Trail Running the Alta Via N.2 of the Dolomites

Arrive in Alta Badia (1,226m / 4,022') on your own and check into your hotel (private transfer available on request). Located in a large valley surrounded all around by the gorgeous peaks of the Dolomites, Alta Badia is truly the “heart of the Dolomites.” Geographically in South Tyrol (Südtirol / Alto Adige), this area was part of Austria prior to the First World War. Here you’ll find unique mountain scenery with villages rich in natural beauty and ancient traditions, with the opportunity to witness the simple everyday life of the local people (the “Ladini”), as well as the customs and traditions of the ancient Ladin culture.

If you are taking a self guided trip, in the afternoon, meet with a Dolomite Mountains representative who will provide a trip briefing and orientation, as well as maps, and everything necessary for your self guided adventure.
If you are taking a guided trip, you will meet with your guide tomorrow morning.

In the morning you will meet your UIAGM/IFMGA Professional Mountain Guide for a trip briefing and orientation, and to check the equipment necessary for your exciting days in the Dolomites.  Today is a great warm-up day, to wake up your legs, to help you acclimatize to the altitude and you’ll get your first taste of running on the Alta Via 2!

After breakfast, run to the beautiful green pastures of the Puez-Odle Natural Park and be sure to take in the geological richness of the area that surrounds you. A final downhill run on a rocky but panoramic trail returns you to Alta Badia.
(Run ~ 19 km / 12 miles, 1,260m / 4,134' ascent , 1,120m / 3,675' descent.)

Today is the first day of your hut-to-hut adventure on the Alta Via N.2, and probably the hardest day of the entire journey, but the effort is adequately rewarded by the extraordinary views. In the morning, ascend to the top of Piz Boé (3,152m / 10,341') – the highest peak of the Sella Massif.

From your rifugio take a private transfer to the nearby Malga Ciapela and run west along the river Torrente Pettorina. The trail climbs steadily through thick forest to reach pasture clearings. Reach the so called “Valley of Shade”, named for its position in the shadows of Marmolada to the north, with fantastic views eastwards of the Civetta and Pelmo Groups. The path soon leads over a steep rocky area and then reaches a large crater, descending on numerous hairpin turns. This has to be the best scree slope in the Dolomites, with stones just the right size to make this a memorable, effortless, and extremely enjoyable running descent!
Reach your home for tonight (1,982m / 6,502').
(Run ~ 16,5 km / 10,2 miles, 2,050m / 6,725' ascent, 1,500m / 4,920' descent.)

After breakfast, run past a small lake and a sheperd’s hut, and on to the “Alta Via dei Pastori” (Shepherd’s Alta Via) to a cozy Alpine lake (2,100m / 6,890'). Continue around the lake and down the dirt track, admiring the vast slabs of the metamorphic Lagorai chain extending northeast. Eventually, your run enters the realms of the awesome Pale di San Martino, one of the most rugged of the Dolomite ranges. This is not a suitable terrain for beginners; in fact this stretch with its exposed and aided passages verges on quite difficult. The trail is accompanied by the first of a series of short, but reassuring cables. A grassy shoulder opens to a lengthy scree descent, while ahead the elegant Focobon peaks (2,969m / 9,741') come into view a little at a time. Climb steadily into the upper valley, equipped with long stretches of cable, and downhill to your spectacularly positioned rifugio (2,571m / 8,435') for tonight. No duffel bag transfer at this rifugio.
(Run ~ 16,2 km / 10 miles, 1,060m / 3,478' ascent, 488m / 1,601' descent.)

Today’s massively rewarding stage takes Alta Via N.2 trail runners across rugged passages into the breathtaking heart of the Pale di San Martino, where humans are but minuscule dots on an immense limestone rockscape. Sure footedness is essential, as is freedom from vertigo, along with good stable weather. You’ll reach the lunar landscape of San Martino and the Pradidali Valley, where your rifugio for tonight is located (2,278m / 7,474').
No duffel bag transfer to this rifugio.
(Run ~ 11,5km / 7 miles, 819m / 2,687' ascent, 1,094m / 3,589' descent.)

After breakfast, drag yourself away from the comforts of the rifugio and head north up the immense Pradidali Valley. Take in the amazing views that reach as far as Marmolada, Pala di San Martino Cima Immink and La Fradusta. Once you cross over the pass, the east side is quite different, as you run downa desolate valley, apparently visited only by Alta Via 2 travelers. In a relentless descent surrounded by throngs of delightful edelweiss, the gradient steepens as the path snakes down the valley soon reaching the 2,000-meter (6,562') mark, where springy dwarf mountain pine and spruce appear. Further down the trail, shady beech wood is quite welcome after days on end of rockscapes. Get ready for a final, knee-testing descent to the bottom, and have a short private transfer to your hotel in Fiera di Primiero, where you will find your luggage and your duffel bag. Relax and celebrate the conclusion of your trail run along the Alta Via 2.
(Run ~ 14,6km / 9miles, 1,500m / 4,921' ascent, 2,400m / 7,874' descent.)

Breakfast and departure on your own (private transfer available on request).