Cima della Rosetta

Overview

Geographical Classification : Eastern Alps > Dolomites > Pale di San Martino > Cima della Rosetta



For those who know La Rosetta, a summit in the Pale di San Martino Group in the Dolomites, the mountain might be an odd choice for submission on SP. It can easily be reached by a cable car from San Martino di Castrozza and the summit "climb" is a steep stroll over the remaining 200m. Therefore - especially over the weekends - huge crowds reach this destination which makes the summit experience rather questionable.

On the other hand Cima della Rosetta - as it is known in its full name - is quite an interesting and impressive mountain, which rises out of the karst-like plateau of the Altipiano delle Pale di San Martino on its western side. Its eastern "face" is a slope, tilted at approximately 35°, which is where the usual ascent takes place. The other three faces are vertical drops by as much as 1400m down towards the village of San Martino di Castrozza. It is a matter of perspective, whether you encounter the tamed or the wild sides of the mountain.

Some words must be said about that cable-car. It is one of the few such installations I have met, which actually serves its purpose. Without it access to the inner part of the Pale di San Martino Group would only be possible by hiking one of the four long valleys towards the high plain, which takes the better part of a whole day in each case. Moreover in the valley ends you often encounter very difficult trails which are hard to negotiate with full gear, backpack and all. AND - the Rosetta cable-car only serves climbers, hikers and sightseers - luckily there is no ski run from the mountain - yet. The lower stage cabin lift however serves skiers and there you must encounter the usual destruction and ugliness.

But back to the mountain itself. Cima della Rosetta offers some great views to the surrounding mountain groups: Lagorai, Latemar and Rosengarten / Catinaccio. But most astounding are the views towards the other Pale di San Martino peaks: Cimon della Pala, Pala di San Martino, Cima di Ball and of course the Altipiano itself. And if you don't fear exposure have a look from the summit towards San Martino di Castrozza far below.

Apart from the cable car there are two short but steep ascents to the mountain. One follows the cable car, which makes it suboptimal but it follows beautiful ledges on the northern slopes of the mountain. The other is a multi-serpentine hiking trail towards Pala di San Martino, which meets the Alta Via delle Dolomiti No 2 at Col delle Lede and winds up to the Altipiano on the southern side of La Rosetta. I climbed the summit twice myself: apart from having used the cable car normal route, I used the very long approach from Gares, which is located exactly at the opposite side of the Pale di San Martino Group. It was a 10km distance, 1700m elevation gain hike but a very worthwhile one! See the accompanying trip report.

The summit views

As said above despite of the crowds you can actually enjoy your stay on Cima della Rosetta by taking in the views. We had a hazy day so that the faraway shots towards Latemar and Rosengarten were impossible. Still there were great views of the nearer surroundings - Lagorai and the Pale di San Martino themselves.

Alternatives

For those of you who shy away from the crowds there is an alternative to the climb of Cima della Rosetta which involves just as much scrambling: to the south-west accross Passo Val di Roda there is Croda di Roda. With 2694m the summit is 50m lowers than the one of La Rosetta but you can enjoy solitude with almost identical views.

Behind (even further west) Croda di Roda you can find Cima delle Scarpe. The climb is a bit more difficult but ensures solitude at 2788m.

One last comment on climbing: I have no information on climbing on La Rossetta or Cusiglio but am sure that there are established routes on the latter. The popularity of Rosetta probably makes any climb of the north-, west- and south faces too dangerous. Any info is welcome.

Getting There

The following itineraries describe how to reach San Martino di Castrozza.

• Motorway A13 (Bologna-Padova) exit Padova South or Padova West;
  SS47 della Valsugana (in the direction of Bassano/Trento) up to Cismon del Grappa;
  SS50bis (in the direction of Feltre/Belluno) up to Arten;
  SS50 to San Martino
  
• Motorway A4 (Torino-Trieste) up to Vicenza and motorway A31(Vicenza-Valdastico) exit Dueville;
  SS47 della Valsugana (in the direction of Bassano/Trento) up to Cismon del Grappa;
  SS50bis (in the direction Feltre/Belluno) up to Arten;
  SS50 to San Martino
  
• Motorway A22 (Modena-Verona-Brennero) exit Trento center;
  SS47 della Valsugana (in the direction Bassano/Padova) up to Cismon del Grappa;
  SS50bis (in the direction of Feltre/Belluno) up to Arten;
  SS50 to San Martino
  
• Motorway A22 (Modena-Verona-Brennero) exit Egna-Ora (BZ);
  SS48 (in the direction of Val di Fiemme - Val di Fassa) up to Predazzo;
  SS50 to Passo Rolle and San Martino di Castrozza

Red Tape

Cima Rosetta and the Pale di San Martino Group are located within the park boundaries of the Parco Naturale Paneveggio - Pale di San Martino.

The Natural Park consists of the area of the Pale di San Martino Group as well as the forest of Paneveggio and the porphyritic chain of Lagorai. It contains an area of 125 sqare km which in 1987 has been divided in three different levels of protection:
33% of the area have been assigned complete protected areas,
60% are restriced areas while
7% are controlled area.

For more information you can look at the Park's official website.

There are no fees or limitations for hiking and climbing, however you might have to be prepared for small parking fees within San Martino. The cable car parking lot is free.

When To Climb

Talking of the cable car, the mountain (the remaining 200m) can be climbed all year round. Even in snow you should be able to struggle your way up to the summit. Snowshoes might be a good idea. According to Mathias Zehring, Cima Rosetta is listed as an easy ski touring goal while the main interest focusses on The Pale's highest summit, Cima della Vezzana.

Accommodation

For Hotels and appartments have a look at the websites of the towns and villages of the region:

• San Martino di Castrozza - www.sanmartino.com
  
• Fiera di Primiero - www.dolomiti.it

If you are interested in the mountain huts and Refuges, just have a look at the Pale di San Martino Group Page. However, mention must be made of Rifugio Predotti / Rosetta, which is located a stonethrow from the Cima della Rosetta base. It serves as the main logistial centre for this part of the Pale di San Martino.

Weather Conditions

For weather conditions in Trentino look at the following pages

www.meteotrentino.it

www.parks.it.

As for Webcams you can look at

www.dolomitisuperski.com

Maps 'n' Books

Books:

• Vie Ferrate
  
  • Klettersteige Dolomiten
    H. Höfler, P. Werner
    Rother Verlag
    ISBN: 3 7633 3096 8
    
  • Hülslers Klettersteigführer
    E.E.Hülsler
    Bruckmann Verlag
    ISBN: 3 7654 4161 9

• Hiking and Trekking
  
  • Höhenwege in den Dolomiten
    H. Dumler
    Bruckmann Verlag
    ISBN: 3 7654 3860 X
    
  • Dolomiten
    P. Fleischmann
    Kompass Verlag
    ISBN: 3 8705 1409 4

• The Following books have been recommended to me by livioz. They are available in Italian and German (though out of print).
  
  • Pala Gruppe
    L Visentini
    Ed. Athesia
    ISBN: 8 8701 4612 X (german version)
    
  • Pale di San Martino
    Luca Visentini (1990),
    ed. Athesia, Bolzano
    (with a handmade 1:25000 map)
    ISBN 88-7014-598-0 (italian version)
    
  • Dolomiti - Scoperta e Conquista
    Hermann Frass (1976)
    Ed. Athesia, Bolzano/ Bozen
    ISBN 88-7014-025-3 (italian version)

Maps

• Pale di San Martino
  Kompass Map WK 622
  ISBN: 3 8549 1548 9
  Scale: 1:25000
  
• Pale di San Martino
  Kompass Map WK 76
  ISBN: 3 8549 1086 X
  Scale: 1:50000
  
• San Martino di Castrozza e le zone adiacenti
  Carta delle zone turistiche d'Italia
  Touring Club Italiano
  Scale 1:50000
  
• Pale di San Martino
  Tabacco Map 022
  Scale: 1:25000

Images

View Cima della Rosetta Image Gallery - 54 Images