Antelao

3,264 m

Italy

Also known as Антелао

Антелао

Elevation: 3,264 m
Prominence: 1,735 m
Difficulty: 5/10; Easy alpine
Best Season: Aug–Sep
Routes: 1

Hut closedReported 6 Oct 2026 · until 1 Jun 2027
Rifugio San Marco announces on its website that it is closed until June 2027; use Rifugio Galassi or Rifugio Scotter-Palatini.
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Routes

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AlpinePD+UIAAIIScrambleNormal route

Sources differ: I–II depending on snow (Berti, Dolomiti Orientali) (Rifugio San Marco / Berti guide) · UIAA I–II, partly II (SummitPost)

A long, unprotected scramble up the north ridge from Forcella Piccola (2,120 m): ledges to the broad shoulder of La Bala, then the huge tilted slabs of the Laste and a final chimney to the summit. Climbing never exceeds UIAA II, but the 2014 rockfall left the slabs covered in loose debris and route-finding matters. Usually two days with a night at Rifugio Galassi or San Marco.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: 11.0 km; one way
Ascent: +2,181 m; −154 m lost on the way up
High Point: 3,264 m
Time Up: 8h 57m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 6h 15m; DIN 33466 · same way back

From San Vito di Cadore drive or take the bus to the car park at the bottom of the San Marco chairlift (about 1,230 m). The chairlift (or an hour on foot along the gravel road) reaches Rifugio Scotter-Palatini (1,580 m). From there either take path 227 directly up the scree to Forcella Piccola (2,120 m, about 1½ hours) or walk via Rifugio San Marco (1,823 m) and the balcony path; a short descent east from the col leads to Rifugio Galassi (2,018 m). Scotter to Galassi via San Marco takes about 2½ hours. Galassi can also be reached from Calalzo through the Val d'Oten. From Forcella Piccola a marked path (red dots and cairns) climbs the scree-filled valley east of the north ridge. Rock begins at about 2,400 m: a rising traverse to the right on ledges and short steps reaches the broad ridge called La Bala at about 2,700 m. The ridge narrows briefly and then becomes the Laste, enormous slabs inclined at a steady angle with drops on both sides. A gap between the lower and upper slabs is crossed and a chimney (II) leads on. The upper 200 m keep close to the ridge past the site of the former Bivacco Cosi (3,111 m); a tower is turned on its west side, a short chimney with a single fixed cable (II) is the most exposed point, and the last metres run on the east side of the ridge to the summit. In November 2014 a large section of the Laste broke away along with the Bivacco Cosi. The line has changed since, the slabs carry loose stones and boulders, and the hut keepers at San Marco say the best line seems to change from year to year. Allow about 4 hours from Galassi to the summit. Descent is by the same route and is the more dangerous half: loose material, slippery slabs, and the risk of knocking stones onto parties below. About 3½ hours from the summit back to Scotter. Wet rock, verglas or old snow on the Laste make the route serious; go only in settled, dry conditions.

Start

San Vito di Cadore – Seggiovia San Marco1,238 m

San Marco chairlift San Vito–Rifugio Scotter (summer; daily in August, otherwise mainly weekends)
Train Venezia–Calalzo, then Dolomiti Bus (Calalzo–Cortina) to San Vito di Cadore; walk to the chairlift (path 228)
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	San Vito di Cadore – Seggiovia San Marco → Rifugio Pietro Galassi	7.8	928	143	4h 21m
2	Rifugio Pietro Galassi → Antelao	3.2	1,255	12	4h 37m

Waypoints

Parking:
San Vito di Cadore – Seggiovia San Marco1,238 m
Large public car park at the chairlift valley station
Hut:
Rifugio Scotter-Palatini1,574 m
Chairlift top station
Hut:
Rifugio San Marco1,822 m
Hut:
Rifugio Pietro Galassi2,020 m
Col:
Forcella Piccola2,120 m
Summit:
Antelao3,264 m

Key Passages

Ledge traverse to La Bala (from about 2,400 m)
Narrow, exposed section of ridge onto the Laste
Gap and chimney (II) between lower and upper Laste
Short chimney with a fixed cable below the summit (II)

Equipment

0/9 packed

Technical

Crampons and ice axeif old snow or ice remains on the Laste or in the summit chimneyRecommended
Short rope (30 m) and a few slingsfor less experienced partners on the chimneys and the exposed upper ridgeRecommended

Safety

Helmetloose debris on the slabs; stonefall from parties aboveRequired
Headlamplong day; early start from the hutRequired

Footwear

Stiff mountaineering bootsRequired

Clothing

Waterproof and warm layersRequired

Navigation

Map or GPS trackthe line on the Laste changed after 2014 and is easy to lose in cloudRequired

Hut & Camping

Sleeping-bag linerrequired at Rifugio GalassiRequired

Other

Trekking polesfor the long scree descentRecommended

Downloads

Route confidence 75%

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Overview

The highest peak of the eastern Dolomites and the second highest in the range, a 3,264 m pyramid above San Vito di Cadore whose normal route is an unprotected UIAA II scramble up the tilted slabs of the Laste.

Antelao rises in a single sweep of more than 2,000 m above the Boite valley between Cortina d'Ampezzo and the Cadore. Locally it is called the King of the Dolomites, second in height only to the Marmolada, and it still carries two small glaciers on its north-east side. With 1,735 m of prominence it is one of the Alps' ultra-prominent peaks.

The normal route is not a via ferrata. From Forcella Piccola, the col between Antelao and the Marmarole, it climbs ledges onto the north ridge and then the Laste, huge inclined slabs that give the mountain its shape from the north. The climbing is easy (UIAA I–II) but sustained, exposed and almost entirely unprotected, and it is long: about 1,150 m of ascent from the hut, 1,700 m from the chairlift.

The mountain is notoriously unstable. In November 2014 a large section of the Laste collapsed into the Val Antrimoia, taking the Bivacco Cosi with it, and loose debris still lies on the slabs. Since then fewer people climb it, and the hut keepers below say the best line changes from year to year. In return the summit looks down on Cortina, the Pelmo, the Civetta and the Venetian plain.

Climbing Notes

You need to be completely at home on exposed grade I–II rock without a rope, including in descent, and fit for 1,150 m up and down from the hut in one day (1,700 m from Scotter). Most parties sleep at Rifugio Galassi or Rifugio San Marco, start before dawn and allow 4 hours up and 3–4 hours down. Wear a helmet, keep away from parties below you and go only in dry, settled weather: wet slabs, verglas or old snow on the Laste turn the route into a serious undertaking that calls for crampons, an axe and rope skills. Snow often lingers into July. The keepers of Rifugio San Marco advise going with a local mountain guide unless you are experienced in Dolomite route-finding. Typical itinerary: chairlift or walk to Scotter, 2½ hours to Galassi, summit next morning and descent to San Vito.

History

Matteo Ossi, a chamois hunter from San Vito di Cadore, is thought to have reached the summit before 1863, perhaps around 1850. The first recorded tourist ascent was on 18 September 1863 by Paul Grohmann with Alessandro and Francesco Lacedelli and Matteo Ossi, by the Laste. Pietro Paoletti made the first winter ascent on 15 January 1882. Instability has shaped the valley's history: the 1348 earthquake and later landslides from the mountain's flanks (1737, 1814) destroyed villages around Borca and San Vito. On 12 November 2014 the Laste broke away along their length down to the Bivacco Cosi (3,111 m), which was destroyed.

Season

Best Aug–Sep

January: Not advisable
February: Not advisable
March: Not advisable
April: Not advisable
May: Not advisable
June: Possible
July: Good
August: Best (best window)
September: Best (best window)
October: Possible
November: Not advisable
December: Not advisable

Jan: Winter ascents and the ski-mountaineering route are for experienced alpinists only
Mar: Spring ski-mountaineering by the glacier route for experts
May: Laste usually snow-covered
Jun: Huts open in June; snow often remains on the Laste and summit chimney
Jul: Usually free of snow from mid-July
Aug: Most reliable conditions; afternoon thunderstorms
Sep: Stable weather, fewer people; huts close around 20 September
Oct: Huts closed; early snow and verglas likely

Access & Permits

Hut Booking

Book Rifugio Galassi online through its website (recommended); a sleeping-bag liner is compulsory. Rifugio San Marco takes reservations by email or phone.

Fees

Chairlift San Vito–Scotter (paid)
Hut overnight fees with discounts for alpine club members

Rules

Private vehicles on the gravel road to Rifugio Scotter only before 07:00 and after 18:30 (SummitPost; check locally)

Getting There

San Vito di Cadore

Venice Marco Polo (VCE), about 140 km; Treviso (TSF), about 130 km

Train from Venice or Padua to Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore, then Dolomiti Bus towards Cortina to San Vito di Cadore
From the north: train to Dobbiaco/Toblach, SAD bus to Cortina, Dolomiti Bus to San Vito
By car: A27 to Pian di Vedoia, then SS51 (Alemagna) to San Vito di Cadore; park at the San Marco chairlift
Alternative approach to Rifugio Galassi from Calalzo through the Val d'Oten

Hazards

Rockfall
Exposure
Weather
Avalanche

Huts & Shelters

Rifugio Scotter-PalatiniHut
1,580 m
Rifugio San MarcoHutStaffed
Summer (closed until June 2027 at the time of writing)
Website of Rifugio San Marco
1,823 m
Rifugio Pietro GalassiHutStaffed
98 beds · Summer, roughly late June to late September; winter room with 6 beds
Book Rifugio Pietro Galassi Website of Rifugio Pietro Galassi
2,018 m