FAQs: difficulty, accommodation, equipment

• To whom does the DBT (Dolomiti Brenta Trek) Tour apply?
• How long does it take to cover the whole DBT Trail?
• What type of equipment is necessary?
• With whom should you go?
• When is the best time to go?
• Where can you sleep?
• What type of path signage should you follow?
• How is the path difficulty classified?
• Apps and offline maps 4Land&Everytrail

"The mountain is neither good nor evil. It simply requires good preparation and constant attention."

To whom does the DBT (Dolomiti Brenta Trek) Tour apply

This trekking tour is meant for the expert excursionist, who is trained to deal with walks of multiple days, and who is familiar with the mountain environment. Should he/she decide to complete the whole tour avoiding the available shortcuts, he/she must be sufficiently confident on the "via ferrata" ("iron roads") and on particularly exposed paths.

How long does it take to cover the whole DBT Expert Trail?

The minimum time required to cover the whole DBT Expert trail is 6 nights. Possible in only 5 nights for the better trained amongst you!

The whole tour without the "via ferratas" can also be completed in 5 nights if you take shortcut between the Brentei refuge - Tosa Pedrotti refuge, which skips the most technical bit of the Vedretta (Peak) dei Camosci and the "via ferrata" Castiglioni.

For those who only have few days to spend on the trail it is possible to plan a circular route half of the full trek distance. In this case you will take advantage of all the alternative shortcuts which divide the circle in half from east to west and connect the Graffer refuge to the Malga (Italian for Shepherd's hut) Spora, Flavona and Tuena.

The half of the DBT Expert Trail south of these shortcuts can be completed in 4 nights, however it is technically rather demanding because it involves the crossing of the Vedretta dei Camosci and the "Ferrata" Castiglioni.

The half of the DBT Expert Trail north of these shortcuts is only at excursion level and it can be completed it in 3 nights.

What type of equipment is necessary?

• Climbing equipment: helmet, harness and specialised "via ferrata" equipment is compulsory in case you choose to take the "Via Ferrata" Castiglioni. However, the "via ferrata" equipment is not necessary if you choose to avoid this part by taking the shortcut that connects directly the Brentei refuge to the Tosa Pedrotti refuge through the Bocca di Brenta.

• Crampons: shortly before leaving ask the refuge-managers if you'll need the 12 or 6 spikes. For information on the Martinazzi path (between the Brentei and the XII Apostoli refuges) and the Bocca di Brenta (between Brentei and Pedrotti refuge) please contact the Brentei refuge; for information on the Osvaldo Orsi path (between the Pedrotti refuge and Malga Spora) please contact the Pedrotti refuge. Please note crampons are particularly necessary at the beginning and at the end of the summer season, and for those who start from the Brentei and the XII Apostoli refuges in the early morning hours. In both cases there is a bigger chance that the Vedrette (peaks) near the Bocca dei Camosci and the Bocca dei Due Denti are covered by an ice layer due to the low night temperatures.

• Ice axe: sometimes it is necessary to use this piece of equipment especially at the season's beginning and in the case of snowy winters. We advise you to contact the refuges for more detailed information as mentioned in the above paragraph concerning the need for crampons.

• Hiking boots and classical mountain equipment for treks of multiple days.

• Technical outdoor clothing including an extra set.

• Wind stopper and raincoat.

• Telescopic hiking poles

• Headlamps.

• Sleeping bag liner; its use is compulsory in the refuges. A sleeping bag is not necessary. Every refuge or bivouac is equipped with blankets (please ask for one with the refuge manager or the shepherd).

• Sufficiently capacious water bottle.

• Packed lunch for the overnight stays in the bivouacs (you can also purchase the food at the refuges or at the Malghe (Shepherd's huts) that produce cheese).

• A camp stove is NOT necessary.

 With whom should you go?

Should one person or a group be interested in completing the Dolomiti Brenta Trek Expert Trail but not feel sufficiently prepared to do it independently, we advise to contact one of the mountain guides who work in this area.

When is the best time to go?

The DBT Expert Trail follows along at considerable height and is therefore best to be covered during the summer months, when the paths are free from snow and the refuges are open, meaning from mid June until mid September.

At the beginnning of the season we advise to check for the presence of snow and whether the trails and iron paths are viable, by getting in contact directly with the refuges or the mountain guides in the area.Every refuge is responsible for securing specific parts of the tracks at the beginning of each season, in particular:

- The Brentel refuge for the Martinazzi Trail that climbs to the Bocca dei Camosci

- The XII Apostoli refuge for the part that climbs to the Bocca dei Due Denti

- The Agostini refuge for the "Via Ferrata" Castigioni

- The Rifugio Tosa Pedrotti for the Bocca di Brenta (towards the Brentei refuge) and for the Osvaldo Orsi path.

The refuges are indicatively open from June 20th to the end of September. The updated calendar of the openings is always shown at the end of the text about each stage of the trek in the box dedicated to the refuges.

Where can you sleep?

Along the DBT Expert Trail there are various possibilities to spend the night in refuges, shepherd's huts or bivouacs. In the southern part of the Brenta Dolomites there are various refuges that offer half board sleeping facilities in big dormitories or, upon request, in rooms with a minimum of 4 beds and the addition of warm showers. We advise to book your stay in advance since at the weekends and during the month of August the refuges are quite crowded.

In the northern part of the trail, on the other hand, the hikers will be hosted in shepherd's huts and bivouacs. The only managed shepherd's huts that offer half board are Malga Spora and Malga Tuena (9 hours walking distance from each other!). Malga Spora is inhabited from the beginning of July to the beginning of September, Malga Tuena from mid June to the end of September. Outside these dates the hikers will still be able to make use of the bivouac, which offers beds, blankets and a kitchen for self catering. The precise season opening dates for the shepherd's huts change from year to year depending on the weather conditions.

The bivouacs cannot be booked in advance, but they all offer mattresses, blankets and pillows to the hikers. Warning: The DBT Expert Trail runs partially within the borders of the Adamello Brenta Natural Park and camping is therefore strictly forbidden.

The average price for an overnight stay with half board at the shepherd's huts and refuges ranges between € 40,- for CAI members (Club Alpino Italiano - The Italian Mountaineers Association) and € 50,- for non-CAI members. The updated prices can be consulted on the website of each refuge.

What type of path signage should you follow?

The Dolomiti di Brenta Trek Expert Trail runs almost entirely along the SAT paths (Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini, an association directly related to the CAI - see above), therefore well marked with the classical path signage in white-red, accompanied by the path number. The path marking of the DBT Expert Trail is well positioned and consistent. The markings consist of the green round DBT logo combined with the usual SAT markings.

The Dolomiti Brenta group hosts an incredibly dense network of SAT paths allowing for a massive extension of over 400km of trails, all marked and numbered. With the map in your hands getting lost is practically impossible!

The specific Dolomiti Brenta map, which contains all DBT Expert and Country trail paths conveniently highlighted can be purchased on-line on Amazon or you can also download the App and install the digital cartography.

How is the path difficulty classified?

All SAT paths are provided with their own difficulty scale measured and identified by the SAT members. In the description of each stage of the journey the difficulty level of the paths and the iron ways will be clearly indicated with a series of acronyms that can be interpreted as follows: we remind you that the DBT Expert trail is meant for expert hikers who are confident with high altitude and partially exposed paths.

Legend:

Apps and offline maps: 4Land & Everytrail