Ortler - South Tyrol - Italy
Location - Ortler
The Ortler region is in the South Tyrol on the border of Italy and Austria. It contains lots of fantastic glaciated runs and summits, with Mt Cevedale (3769m) being the highest on our program. We will be staying at some of the most comfortable and well equipped huts in the European Alps, each one with it's own Espresso machine!
Prerequisites - Ortler
- Previous experience ski touring
- Fitness to climb at least 1100m of elevation gain in a day at moderate altitude
- Ski ability to negotiate 40 degree slopes
Itinerary - Ortler
April 11th - April 17th 2025
Day 0 (April 10th)- Meet at Rifugio Forni at 5pm. (Sleep at Rifugio Forni).
Day 1 (April 11th) - Ski to Rifugio Branca, drop off gear, and continue up to the Forni Glacier for a warm up ski, acclimatization and possibly a summit. (Sleep at Rifugio Branca).
Day 2 - Climb and ski from a summit. (Sleep at Rifugio Branca).
Day 3 - Climb Mt Pasquale, where we can see WW1 fortress/ruins still intact, then ski down to Rifugio Pizzini. (Sleep at Rifugio Pizzini).
Day 4 - Climb Cima Cevedale (Zufallspitzen) and ski down to Rifugio Martello. (Sleep at Rifugio Martello).
Day 5 - Climb Monte Cevedale and ski down to Rifugio Pizzini. (Sleep at Rifugio Pizzini).
Day 6 - Loop through Col Pale Rosse and Col Zebru North. (Sleep at Rifugio Pizzini).
Day 7 (April 17th) - Ski around Cime del Forni, down to Rifugio Forni and continue travels.
Please note: If weather and conditions are not suitable for the above itinerary, we may need to make alternate plans.
Guides - Ortler
Alex Geary will be the guide for this trip, with an additional guide depending on trip numbers.
Getting to the Ortler
The closest major airport to the Ortler is Milan. The easiest way to reach Rifugio Forni from Milan is to hire private transportation for your group. It is also possible using a combination of trains, buses and a taxi for the final leg from Santa Caterina.
Ortler Dates
April 11-17th 2025
6:1 ratio
$3,300 CAD (no tax) - FULL
Please enquire for 2026
Please make sure you have read through the booking conditions before making a payment. This includes completing the Waiver and Registration Form.
E-Transfer to gearysguiding@gmail.com is the preferred method of payment. For payments from outside of Canada, we can send you a link to pay with Wise (including credit cards).
Included
- Half Board for 7 nights at Mountain Huts starting Day 0 (Bed, Breakfast, Dinner)
- IFMGA Guide for 7 days
- Tail Guide
- Group gear including ropes
Excluded
- Travel/Medical/Rescue Insurance
- Lunches and snacks
- Drinks including bottled water
- Personal ski gear including ice axe and boot crampons
- Extra expenses if itinerary changes
Equipment List - Ortler
- Shovel
- Probe
- Transceiver (3 antenna) and spare batteries
- Ski touring skis or splitboard (no ski bags)
- Skins
- Personal repair kit specific to your equipment
- Skin wax (or a candle)
- Ski touring boots/plastic snowboarding boots
- Boot crampons (compatible with your boots)
- Ski Crampons
- Ice axe (eg. Petzl Gully)
- Helmet
- Ski poles
- Headlamp and spare batteries
- Sunglasses
- Goggles and/or spare sunglasses
- Personal first aid supplies
- Toque
- Sun hat
- Suncream
- Lip balm with UV protection
- 2 x 1L wide mouth water bottles or Thermos (NO bladders due to freezing, leaking and filling issues)
- Gore-tex (or equivalent) jacket
- Gore-tex (or equivalent) pants
- Puffy jacket or two depending on thickness
- Warm layers for upper and lower body adequate for below freezing temperatures and wind
- Thick gloves
- Thin gloves
- Spare gloves
- Harness
- 3 locking carabiners
- 2 non-locking carabiners
- 240cm sewn sling or equivalent
- 30-40L backpack
- Sleeping sheet (silk is lightest)