Sass Dlacia to Cortina d’Ampezzo

Technical difficulty: 2/10
Fitness: 7/10
Objective danger: 1/10
Landscape: 8/10
Busy: 6/10

A great point-to-point run through the heart of Fanes range in the Dolomites, with a great high-traverse above Cortina at the end.

Starting point: Sass Dlacia Camping
Ending point: Cortina d’Ampezzo
Length: 25km
Vertical: 1000m
Speed: Mostly very fast and runnable trails.

Route:

Start off from the the campsite by the trail heading north-east, up the valley in the direction of Col di Locia. The trail climbs gently through the valley first and end with a step trail to the Col. From the saddle, a really wide valley opens up and you continue largely flat along a picturesque mountain river.

Continue through the valley until a small hut at Ücia de Gran Fanes. Take the right forest road on the Y-crossing besides the hut and start following it east, following the Fanes river downstream.

Once you get to the gorge of Cascati di Fanes, turn south in the direction of Col Rosá, first following the trails S1 and later S2, steeply uphill until the saddle itself. From the saddle, follow the wide trail to the south in the direction of Cortina d’Ampezzo. This is a beautiful trail passing high above the valley floor with amazing views.

Follow the trail until Crepe de Cianderou and then start descending steeply to town. First steeply on the wide trail to the Lake Ghedina. From here follow a set of trails and later streets to the town of Cortina.

Pro tip: Highly recommend staying at the Sass Dlacia campsite while visiting the Dolomites.

Photos by @the.running.nomad