Tofana di Mezzo
3,244 m
Italy
- Elevation
- 3,244 m
- Prominence
- 1,369 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Approximate 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? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Rifugio Giussani → Forcella Tofana: straight line 1181 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Rifugio Giussani → Forcella Tofana: sustained 66° > 40° on a straight line
- danger scan: Forcella Tofana → Tofana di Mezzo: straight line 257 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Forcella Tofana → Tofana di Mezzo: sustained 63° > 40° on a straight line
- last routed vertex 257 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- 28% straight-line fallback
- Rifugio Giussani → Forcella Tofana: straight (unreachable; DEM rejected: no path below 40° between the endpoints, 1.2 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Forcella Vallon (OSM match off-route)
Sources differ: medium-difficulty alpine route (Rifugio Giussani)
The line of the 1863 first ascent and the only way to the top without a hard via ferrata or the cable car: from Rifugio Giussani up a red-dotted gully to Forcella Vallon, across the west flank to the saddle between Tofana di Mezzo and Tofana di Dentro (3,084 m), then a cabled ledge on the north side to the summit. Unmarked in places and loose; about 3 hours from Giussani.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 5.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +1,461 m
- −253 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,244 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 6h 01m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 4h 25m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Rifugio Dibona (about 2,040 m) follow path 403 up the scree basin under the Tofana di Rozes to Rifugio Giussani at Forcella Fontananegra (about 2,580 m). From the hut the route goes up the gully towards Forcella Vallon, waymarked only with red dots. From Forcella Vallon a faint trail traverses north across the whole west flank of Tofana di Mezzo, shown on the Tabacco 1:25,000 map as a barely visible dotted line, into a broad combe below the saddle between Tofana di Mezzo and Tofana di Dentro (Forcella Tofana, about 3,084 m). From just below the saddle a long cabled ledge on the north side leads round onto the summit block; a short cable and easy steps lead to the top, a few minutes from the Cima Tofana cable-car station. The Rifugio Giussani website gives about 3 hours from the hut. The hut describes it as a mountaineering route of medium difficulty, and bergsteigen.com warns that the path between the saddle and Giussani is tricky and needs solid alpine experience: loose scree, route-finding, and snow or ice in the gullies early and late in the season. Many parties use it only in descent after a via ferrata, or simply ride the Freccia nel Cielo cable car down. Descending to Dibona takes about 3 hours.
Start
Rifugio Angelo Dibona2,037 m
- Freccia nel Cielo cable car from Cima Tofana (summer only; last descent 16:50 in 2026)
- Bus to Cortina d'Ampezzo (from Dobbiaco/Toblach station or Calalzo); no regular bus to Rifugio Dibona, which is reached by a narrow road and track off the Passo Falzarego road. Descent by the Freccia nel Cielo cable car (Cima Tofana–Ra Valles–Col Drusciè–Cortina) is possible in summer.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rifugio Angelo Dibona → Tofana di Mezzo | 5.1 | 1,461 | 253 | 6h 01m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Rifugio Angelo Dibona2,037 m
- Hut: Rifugio Giussani2,575 m
- Col: Forcella Tofana3,001 m
- Summit: Tofana di Mezzo3,244 m
Key Passages
- Red-dotted gully to Forcella Vallon
- Faint traverse of the west flank
- Cabled ledge on the north side from Forcella Tofana
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 55%Overview
The highest of the three Tofane above Cortina d'Ampezzo and the third-highest summit of the Dolomites (3,244 m). A cable car runs almost to the top, but on foot it means either a hard via ferrata up the south ridge or a loose, partly cabled alpine route from Rifugio Giussani.
Tofana di Mezzo is the central and highest summit of the Tofane, the great block of Dolomia Principale limestone that walls in the west side of the Ampezzo valley, between Tofana di Rozes (3,225 m) to the south-west and Tofana di Dentro (3,238 m) to the north. Its south side drops in ledges and towers to the ski area of Pomedes; its north side is a steep wall above the Val Travenanzes. Most of the group lies in the Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo.
The Freccia nel Cielo cable car runs in three sections from Cortina to Cima Tofana, a few minutes below the summit, so on summer days the top is shared with sightseers. For mountaineers the summit is the finish of one of the classic hard via ferratas of the Dolomites, the Olivieri–Punta Anna and Gianni Aglio, about 1,250 m of ascent with long exposed sections. The only non-ferrata route, used for the first ascent in 1863, climbs from Rifugio Giussani via Forcella Vallon to the saddle with Tofana di Dentro and finishes on a cabled ledge; it is loose and poorly marked and most people use it in descent. A short cabled path also links the summit with Tofana di Dentro.
The view is one of the widest in the Dolomites, from the Ortler to the Julian Alps. The Tofane were on the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary in the First World War, and the slopes below host the Olimpia delle Tofane downhill course of the 1956 Winter Olympics and the women's World Cup.
Climbing Notes
Choose by experience. The Punta Anna–Gianni Aglio ferrata (D) needs strong arms, a good head for heights and a full via ferrata kit; allow 6–8½ hours from Rifugio Dibona and plan to ride the cable car down, checking the last descent time (16:50 in 2026). Escape routes exist at Punta Anna/Terza Torre Pomedes and at the Bus de Tofana. The Giussani–Forcella Vallon route is technically easier but loose and hard to follow; it suits experienced mountaineers with a GPS track and a helmet. Snow lingers in north-facing gullies and on the ledges into July and returns in late September, when an ice axe and crampons may be needed.
Altitude is noticeable but rarely a problem at 3,244 m. Thunderstorms build quickly in summer and the cables attract lightning; start early. Rifugio Giussani and Rifugio Pomedes are good bases; there is no overnight accommodation at the top station.
History
Paul Grohmann made the first ascent in 1863 with the Ampezzo guide Francesco Lacedelli, by what is still the normal route. He went on to climb Tofana di Rozes in 1864 and Tofana di Dentro in 1865. During the First World War the front between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces ran through the Tofane, and wartime tunnels and positions remain on several routes.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- 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: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Top section of the cable car closed; winter mountaineering only
- Feb
- Winter; cables mostly buried
- Mar
- Winter; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Winter conditions
- May
- Snow on ledges and gullies
- Jun
- Cable car from mid-June (13 June in 2026); snow in gullies; Rifugio Giussani from about 20 June
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; busy ferratas
- Sep
- Stable weather; cable car and huts close in late September
- Oct
- No cable car or huts; early snow and verglas
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Giussani (CAI Cortina) is open from about 20 June to 26 September (2026 dates); book by phone (+39 0436 5740) or email, a deposit may be required.
- Fees
- Freccia nel Cielo, summer 2026 adult return: EUR 25 Ra Valles–Cima Tofana, EUR 35 from Col Drusciè; fares from Cortina are higher
- Overnight fees at Rifugio Giussani and Rifugio Pomedes
- Rules
- Most of the Tofane lie in the Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo; follow park rules
- The top section of the cable car runs only in summer; check the last descent (16:50 from Cima Tofana in 2026) before committing to a ferrata
- Getting There
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Venice Marco Polo (VCE)
- Bus to Cortina d'Ampezzo from Dobbiaco/Toblach railway station or from Calalzo; long-distance coaches from Venice
- Freccia nel Cielo cable car from Cortina (1,217 m) via Col Drusciè (1,778 m) and Ra Valles (2,475 m) to Cima Tofana (3,244 m); first ascent 09:00 in summer
- Car: from Cortina towards the Passo Falzarego, then a narrow road and track to the car park at Rifugio Dibona
Hazards
- Exposure
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
3- 2,037 m
Rifugio Angelo DibonaHut
- 2,303 m
Rifugio PomedesHut
- 2,580 m
Rifugio GiussaniHutStaffed
About 20 June – 26 September (2026); closed in winter