Mountain photography offers amazing panoramas. Maybe one day I will give some tips about how to take photos at high altitude but first it is necessary to climb up there.
Along my photographic work “Here They Fought! 1915-1918” I have been on many via ferrata, more or less vertical, and I had the chance to take incredible photos. But I also met many unprepared persons that where walking on these trails with tennis shoes and without any safety device.
A via ferrata is a trail with metal wires, catwalks, metal ladders that allow persons to walk on particular exposed trails without being in danger. Of course the condition is that the person must have an appropriate equipment and the, absolutely necessary, safety equipment such as climbing harness, helmet and via ferrata’s kit.
There are different levels of via ferrata’s difficulty. Before to face one of it you must take into considerations these aspects:
– To carefully evaluate the path, the length and the difference of height;
– Pay attention to what you read on blogs as evaluations are subjective, what it is described as easy by an alpinist could lead/cause a dreadful panic attack for you;
– To evaluate if you have all the necessary equipment not older than five years and knowing how to use it;
– To evaluate to have appropriates clothes for the height you are going;
– To evaluate emergency exits from the via ferrata and to be able to communicate to the rescue team where you are;
Walking on a via ferrata means to be obliged to some safety rules, first of all you must be locked to the safety wire all the time with both snap-hooks. When you must change wire tract, you must first unlock only one of the two snap-hooks, locking it on the other part of the wire. Only at this moment you can change position to the second one. One of the snap-hooks must be always attached at the wire and you cannot be unlocked in any moment for any reason!
Before to start a via ferrata you must ask yourself these questions:
– Have I ever done one before?
– Am I physically ready to face such a muscular effort for a prolonged period?
– Am I mentally ready to cope with dizzy heights?
– Am I sure to be well informed about the actual difficulties of the trail?
– Do I have all the equipment?
The suggestion is to not dare to risk on such trails without a proper preparation and training and without a mountain guide. Videos and photos that we see around internet are often done by experts and trained alpinists. You shall not emulate such adventures without the proper training. A falling rock on the head without helmet or a moment of dizziness could have deadly consequences. Mountain is not the killer that mass media pretend to show. The killers are the lack of training and lack of humility of the persons that shall renounce or having the intelligence of facing such trails only if well prepared. Considering that, anyway, mountain environment is a risky one.
For those who are planning an excursion in the nature I post the link of an article about safety that I have posted one year ago.
Here the link to the project “safe in the mountains” organised by the Italian Mountain Rescue Team with many documents about safety, unfortunately written only in Italian.
In the photo the bridge of the via ferrata Tridentina in Italy.
This post does not substitute a complete didactic experience, it is not exhaustive nor it has to be taken as a manual. The present post is just a suggestion to be cautious and smart.
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