Via Ferrata Pössnecker In The Sella Mountain Group In The Italian Dolomites

The approach

The approach takes about 30 minutes and follows path no. 649 across undulating fields, often sprinkled with wildflowers in the early summer months. Right ahead stretches the dramatic view of the Sella towers. The path then navigates through a small boulder field before a short uphill burst takes you to the start of the cables, where you can gear up. 

The klettersteig (via ferrata in German) plaque stands boldly against the light rock. It was constructed in 1912, making it one of the oldest via ferratas in the Dolomites.

Via ferrata section

The scrambling on via ferrata Pössnecker is immediately off grade D and rises quickly, offering fantastic views toward Sassolungo, where another one of my favourite via ferratas runs – Oskar Schuster.

Yellow stains from over 100 years of leather climbing gloves and rubber-soled mountain boots indicate most hand/foot positions. 

Not before long, you enter an unassuming gully and start to ascend unprotected. It’s the trickiest part of the route, and a rope could be helpful for extra security.

Then, through a series of unprotected staples with significant exposure, the route re-joins the cables, and you can continue feeling much safer. A couple hundred meters later, it changes to a shallower pitch and continues on scree switchbacks.

The most scenic part of the route is on the first plateau on the Sella Massif, which marks most of the ascent. You will reach it after the first couple of hours. It’s a great place to snap incredible photos of the largest of the Sella Towers, Sassolungo, Sassopiatto, and over Val Gardena to Furchetta, Sass Rigais, and the rest of the Puez-Odle Range.

From the plateau, the path continues east-northeastward to a scenic col. If you are wondering how you will ever be able to follow all these directions, don’t worry. Routes in the Dolomites are always marked with white and red markers. All you have to do is pay attention and follow them!   

After the col comes the next climbing section; it is far simpler (and shorter) than the first one and ends at the summit of Piz Selva (2941 meters / 9649 feet). 

The broad, open summit offers 360-degree vistas of the top plateau of the Sella Massif, which feels like a completely different topography. The disparity between the rich, green Passo Sella and the arid, grey rock on top of the Sella Massif is impressive.

The descent

That’s it for scrambling! Now it’s time to get back to Passo Sella where you started. There is a long descent ahead, but the views will compensate for it. Take off your via ferrata gear and store it in your backpack, as you won’t need it on the descent. 

From the summit, continue on path 649 for around 45 minutes. For a couple of hundred meters, the descent follows the same route as Alta Via 2, one of the multiday traverses across the Dolomites. In this section, paths 649 and 666 run concurrently for a while, so don’t be alarmed when you see a sign saying you’re on path 666.

Eventually, the path splits and loops around back southward on path 647. Remembering all these numbers might be overwhelming, so I highly recommend purchasing the Tabacco map no. 05 to visualize the route better. 

Once you turn onto pathway 647, it runs across a large plateau and is marked with large yellow poles for the numerous high alpine races. The track loses elevation quickly down Plan de Roces in Val Lasties and surrounds you with vertical walls on both sides. 

The final intersection gives you a choice of heading quickly to road SS242 (the same one that runs through Passo Sella) on path number 656, which emerges at an indistinct hairpin turn.

The downside of this route is that it drops to 2050 meters, and you will have to hike back up to Passo Sella. This might be a bit too tiring after an already long day. 

The more logical descent, albeit taking you further away from Passo Sella, continues down path 647 and emerges a short walk from two restaurants, Pian Schiavaneis and Monti Pallidi. A bus stop outside the two establishments will take you back to your vehicle at the pass.

The bus runs every 30 minutes in summer. Alternatively, hitchhiking is a great option, as every car going uphill is heading over Passo Sella.