Via Ferrata

Via Ferrata

J'aime me faire peur, that sentence threw my professor off guard. Tu est Malade? Was all he could think to say. I'm shit scared of snakes yet while visiting any zoo, the reptile haus would be my first choice. I like to see how close to the snakes I could. I knew I had problems with height, roller coasters but I would try at least once. The adrenaline is better than what my professor insisted that I do instead, Mojito and Boogie.
So last week after a long day of class, gym and studying my husband took me to this Via Ferrata near our current address. A Via Ferrata is Italian for Iron Road which briefly explains the whole concept. On a rock face, standing 1000 meters high or even higher. Iron hand and foot rungs are fixed in an ascending order. This originated from Italy and  was used during the war to aid the movement of the Italian mountain infantry.
Picture those fire escapes and the place that image onto a rock face and that should give you an idea of a Via Ferrata. I'm no expert but its suppose to be less scarier and easier than free climbing or those other climbing sports like that movie "Cliffhanger"
Along these iron hands and foot rungs a steel cable is attached along the way as well, these steel cables are there purposely for the climber to attach its safety harness to it. That way if you do fall, which is less likely, you will be suspended midair. What you need is your specialized gear to attach to these cables and a helmet in case of falling rocks.
Remember that this was my first time to do a Via Ferrata. I was a nervous wreck but I was so keen on proving to myself that I can go up. A lot of it was the curiosity of the view from the top of the mountain, just wouldn't want to miss out on that. After a quick explanation from my husband on how to climb and how to use the safety gear we started off. According to him, when going up with someone who just started or is likely to panic. The best order to ascend is, beginner first.

The climb was a bit shaky at first and I tried hard not to look down or up. Noticing difficult surfaces before getting to it wont help. Its best (from a beginners experience) to concentrate on the task at hand. It wasn't an easy climb. you will stretch out into awkward positions that got you regretting not signing up for that yoga class last spring; Advice #2 wear loose or stretchable pants. 

After 20 minutes I was calm and started to stop every now and then to admire the view. 10 more minutes later I started to get too comfortable that I also became careless. Instead of having a hand holding on securely onto the steel road, I let both go and try to fix my clips. Bad move I was jolted back to reality when I nearly fell back. That's when my husband caught me and we lived happily ever after *LOL*. No nothing like that happened, I just didn't fall end of story. 

The climb lasted an hour, including water breaks. At the top the view was magnificent! You can see the stretch of the valley and its vineyards and orchards and the surrounding mountains. Like a different world up there. 

To come down, word of warning: Via Ferratas are  not designed to descend so there's always a bush path that will lead you down to the car park. You can find Via Ferratas all over Switzerland and neighboring France as well as Italy. For location and details just Google Via Ferrata and you will have numerous websites that offers information and guided tours all across Europe. Word of advice: like any other mountain climbing sport it is unwise to do it alone.
Be prepared also that no all Via Ferrata has the same level of difficulty. Some are higher with less iron hand and foot rungs but can last up to four hours. Depending on the level of difficulty, some Via Ferratas require upper body strength and some level of fitness.