Technical data
- Entrance: 870mt
- Exit: 690mt
- Gap: 180mt
- Development: 2000mt
- Halfway entrance elevations: entrance 830mt
- Exit: 690mt
- Gap: 140mt
- Development: 1300mt
- Shuttle: 5Km
- Approach: 20 minutes
- Progression: 5 hours
- Return: 15 minutes
- Halfway entrance estimated travel times
- Shuttle: 0 Km
- Approach: 15 minutes
- Progression: 4 hours
- Return: 15 minutes
- Anchoring: ProCanyon
- Difficulty: v4 a5 IV
- Recommended ropes:1 x 60mt
- Period: July through September
- Escape routes: shortly after the point where a concrete bridge crosses the gorge, a trail to the right leads to the vicinity of the Erto bridge. Just over the dark part, it is more or less possible to go up by the right bank along the bed of a small tributary. Before the natural arch, it is possible to arrive to the state road through steep scree gully to the left and then through steep grassy slopes.
- Gear: Wetsuit, 2 brackets
- Tabacco chart 1:25000 sheet #021 – Friulan and over-the-Piave Dolomites
Description
Downstream access
Park the car nearby the bridge over Val Zemola, along State Road 251.
Should you choose to go up the left bank, park the car nearby an unfinished apartment block on state road 251, at San Martino.
Upstream access, classic entrance
From Erto, drive for 3Km the mule track to the Maniago refuge. At a watershed, after a brusque curve to the right, leave the car in the next lay-by (nearby a a curve to the left) right before the point where the asphalt paving resumes. From here, back almost to the center of the watershed (arrow with proCanyon roadmark), walk down to the bed along a steep and not always easy scree slope.
Maniago Refuge GPS coordinates: 46.321399, 12.392733
Upstream access, halfway entrance
Drive the trail that begins nearby the Erto bridge (left to the shrine). In about 15 minutes, it takes you to the bed’s right bank.
Through the classic access, the gorge begins at first in a rather wide and boulder-ridden environment. Then it gets narrow while presenting a fun sequence of short rappels, toboga and slipways.
To the right bank, shortly after the point where a concrete bridge crosses the gorge, you’ll meet the trail marked as “halfway entrance”.
Some more jumps and you’ll arrive – after a stretch where the gorge grows quite wider – to a sudden narrowing between very high sides. Electric lighting can turn out useful in case of obscured sun outside. Since it looks like one of the local most popular activities consists in throwing rocks and other objects from the Erto bridge, it is recommended to hurry up while passing under it. After completing the very narrow, labyrinthine stretch, the itinerary’s most beautiful and challenging part begins with two splendid natural arches as portals.
Sequence of the followings slopes: 5, 10, 14, 17.
During the 5mt slope (carefully evaluate if feasible without rope), pay attention because the jump leads to a whirlpool from where it is difficult to get out, even due to the fact that the next, 8mt jump follows immediately.
The last two challenging jumps (in the middle of the current) can be passed by keeping yourself as much to the left as possible.
The itinerary ends with the rock type’s change (it becomes markedly red) and after the last, characteristic waterfall with the flow that forms a “ponytail”.
From where the bed goes back to wide and rocky, proceed for a hundred meters, go up a scree slope to the right. It evolves into a thin track and then into a trail that leads to state road 251 nearby the bridge over Val Zenola (ProCanyon roadmark).
