Tag: Via Ferrata

Radek got a Go Pro camera as a CERN goodbye gift and he gave it a try on Fort l’Ecluse. How do you like it?

Yet another Via Ferrata. We called this one: „A VF on a vertical rock” because indeed, it was vertical 🙂 There were two possible routes to follow, we chose an easier one and I think it was a good decision. Not that the easier route was challenging or anything, but the other one looked super difficult from where we were standing. Or better say: from where we were hanging 🙂

For sure, this one is not for people with vertigo. There is no place to recover, once you’re there, you need to hide your fears, tiredness and continue up. A look back down gives you this nice panorama on a town in mountain valley. Have a look at the movie we made there:

What can I say, really… Simply WOW! By no means this is the most beautiful Via Ferrata we did. It wasn’t too difficult, nor to easy -just fine for our level. We had little luck though… Holidays season is in full bloom and we arrived just a couple of minutes after a huge group of beginners, so, believe it or not, there was a queue on the rock 🙂 It’s a strange sensation to be hanging vertically and being forced to wait.

The beauty of this place was based on Vouglans lake that was side by side with the rock we were climbing. We had a panoramic view on the area almost all the time. On top of that, the route itself was interesting. It had various options that could be followed, bridges, ladders etc. I really enjoyed it and I guess after this day I may finally say – I’m into via ferratas.

We’re still hesitating what our stance on Via Ferratas is and that’s why we decided to have another try. VF Reclavier is situated less than 30 minutes drive from us and we chose to do it in this freeking hot afternoon. We forgot our helmets but decided to proceed without them (I don’t recommend doing this). Fortunately, this VF was soooo easy – not to say boring – that there was very little danger and risk exposure. I’m definitely up for more after this day.

We’re not done yet with via ferratas. It teaches me a lot to go out of my comfort zone and conquer all the fears. And after the second time on the wall I can already tell – it gets easier and easier. Today’s route technically was actually not complicated. The only passage that gave us a thrill were the two bridges stretched between smooth, vertical walls. I had quite a pickle finding the right way to place my feet and not to fall. But I’m starting to like this sensation of rushing heartbeat out there!

 As I said, the rest of the route was rather easy and we had lots of fun in our little group. The views were nice so every now and then we stopped by to have a look at the valley. I’m still not decided if it’s going to be my hobby or not. I guess we need another try 🙂

And a short movie from the day:

We’re trying to tuck in as many activities as possible before our departure home. In the end, it’s our last chance to try via ferrata (we have no such attraction in Poland). It’s actually surprising that we haven’t tried it earlier – there are so many around, it’s in mountains, it requires a lot of interaction with forces of nature, it’s challanging… But somehow we hesitated until now.
We chose a route that is 15 minutes away from our place, at the rock of Fort l’Ecluse. We really didn’t know what to expect except from nice views that we know well by now. So we set off full of excitement.

As you can see from one of the photos above, it was scary 🙂 It was actually the scariest thing I’ve done so far in mountains. It was so scary that at some point I froze somewhere on the rock unsure how to proceed so that I don’t find myself hanging from a vertical wall. But it was fun! I enjoyed it a lot and once the fright passed, we were left with excitement and smiles on our faces. In the beginning we weren’t sure if we wanted to repeat it or not but after a while we decided to give it another try so stay tuned for more of daredevil via ferrata acrobatics 🙂

An overview of the route: