Via Ferrata is a fun, accessible, and adrenaline-pumping climbing experience, perfect for those who are looking for new thrill-seeking activities. Via Ferrata (Italian for “Iron Way”) combines scrambling and rock climbing, and involves the climber being clipped to a metal rail bolted into a mountain. The bolted metal rail acts as a safety line for the Via Ferrata climbing experience, making it a safe – yet exhilarating – thrill-seeking activity. Read on to learn more about the greatest Via Ferrata routes in the world – with some closer to home than you might expect!
No blog discussing the Via Ferrata is complete without mentioning the Italian Dolomites. It was in Italy that this unique climbing experience was born. During World War 1, primitive Via Ferrata routes of iron cables and ladders were installed onto the Dolomites’ cliff faces in an effort to move Italian soldiers quickly over the mountain. There are now 600 Via Ferrata’s in the Dolomites with varying levels of difficulty but equally spectacular vistas, making it a truly memorable climbing experience.
Reputedly the oldest example of the principle of a Via Ferrata, the Chang Kong cliff road was formed in the 13th Century by monks trying to reach the sacred Mount Hua. Chang Kong is a truly thrill-seeking activity and genuinely dangerous climbing experience; the Via Ferrata merely consists of a series of wooden planks laid on top of the iron pegs installed into the cliff face. Not only this, but this Via Ferrata is thousands of metres above the ground with a sheer drop to the bottom.
The Via Ferrata climbing experience on Mount Kenya is the highest in the world, at a whopping 16,355 feet above sea level. It is not just a climbing experience; you can combine climbing the Via Ferrata with a safari watch, looking out for elephants, tree hyraxes, and leopards. Set on the side of an extinct volcano, Mount Kenya’s Via Ferrata is a dramatic climbing experience – gorges, sheer drops, and sharp peaks are all part of this scenic route.
Whilst we might not exactly be impartial, Honister’s Via Ferrata is one of the most powerful climbing experiences out there. The routes were created when Honister was primarily a slate mine and traversing the age-old mining trails makes for a thrill-seeking activity; you’ll encounter vertical climbs, a Burma bridge, and a net crossing. With a range of climbing experiences that vary in difficulty as well as historic slate mine tours, there is something for everyone at Honister Slate Mine.
Get in touch with Honister Slate Mine today to find out more about our Via Ferrata climbing experiences, as well as our litany of other thrill-seeking activities. You can call us at 017687 77230 or email us at info@honister.com.
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