Overhanging traverses, terrifying Nepali bridges, and monkey bridge river crossings. A lot has changed in the world of via ferrata since the days when my Dad and I ascended some of the Dolomite classics when I was a teenager.
Some of the original via ferratas (literally iron ways) were built in the First World War when the front line between Austria-Hungary and Italy ran through the Dolomites. Once they began to be used for recreational purposes, they provided a way to reach the tops of peaks that would have only been accessible by rock climbers. As they began to spread beyond the Dolomites many were built for the thrill of the exposure rather than the objective of reaching a summit, with the Via Ferrata du Parc Thermal in Saint-Gervais being a good example.
The river that flows through the centre of Saint-Gervais is spanned by two impressive road bridges and the via ferrata climbs up the sides of the steep gorge leading to the newer of those. Lillian and I had scoped out the via ferrata on a walk down the gorge and over an airy, metal ‘passerelle’ bridge that crossed the river.
The view from the passerelle.
This sign on the passerelle gave the via ferrata a grade of TD+ (Very Difficult +).
When I mentioned to Lillian that I planned to climb the via ferrata she reminded me that I no longer rock climbed and that I might find that my arm strength and stamina were not what they once were. With those wise words of caution fresh in my mind I set off up the via ferrata late on a hot and muggy afternoon.
The first section starts just above the Parc Thermal which can be reached by car from Le Fayet or with a 20 minute downhill walk from Saint-Gervais.
The Thermal Baths. A short walk along the path on the right leads to the start of the via ferrata.
A short descent leads off the main path to the start of the via ferrata, which is on the right of this picture.
On the second of the two initial bridges which established me on the steep rock wall below the passerelle.
The route mainly involved hauling oneself up metal rungs with a few natural and the odd metal foothold. There was nowhere to fully rest the arms and having to hang on one arm whilst switching the safely carabiners around the anchor points of the cables became increasingly tiring. (On a via ferrata you protect yourself by clipping onto a metal cable. You have two carabiners to attach yourself so you can always be connected by at least one at all times.)
At the passerelle there was a sign saying that this section had been AD+ (Fairly Difficult +) in difficulty and that the next section would be D+ (Difficult). There was an escape route marked and given that the first section had already been fairly strenuous I wondered how they could make it more difficult. I figured that the only way to find out was to push on.
The route became less continuously steep, with some sections that were easy scrambling but others with overhanging traverses. On these the hand and foot holds were a bit too close together to allow you to climb efficiently. You either had to have your arms bent or be rocked over on one foot. For that reason the difficulty seemed somewhat contrived but knowing that didn’t make it any easier.
The second escape route…
A picture of the following section taken when Lillian and I were on our walk.
The climbing became more strenuous, but although there were several signs explaining how to clip onto one on the rungs and rest one’s arms, I didn’t have to do that. This next section contained the first of the cable bridges which was a two cable ‘pont de singe’ (monkey bridge). Although it was scarily exposed it was not that difficult as the cables were taut and not that long. You could lean into the higher cable and stay in a stable position.
However, the next bridge was altogether more intimidating.
This ‘Nepali’ style bridge had a central lower cable for your feet and two handrail cables.
As I contemplated how best to photograph it – probably not the most appropriate excuse for delaying – it started raining and I realised I had better get it over with. After a few steps onto the bridge the cables started to oscillate. Although I knew I wasn’t going to fall to my death if I slipped, it was still frightening. Plus I wasn’t sure how easy it would be climb back up onto the bridge cables if I fell and was left dangling from my harness beneath them. Were my arms and legs shaking because of the bridge or was it other way round? With each step it was becoming worse. I had to stop and take a few deep breaths, calm myself down and start walking steadily. I reckoned it would take about 100 small steps to reach the end of the bridge. I started counting them down but thankfully once past the half way point it became easier.
Looking back over the Nepali bridge and the middle section of the via ferrata.
There was another escape route with the warning that the final section was TD+. But now it had started raining heavily but the way forward was sheltered under overhangs and staying dry. I wouldn’t say it was noticeably harder and although there were one or two more bridges they were much shorter than the wobbly one. The very final difficult section approached the river again and crossed it on another monkey bridge.
The rain had become heavy and was being blasted down the gorge by a strong wind.
I clipped myself in and put on my waterproof jacket before the final bridge which was fully exposed to the rain.
The river raging below made the whole experience memorable and atmospheric.
The final monkey bridge was not so difficult and I was soon climbing the final easy sections of the via ferrata on the other side. A short walk brought me to the Ruines du Châtelet, a medieval fortified house, on the far side of the new road bridge in Saint-Gervais.
In summary this via ferrata is a enjoyable excursion if you have half a day and want some excitement and a good workout for the arms. I ended up with a blister on one of my fingers from gripping the rungs so it may be a good idea to wear gloves. The whole via ferrata took me 1 hour 45 minutes. If pushed for time, the first section up to the passerelle is worth doing on its own. It is the section where I felt the exposure the most and is still challenging. In fact it is graded D (Difficult) in the website for the Tourism Saint-Gervais website.
Here are a few good videos on the via ferrata.
Short video showing the sections of the via ferrata from the passerelle.
Longer video in English. As this video discusses, it’s important to use gear designed for via ferratas. My friend Steph who lives in St Gervais lent me hers. Although my Dad and I used normal climbing slings and carabiners back in the day, that is definitely not recommended because of the risk of the carabiners breaking when shock-loaded in a fall.
Another long video. The Nepali Bridge is at 13 minutes and the final monkey bridge at 17 minutes.
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