“Climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities
should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement” British Mountain Council
Copyright © VJW 2004-
Serra de la Vila
Via Ferrata Spain
Via Ferrata, meaning “iron road or way” in Italian, was conceived during World War 1
when the Italian and Austrian forces were engaged in ferocious battles to gain control of
their frontiers mainly in the mountainous Dolomite region.
Tens of thousands of troops died. To assist troop movements at high altitudes the forces
fixed wire lines and ladders to the rock faces enabling their soldiers to gain control of the
peaks. These were the first Via Ferrata routes.
Today the major region for modern Via Ferrata routes is the Dolomites but many more
countries are constructing their own systems. From the desperate needs of war time we
now have a major mountain sport which can be enjoyed by thousands of people a year.
Modern Via Ferrata routes consist of steel cables bolted into the rock face at intervals and
running parallel with metal rungs or stemples. A Via Ferrata belay device is essential and
consists of two energy absorbing tails with karabiners. This assembly is tied into the
normal climbing harness with one karabiner being attached to the cable at all times.
Via Ferrata is similar to rock climbing but with different risks and higher fall factors.
Our programme covers all routes in the Valencia Region and summer tours include advanced routes in the Catalunya Region. See our Gallery at www.mountainpixels.com
See our Routes.