# Averau and Nuvolau via ferratas with a guide, from Cortina

Cortina's first guided ferrata: the Averau, 2,649 m, and the return via the Nuvolau; 4 hours, 500 m of climbing and €150 per person in a group.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/dolomites/things-to-do/averau-nuvolau-via-ferrata · Revisado: 2026-11-11

Dónde: Dolomites

The Averau rises between the Passo Falzarego and the Passo Giau, above the Cinque Torri, west of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Its ferrata is short, without great difficulties and with some vertical sections, and Guide Alpine Cortina uses it as training for anyone starting out on via ferratas: that is why it is best to go with a guide and early.

### What a via ferrata is

A via ferrata is a route over rock equipped with a fixed steel cable and, on the more vertical sections, rungs or staples. You are attached to the cable with a harness and a two-carabiner energy absorber, so you are never loose. In the Dolomites many were born during the First World War, to move troops through the mountains, and today they are the way to reach summits that would otherwise require climbing.

### What the outing is like

It is run by Guide Alpine Cortina as a group, with a qualified guide:

Duration: about 4 hours.

Ascent: 500 metres in total, of which 100 on the ferrata.

Level: beginner, with some vertical sections.

Price: €150 per person.

Minimum: 4 participants to confirm the outing.

Meeting: at 8:30 at the guides' office, at Corso Italia 69/a in Cortina.

Book online by choosing the date and number of people. If there are fewer than four of you or you want to go alone, the guides offer the same outing privately: ask for the price by phone or through the contact form.

### When it is done

In summer, on the dates published in the guides' calendar, when the wall is free of snow and the lifts and huts are operating. Summer storms tend to arrive in the afternoon: that is why the meeting is early.

### Combine it with

Very close by, at the Passo Falzarego, the cable car goes up to the Lagazuoi and its Great War tunnels. For lunch, the Rifugio Averau is at the foot of the ferrata. If you stay in Cortina, the Hotel Menardi is on the way out towards Dobbiaco.

## Paso a paso

### 8:30 · Meet in Cortina
You meet the guide at the office on Corso Italia and check the equipment before setting out for the Cinque Torri.

### Approach · To the Rifugio Averau
The Rifugio Averau, at 2,413 m, is at the foot of the wall. You reach it by chairlift from Fedare, on the Passo Giau, or on foot from the Rifugio Scoiattoli, in an hour.

### 1–1 h 30 · The Averau ferrata
About 100 m of cable with vertical sections. You go up and down the same way, so sometimes you have to wait your turn.

### Return · Via the Nuvolau
A path leads from the Averau to the Rifugio Nuvolau, at 2,575 m, built in 1883, with views over the Passo Giau.

## Qué llevar

- Mountain boots with a firm sole

- Approved harness, helmet and energy absorber

- Ferrata or cycling gloves

- Windbreaker and a warm layer

- Water and something to eat

## Consejos

### Book well ahead
The group outing is only confirmed with four people. If you are a couple in June or September, ask about the private guide.

### Check the equipment
The guides' information sheet does not say whether they rent equipment: ask when booking.

### Eat at the Averau
The hut has a restaurant: the return is a good time to stop.

## Aviso

### They do not go out in a storm.
Summer storms arrive in the afternoon and the cable attracts lightning. That is why the meeting is early.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Do you need experience?
No. It is a beginner outing with a qualified guide, designed for your first ferrata.

### How much does it cost?
€150 per person in a group, with a minimum of four. The private guide has a different rate: ask at the office.

### When is it done?
In summer, on the dates in the calendar on the guides' website. It depends on there being no snow on the wall and on the lifts and huts being open.

### Can you do it independently?
Yes, if you have done ferratas before and carry your own approved equipment. If it is your first, go with a guide.