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Monte Terza Grande

2,586 m

Italy

Also known as Plichenkofel, Terza Grande

Plichenkofel · Terza Grande

Elevation
2,586 m
Prominence
1,277 m
Difficulty
5/10
Easy alpine
Best Season
Jul–Sep
Routes
1

Routes

1
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AlpineFSources differ: F+ (Camptocamp, VieNormali.it) · F- (Escursionismo a 360°) · EE (VieNormali.it, Supermontifvg (CAI hiking scale))UIAAI+SACT5ScrambleNormal route

Sources differ: F+ (Camptocamp, VieNormali.it) · F- (Escursionismo a 360°) · EE (VieNormali.it, Supermontifvg (CAI hiking scale))

A long day from the Val Pesarina road (1,423 m): forest road and CAI paths 203/202 to Passo Mimoias and Passo Oberenghe (2,081 m), then about 500 m of rubble, ledges and short gullies on the south face, waymarked with red dots, to a narrow chimney (I+) with a loose steel cable just below the summit cross. About 1,200 m of ascent, 3½–4 h up.

Elevation Profile

1,0001,5002,0002,5003,0000 km123456Passo MimoiasTerza Grande
Distance
6.1 km
one way
Ascent
+1,218 m
−56 m lost on the way up
High Point
2,586 m
Time Up
4h 56m
DIN 33466
Time Down
3h 23m
DIN 33466 · same way back

Start on the SR 465 Val Pesarina road at about 1,423 m, 3 km west of the Pian di Casa cross-country ski centre towards Forcella Lavardet, where an unsigned forest road closed to traffic (CAI 203) heads towards Casera Mimoias. After about 30 minutes, just past the Mimoias stream, leave the road for CAI path 202, ignoring the branches to Creta di Mimoias and (202/A) Passo Elbel, and climb to Passo Mimoias (1,976 m). Join CAI 314 and climb steep switchbacks to Passo Oberenghe (2,081 m), about 1¾–2 hours from the road. From the pass, drop a few metres on the Sappada side, follow a marked trace left for about 150 m through dwarf pine, then climb scree and grass to the foot of the south ridge. Above a ledge at about 2,245 m the line winds north through a maze of boulders, ledges and small gullies, marked with red dots and cairns; hands are needed for the last 300 m or so, but the moves are mostly easy (I/I+) and rarely exposed. At about 2,550 m a few I+ moves on a slab lead into a narrow chimney fitted with a steel cable that is anchored only at the top (no intermediate fixings); it exits onto easy ground just below the west (main) summit with its cross and summit book. The east summit is a separate, harder climb (about 20 m of UIAA II). Descend the same way; most parties find the descent of the chimney and the loose rubble the trickiest part. Allow about 3½–4 hours up and 6–7 hours for the round trip. There are no huts, bivouacs or water on the route, and the red-dot line is hard to follow in mist, so go only in good visibility. Shorter approaches to Passo Oberenghe also exist from Val Frison (Cadore side) and, much longer, from Sappada on CAI 314.

Start

Strada forestale per Casera Mimoias (SR 465)1,424 m

  • Not practical: the trailhead is on the Val Pesarina road between Pian di Casa and Forcella Lavardet; local bus services in Val Pesarina are sparse and were not verified.
  • Parking at the trailhead

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Strada forestale per Casera Mimoias (SR 465) → Terza Grande6.11,218564h 56m

Waypoints

  1. Trailhead:
    Strada forestale per Casera Mimoias (SR 465)1,424 m

    Unsigned forest road 3 km west of the Pian di Casa ski centre towards Forcella Lavardet; roadside parking

  2. Col:
    Passo Mimoias1,982 m
  3. Col:
    Passo Oberenghe2,078 m
  4. Summit:
    Terza Grande2,586 m

Key Passages

  • Passo Mimoias
  • Passo Oberenghe
  • Red-dot line through ledges and gullies on the south face
  • Narrow I+ chimney with a loose steel cable just below the summit

Equipment

0/7 packed
Technical
Safety
Footwear
Clothing
Navigation
Other

Downloads

Route confidence 70%
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Overview

The highest of the Dolomiti Pesarine and of the mountains around Sappada (2,586 m), a pale limestone pyramid with a 1 km north-west face. The normal route is a long, waymarked but rough scramble up the south face, finishing in a short cabled chimney.

Terza Grande rises on the watershed between Sappada, Val Pesarina and the Cadore valleys of Val Frison, the highest summit of the small Siera–Clap–Terze group known as the Dolomiti Pesarine in the southern Carnic Alps. Seen from north or south it is a clean pyramid; from east or west a broad rock massif, with a north-west face around a kilometre high. The summit has two tops: the west summit with the cross (2,586 m on most maps) and an east summit a few metres higher, reached only by a short rock climb.

There is no easy way up. All approaches meet at Passo Oberenghe (2,081 m), from where the normal route picks a line through rubble, ledges and gullies on the south face, marked with red dots, and finishes in a narrow chimney with a loose steel cable. The climbing is easy (I/I+) and rarely exposed, but the terrain is loose, route-finding matters and the descent is more awkward than the ascent.

The mountain sees far fewer visitors than the Dolomites proper a few kilometres west. There are no huts, bivouacs or water on the route, so it is a long, self-sufficient day of around 1,200 m of ascent: a good objective for experienced hikers who are comfortable on loose limestone.

Climbing Notes

Expect a 6–7 hour round trip with about 1,200 m of ascent from Val Pesarina. You need to be sure-footed on loose scree and comfortable with easy (grade I/I+) scrambling up and down; the chimney below the summit has a steel cable fixed only at the top, which helps but does not protect. A helmet is strongly advised and gloves help on the sharp rock and the cable. Carry all your water.

Go only in settled weather with good visibility: the red dots are the only guide through the south face, and the limestone is slippery when wet. Snow lingers in the upper gullies into early summer and returns in October. The east summit requires a short UIAA II climb and should be treated as a separate rock objective. Use the Tabacco 01 (Sappada, Santo Stefano, Forni Avoltri) 1:25,000 map.

History

The first ascent is generally attributed to Austrian military surveyors in the 1820s. The first known tourist ascent of the west summit was made on 25 September 1880 by Maurice Holzmann with the Cadore guide Santo Siorpaes. The higher north-east summit was first climbed on 8 June 1889 by Carl Diener, Gustav Gröger and the Sexten guide Veit Innerkofler, by the summit ridge from the west summit; Diener published a history of the mountain's ascents in the Zeitschrift des DÖAV in 1890.

Season

Best Jul–Sep
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Not advisable
  4. April: Not advisable
  5. May: Not advisable
  6. June: Possible
  7. July: Best (best window)
  8. August: Best (best window)
  9. September: Best (best window)
  10. October: Good
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter; snow-covered rock and avalanche-prone approach slopes
Feb
Winter conditions
Mar
Winter conditions
Apr
Snow on the upper route
May
Snow in the gullies and chimney
Jun
Possible late in the month; check for old snow in the upper gullies
Jul
Main season; start early to avoid afternoon thunderstorms
Aug
Main season
Sep
Often stable weather
Oct
Good in dry autumn weather; short days and risk of early snow or verglas
Nov
Early winter conditions
Dec
Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Rules
  • The forest road to Casera Mimoias is closed to private vehicles; park on the Val Pesarina road
Getting There

Prato Carnico (Val Pesarina) or Sappada

Venice Marco Polo (VCE) or Trieste (TRS)

  • By car: from Comeglians or Prato Carnico up Val Pesarina on the SR 465 past Pian di Casa towards Forcella Lavardet; from the Cadore side over Forcella Lavardet from Vigo di Cadore
  • Alternative approaches to Passo Oberenghe: from Val Frison (Santo Stefano di Cadore) or from Sappada on CAI path 314 (much longer)
  • Public transport to the trailhead is not practical

Hazards

  • Rockfall
  • Exposure
  • Weather
  • Remoteness