The Ortles ascent
Day 1: We reach the church in Solda (1850m) and begin our hike on a pleasant path in the woods to reach the moraine at Vedretta di Marlet, a glacier covered with debris. We continue on a steep path that in a short time takes us to Rifugio Tabaretta (2556m) with excellent panoramic views. After the refuge, we proceed to Forcella dell'Orso (2879m) where we take time to admire the imposing Ortles glacier and the mountains around the Stelvio Pass. We then climb up the north side of the ridge that leads to the Tabaretta Pass (2883m), along sone exposed stretches fitted with cable to aid the ascent as we reach Rifugio Payer (3020m).
Day 2: After an early breakfast we set off at the first light of dawn, and proceed South West across the north side of Punta Tabaretta, climbing on easy rocks as we reach a more challenging nut well equipped rock-wall called “Wandln". This is followed by a particularly exposed ridge passage, which we will overcome with care.
Once the rock passages are over, we cross a steep icy slope which leads to the glacier and the "Buca dell'Orso”. We then continue to the Tschierfegg hill, where the Lombardi bivouac is located. The bivouac can be reached by a short section on ice. Our route continues along the glacier, where we need to place careful attention, for there are several crevasses, as we ascend slopes of up to 35° steepness on ice, eventually leading to the Ortles plateau and to the summit.
