Via Spigolo Sud on Torre Finestra

VIA. - MAY 02, 2026 - 01

VIA. - MAY 02, 2026 - 02

VIA. - MAY 02, 2026 - 03

Difficulty: UIAA III+
Pitches: 4 (originally 3)
Exposure: South & West
Approach: 2h 30min
Descent: 5 min
Duration: 1h 30min
Elevation: 2,600m - 2,670m
GPS: 46.42259N, 11.62341E
Location: Base

Via Spigolo Sud is a classic route in the Catinaccio group just above Rifugio Roda di Vael. Easy, short, and surprisingly scenic. In 3 or 4 pleasant pitches, it follows the south ridge all the way to the summit of Torre Finestra.

The lower half has some fun vertical climbing on good holds, while the upper pitches turn into more of a scenic slab tour. Routefinding is straightforward and the whole thing can easily be done in under two hours. As a bonus, you get to rappel through the famous rock window with a great view into the valley below.

It’s the kind of route that fits almost anything. Early season opener, first alpine trad route, or maybe even a family day out.

Approach

Approach map

Parking • Rifugio Roda di Vael • Torre Finestra

The Catinaccio group has a dense network of trails, so there are many ways to reach this route. Our favorite one is from Passo Carezza/Karerpass via Rifugio Roda di Vael.

From Carezza, there are three practical ways to reach Rifugio Roda di Vael. Once you are at the hut, the final approach to Torre Finestra is a short but steeper walk with an easy cable-protected passage.

1) The Easy Way

2 km 160 m 40 min 26 Show GPX on map Download GPX

GPX data

Take the Paolina chairlift, usually open from late May through mid-October (26 EUR roundtrip p.p. for the 2026 summer season). The lift saves about 500 m of elevation and cuts the approach to Rifugio Roda di Vael down to 40 minutes.

Park at Carezza Paolina by the chairlift. Parking is free during the day, there’s a public bathroom, and finding a spot is usually not a problem. From the top of the chairlift, follow Trail 539 until it joins Trail 549 toward Rifugio Roda di Vael.

2) The Steep Way

3.8 km 520 m 1h 30 min Show GPX on map Download GPX

GPX data

Same as above, only instead of taking the chairlift, you hike up on your own.

Park at Passo Costalunga and take the trail that starts at the back of the lot (548). After about 10 minutes, turn left at the first fork (552) and follow directions toward Rifugio Paolina (at the top of the chairlift). From there, continue on Trail 539 and Trail 549 toward Rifugio Roda di Vael.

3) The Pleasant Way

3.5 km 520 m 1h 30 min Show GPX on map Download GPX

GPX data

This option also starts at Passo Costalunga, but instead of turning left at the first fork, continue right on Trail 548. Unlike the steeper option, this trail climbs more gradually all the way to Rifugio Roda di Vael.

It also takes about 1 hour 30 minutes and has running water about halfway up, and offers stunning views up the Fassa Valley. This is our favorite option.

From Rifugio Roda di Vael

0.8 km 300 m 50 min

From the hut, it takes just under an hour to get to the base of the climb. There is only one route, and it includes a short via ferrata. You do not need to clip in, but wearing a helmet is smart, especially if it is busy.

Start with the short steep section above the rifugio, cross the plain, and follow the signs toward Torre Finestra. After a few switchbacks, you reach two cable sections and a narrow ladder passage. Exit onto the meadow, turn right at the next fork, and cross toward Torre Finestra.

The route begins where the south ridge of the tower meets the trail and the start is marked with a sling.

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Climbing

Gear & Protection

All the anchors except for the very top are bolted. For the top, just bring some long (ideally quad) slings.
There are 2 slings on P1
There are 2 pitons on P2
There is 1 piton on P3 and another one on P4
On top of that, we had a few short slings for the pitons and random rock horns, 6 quickdraws, and we placed a few cams between .4 and 2 (but that was mostly just for practice).
There is a cemented rappel ring at the top, and two 60 m ropes will get you all the way down in one go. Otherwise, it’s two rappels.

Route

The first pitch is very straightforward. Start at the sling by the approach trail. From there, you can see the first belay station above you—two bolts in a yellow rock on a generous ledge.

Climb on the left side of a channel going parallel with the ridge. There are plenty of cracks to place gear and eventually you run into a pre-tied sling.

Pass the sling and continue up on the left side of a small niche. Cross to the right above it on good holds. A few moves straight up and you should see the first belay station.

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Traverse a few meters to the left of the belay station until you see a piton in a crack above you. There's one more farther up. Climb that steep section with good holds until the rock flattens out. From there, it's just a few meters of scrambling to the belay station.

This belay station has clearly been bolted later and it's not on the original topos. You can skip it but it makes it easier to communicate with your partner since it's right above the steeper part.

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Assuming you stopped at the new belay station, then pitch 3 is just a few meters of very easy climbing on a flat part of the ridge. The next belay station is visible from the get-go, and there's one piton in the middle.

The pitch ends at a bolted anchor right by a huge hourglass thread. You can find that one on the topos, and it used to be the original anchor.

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The last pitch used to be the second spicy part of the climb, but it got significantly easier after the recent rockfall.

Go straight up to a visible piton just below the summit block. From there, climb the easy dihedral crack on the right side of the block. There is a sling on the face of the block, but there is also a big, unstable-looking chunk of rock right above it, so we decided to ignore it and stayed in the crack.

We couldn't find any bolts at the top, so we made an anchor from a quad sling over the rock horn, backed by a cam.

VIA. - MAY 02, 2026

Descent

From the top you'll see a cemented ring just a few meters farther along the ridge. Use it to rappel down on the west (left) side of the ridge. A few meters below the ridge, it goes right over the window with the cross. Pretty neat.

Two 60 m ropes will get you comfortably all the way down to the meadow in one go. From there, follow the obvious trail down, and in a few minutes you're back at the base of the climb.

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Return Hike

From the base of the climb, take the same trail back to Rifugio Roda di Vael. The first option is to downclimb the via ferrata. It can get really busy in the summer, but luckily you can bypass it with one extra quick rappel.

To do so, hike back to the signpost and instead of going left to the top of the ladder, take the trail going right to the Masare ferrata. After about 20 meters, there is a smaller trail going down and left (east). The trail goes below and around some rocks and ends at the top of a wide channel. At the top, on the flat face, there is a rappel ring. It should be . A single 60 m rope gets you all the way down just below the first cable section of the via ferrata.

From there, hike down to Rifugio Roda di Vael and take whichever trail you fancy back to Carezza.

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Support Points

is the obvious stop either on your way there, back, or both.
is another option at the top of the chairlift, and it is open in the summer too.
is a local bar by the road at Passo Costalunga. The bartender was extremely friendly, it was open already at the end of April, and they had a killer strudel.
is a bit lower toward Carezza. They have a nice garden, but it gets pretty busy during the season.
has an authentic Thai restaurant where we stayed once before. The food was really good there.

Weather & Season

The route starts at 2,600 m, so it can be significantly colder up there than in the valley.

Depending on the winter, you can run into snow up there even pretty late into spring. Or you might also get lucky, like us, and be able to do it already in late April. Check recent satellite images if you want to be sure.

The approach, and the route itself, have mostly south, west, and east exposure, so it should get sun most of the day.

Guidebooks & sources

Guidebooks

La Nuova Guida del Catinaccio (A. Bernard · 🇮🇹 ) - has a detailed topo, including a potential extension from the bottom of the via ferrata.

P.S.

There are two things worth mentioning regarding the info you are likely to find online:

There was a rockfall that made the last pitch significantly easier. Now you basically just walk up the slab and then climb an easy crack to the top.
All the belay stations except for the top are now bolted. At the top you still have to use a long sling to make an anchor over the rock horn.