Ferrata in Telluride! I did ask that we talk to a local shop and get a good sense of the hike/climb from professionals. I would say, they almost turned me off to the whole idea! They kept saying things like; “there is a lot of exposure”, “each person handles this differently”, blah, blah, blah :). To be honest, I really wasn’t even sure what I was getting into. I like to hike, I like to climb, so why would this be in different?? Well…
This started out like any other hike… drive to the trailhead, gear up and start the climb. Very quickly it turned into a hike along the cliff edge. For some unknown reason, this did not bother me or Andy. We passed two people who were struggling greatly, the height/exposure was really getting to them. The best part about this trail was that it was almost completely flat, apparently Via Ferratas in Europe are known for their steep ups!
As we hiked along, we found more and more lines to clip into. For a Via Ferrata, you need to have a climbing harness, helmet, two lines with locking carabiners (for clipping into the cables) and good shoes. We also carry some webbing for any down climbs that might come up, safety gear and tons of water. So this gets a bit tedious constantly clipping your caribeaners on/off the cable line but it is GREAT practice for the real challenge!! It is called the “Main Event”…
This is where there is no longer any ground beneath you, just some bolted steps and a cable line! It takes GUTS and balls of steal to make the first step above nothingness! I was about to step out but made a quick decision to let Andy go first. No idea why!! Andy’s face once he stepped out and looked back at me, did NOT provide ease or encouragement!! But… I did it anyway!!! It was scary, tough and invigorating! I would do it again in a heart beat, and we did! We hiked/climbed more of the trail and decided to turn around and do it again! It also meant we walked back to our car instead of walking up the annoying road.
So would I do a Via Ferratta again, YES! Let me know where and I will be there!!
