Postacard from the Heaven: with snowshoes to the Pale of St. Martin

filled by Giulia & Romeo





It's like walking on the roof of the world a few steps from Heaven, if not already within its borders: a snowshoe hike to the Pale di San Martino will give you unique sensations and then it will be hard to find other paths just as charming. The Pale of St. Martin, one of the most beautiful mountains of the Dolomite have coral origin. They are dotted with spiers, peaks and edges that become colored pink at sunset. The geological history of the Pale began about 300 million years ago, in a calm sea and shallow huge colonies of coral reefs multiplied to build over a thousand meters in height. After surfacing, these reefs were modeled from the elements to define the sharp and tormented shapes that characterize them today. In winter, the Plateau is an immaculate expanse: the blanket of snow is sometimes a few meters in height. The silence and the magic of this expanse seems almost lunar inspired The Desert of the Tartars of the writer Dino Buzzati. This place is ideal for hiking with snowshoes or ski mountaineering: from the easy ascent to Cima Rosetta (20 minutes) , to the crossing the plateau up to the Glacier Fradusta. This hike is moderately challenging, no particular technical difficulties but requires some practice to walk and to orientate in the mountains. It is recommended to make the trip accompanied by Alpine Guides (in winter the signs are often hidden by the snow) or at least check before the situation of avalanche danger and weather forecasts. It 's a walk that takes place between the.2600 and 2800 meters, so we recommend sunglasses and sunscreen as well as mountain clothing.
The plateau is reached with the new cable car Rosetta: modern and fast with cabins for 40 people (open from December to late March).
The hike starts from the mountain station of the cable car Rosetta, which is just a few minutes from the village of San Martino di Castrozza with the new cable car Colverde Rosetta. (Open from December to end of March)
From the mountain station of the cable car (2600 m) down to Rifugio Pedrotti alla Rosetta (closed in winter) and then follows the trail 709 through the ups and downs of the Plateau to the pass Pradidali Basso at the base of Glacier Fradusta. From Step Pradidali Basso you come back to Rosetta cable through the same itinerary. The duration of the tour: 5 hours