Via della Vita, Strada degli Alpini & Via Kugy - short version

I have a confession to make: usually, I am not the type of guy who goes to Via Ferratas just for the sake of adrenaline and technical challenge. I usually use them to get somewhere, with the Via Ferrata offering itself as the most beautiful approach. Not this time; I went there for the ferratas, not for the peaks they lead to. Via della Vita had been on my wish list for about 40 years; more as an idea than a concrete plan. Decades later, circumstances finally led me to accomplish this epic climb. First of all, it was not even my primary goal. I wanted to climb the neighboring Via Kugy to the summit of Strug first. However, climbing options are scarce in that corner of the Julian Alps, and I did not want to descend by the same route. So Via della Vita entered the plan: we would climb to Vevnica via Via della Vita, traverse the ridge to Strug, and then descend via Via Kugy. Zacchi is an old friend who had only recently climbed his first Via Ferrata; doing the most difficult ferrata in the Julian Alps as his second would certainly be a steep learning curve. As I happened to be in town these days, we managed to coordinate our agendas and, in the darkness of the early morning, found ourselves below the magnificent north walls of Mangart. We were prepared, and full of respect for Via della Vita. We got exactly what we expected; and then some more. Very long vertical, sometimes slightly overhanging sections; exposed passages on narrow ledges high above the valley. It does not let you relax from start to finish. As a bonus, we managed to miss the route after exiting onto the upper plateau and ended up using the old route instead. After climbing our first peak of the day, we had to tackle the part we knew least about; the ridge between Vevnica and Strug, which in fact forms the middle section of the longer Strada degli Alpini. This ferrata is in such poor condition that it turned out to be the most dangerous episode of the day. Decades-old rusty cables, some snapped and some practically useless, were replaced by makeshift rope passages through very rough terrain. And then, just to add another complication, a nasty dark thunderstorm caught up with us before we reached the summit of Strug. We had already resigned ourselves to descending a 900-metre continuous cable line in the rain and put our raincoats on. But we had tremendous luck; the thunderstorm soon extinguished itself over the neighboring, higher peaks. Via Kugy saved its most technical parts for us until the very end; or, depending on the direction, the very beginning. The last two cables are a sheer vertical drop down a rock slab with virtually no footholds. A lot of friction and force is needed here. Then came the ugliest scree of my life, and finally we were back in the green as the sun was setting. A fifteen-hour adventure we will never forget. Was it worth it? Every step of it! Would I recommend it to you? Not yet; at least not until they fix the Strada degli Alpini. Music: Harmony of Heaven - God is Here