Saslonch
3,181 m
Italy
Also known as Langkofel, Sassolungo, +1Also known as
Langkofel · Sassolungo · Saslonch - Langkofel - Sassolungo
- Elevation
- 3,181 m
- Prominence
- 1,124 m
- Difficulty
- 6/10
- Alpine climb
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 7 check notes
- danger scan: Rifugio Toni Demetz → Sassolungo: straight line 1203 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Rifugio Toni Demetz → Sassolungo: straight line 1203 m above the last hut/bivouac
- last routed vertex 1202 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- 35% straight-line fallback
- DIN time down 2.42 h vs published 5.5 h (-56%)
- Rifugio Toni Demetz → Sassolungo: straight (snap_failed; DEM rejected: no path below 45° between the endpoints, 1.2 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Cengia dei Fassani, Forcella del Canalone Basso, Gola delle Guide, Bivacco Giuliani, Torre Gialla
Sources differ: AD (Camptocamp) · PD+/AD (nikobeta.net) · III (free), III+ (obligatory) (nikobeta.net)
One of the hardest normal routes on any 3,000 m Dolomite summit: a long, labyrinthine climb of mostly II–III rock from the Forcella del Sassolungo, along the Fassani ledge, past the remnant Langkofel glacier, up the Guides' gully to an emergency bivouac and over the Torre Gialla (III+) to the summit. About 600–700 m of ascent but roughly 2 km of climbing each way.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 3.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,003 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,181 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 3h 46m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 2h 25m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the Passo Sella car park take the old two-seat 'standing gondola' or walk path 525 (about 1–1½ hours, 500 m) to the Toni Demetz hut on the Forcella del Sassolungo (2,681 m). Descend the far side on path 525 for about 100 m towards the Vicenza hut, then branch right and down a short chimney to the obvious ledge cutting the south-west face, the Cengia dei Fassani. The ledge has short steps of II–III (snow often lingers at its start), passes a waterfall and leads through two notches, the first reached by a short compact wall and a dihedral, the second via a cable, a chimney and a short III crack, onto the north side. A ledge with a small III overhang leads into the basin holding what is left of the Langkofel glacier. The old snow and ice gully (Canalone Basso) is now normally avoided by the rock rib on its left (Bernardi–Unterkircher variant, III/III+, with a cemented peg, about nine iron rungs and a fixed cable) to the Forcella del Canalone Basso. A path crosses the scree amphitheatre (about 2,900 m), where Grohmann's original line joins, and the Gola delle Guide (Guides' gully, II–III) is climbed to the foot of the Torre Piramidale and the small green Bivacco Giuliani (about 3,100 m). Directly above, the Torre Gialla is climbed by a steep, exposed chimney-dihedral on its right (III+, the crux). An easy but exposed ridge of notches and humps then curves south-east over the fore-summit to the main summit (cross, summit book). Descent is by the same route with between one and about ten abseils (30 m single rope is enough; longer abseils risk jamming) and much downclimbing; it takes about as long as the ascent. Climbing alone usually takes 4–5 hours each way, so the day is 8–10 hours from the lift. The hut keeper advises turning round by midday at the latest. Much of the route is climbed moving together on a short rope; route-finding is the main difficulty and straying off-line quickly leads into harder, loose ground. Missing the last lift adds about 1½ hours and 500 m of descent on foot to Passo Sella. Many parties sleep at the Toni Demetz hut the night before.
Start
Passo Sella2,179 m
- Passo Sella – Forcella del Sassolungo two-seat 'standing gondola' (summer, 08:15–17:00; 2026: EUR 30 one way, EUR 45 return)
- Summer buses from Val Gardena (Selva/Wolkenstein) and Val di Fassa (Canazei) run to Passo Sella; check the current SAD/Trentino Trasporti timetable.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Passo Sella → Sassolungo | 3.3 | 1,003 | 0 | 3h 46m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Passo Sella2,179 m
- Hut: Rifugio Toni Demetz2,711 m
- Summit: Sassolungo3,181 m
Key Passages
- Cengia dei Fassani (often snowy at its start)
- Rock rib left of the Canalone Basso with iron rungs and a cable
- Gola delle Guide
- Torre Gialla chimney above the Bivacco Giuliani (III+, crux)
- Exposed summit ridge
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 65%Overview
The 3,181 m dolomite tower that closes the head of Val Gardena, highest of the Sassolungo (Langkofel) group. Its normal route is a long, intricate climb of II–III+ rock with no easy way to the top.
Sassolungo (German Langkofel, Ladin Saslonch, all meaning 'long rock') is the highest summit of the compact Sassolungo group, which also includes the Sassopiatto, the Punta Grohmann and the Cinque Dita. It stands between Val Gardena to the north, the Alpe di Siusi to the west and Passo Sella and Val di Fassa to the south, and its 1,000 m walls are one of the defining views of the western Dolomites. It has more than 1,100 m of topographic prominence.
There is no walking route to the summit. The normal route is a genuine rock climb of 600–700 m of ascent spread over roughly 2 km of ledges, gullies and towers, mostly II–III with a few III+ moves, and much of it is done moving together on a short rope. It is widely regarded as one of the most demanding normal routes on any 3,000 m Dolomite peak, less for its technical difficulty than for its length, route-finding and the many abseils on the way down.
The route starts from the Forcella del Sassolungo (2,681 m), reached by a quirky 1950s two-seat standing gondola from Passo Sella or on foot. Expect a 9–10 hour day from the lift, an emergency bivouac high on the route and, in July and August, other parties in the gullies. The popular circuit around the group's base (Giro del Sassolungo) is a hike and does not touch the summit.
Climbing Notes
This is a climb for parties comfortable leading and moving together on grade III Dolomite rock in approach shoes, able to set up abseils quickly and to find their way in complex terrain. Fitness for a 9–10 hour day is essential; altitude is not an issue. Many climbers hire a local IFMGA guide (Val Gardena guides typically take one, at most two, clients), and a guided ascent is the sensible choice for a first visit.
Typical itinerary: sleep at the Toni Demetz hut on the Forcella del Sassolungo, start at first light, aim to be on the summit by late morning and turn back by midday at the latest, as the hut keeper advises. The descent takes as long as the ascent. Carry a topo; going off-route leads into harder, loose ground.
Check conditions before going: snow often lingers at the start of the Fassani ledge and in the gullies into early summer, and the remnant glacier gully that the first ascent used is now normally avoided on rock. A light axe and crampons can be useful early in the season. Thunderstorms build quickly on summer afternoons, and retreat from high on the route is slow.
History
The first ascent was made on 13 August 1869 by the Viennese Paul Grohmann with the guides Franz Innerkofler and Peter Salcher, from the Cunfin plateau into the Langkofelkar and up a gully (the Canalone Basso) into the amphitheatre. The lower part of that line is now avoided because of rockfall; the upper part is roughly followed today. The Gola delle Guide was first climbed on 13 August 1892, the Torre Gialla variant in 1893 (with Antonio Dimai, Sepp Innerkofler and Jeanne Immink among the party) and the Cengia dei Fassani approach in 1913. Later landmark climbs include Angelo Dibona's 1911 route on the Campanile Ovest and the 2013 ice-and-mixed line 'La Legrima' on the north face by Adam Holzknecht and Hubert Moroder.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; lift and hut closed; occasional winter ascents by experienced climbers
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Snow on ledges and in gullies
- May
- Snow on the route; lift may open at the end of the month
- Jun
- Hut opens mid-June; snow usually lingers on the Fassani ledge and in gullies
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; busy in the gullies
- Sep
- Often stable and quieter; shorter days
- Oct
- Hut closes early October, lift around mid-October; early snow and ice on north-facing sections
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Toni Demetz (24 places) by request form on tonidemetz.it or by email to info@tonidemetz.it; book well ahead for July and August.
- Fees
- Passo Sella – Forcella del Sassolungo lift (summer 2026): EUR 30 one way, EUR 45 return
- Rules
- Dogs are not allowed at the Toni Demetz hut
- Getting There
Selva di Val Gardena / Wolkenstein; Canazei (Val di Fassa)
Bolzano (BZO); Innsbruck (INN), Verona (VRN) and Venice (VCE) are larger
- By car to Passo Sella (2,180–2,240 m) from Selva di Val Gardena or Canazei
- Summer buses run from Val Gardena and Val di Fassa to Passo Sella
- Lift from Passo Sella to the Forcella del Sassolungo (08:15–17:00 in summer); on foot by path 525 in about 1–1½ hours
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,685 m
Rifugio Toni DemetzHutStaffedBooking required
24 beds · Mid-June to early October (13 June – 4/6 October in 2026 per Val Gardena tourism)