Tofana di Rozes
3,225 m
Italy
- Elevation
- 3,225 m
- Prominence
- 664 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Aug–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Path closedReported 4 Oct 2026
After a large rockfall from the north face of the neighbouring Tofana di Dentro on 4 October 2026, Cortina closed path 401 in the Val Travenanzes and the Cengia Paolina area. The Tofana di Rozes normal route and the Lipella are not directly affected, but check before using paths into the Val Travenanzes.
montagna.tvAdvisoryReported 21 Aug 2026
The Lipella ferrata was listed as open by the Cortina mountain guides on 21 August 2026; the Formenton ferrata and path 407 on the Tofana Terza were closed because of collapse danger.
guidedolomiti.com
Routes
2Sources differ: EE, I (Italian hiking scale) (Guide Alpine Cortina)
An unprotected mountain path up the north side: from Rifugio Dibona up the Vallon de Tofana to Rifugio Giussani (2,561 m) at Forcella Fontananegra, then over scree, sloping slabs and old snow following cairns and blue paint marks to the top of the Lipella ferrata and a steep zigzag up the north-west shoulder to the summit cross. About 1,200 m of ascent, 3½ hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 5.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,184 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,225 m
- Time Up
- 4h 35m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 01m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive from Cortina along the Falzarego road and up the mostly paved side road to the car park below Rifugio Angelo Dibona (about 2,035 m). From the hut a gravel track climbs the scree fan of the Vallon de Tofana between Punta Anna and the Tofana di Rozes, then mule track 403 continues to Rifugio Giussani (2,561 m) on the broad Forcella Fontananegra, about 1½ hours. The pass is scattered with First World War positions. From the Giussani follow the marked path south-west towards the Tre Dita and the Lipella escape route. At a fork at about 2,630 m leave it and follow the blue marks and cairns of the normal route up a broad, stepped face of scree, ledges and sloping slabs, often with snowfields until mid-summer, trending right towards the point where the Lipella ferrata comes out on the ridge (about 3,027 m). From there a path zigzags up the north-west shoulder, finishing on very steep scree, to the large summit cross. Allow about 2 hours from the hut. There are no cables or difficult moves (UIAA I at most), but the terrain is serious: route-finding on the slabs is tricky in cloud, the loose scree sends stones onto people below, and snow or verglas on the slabs early and late in the season calls for crampons. Descend the same way, about 1 hour to the Giussani and another hour to the car park. The Cortina guides give about 7 hours for the round trip.
Start
Rifugio Dibona parking2,039 m
- Bus to Cortina d'Ampezzo; seasonal buses on the Falzarego road. No public transport to Rifugio Dibona; taxi or walk
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rifugio Dibona parking → Tofana di Rozes | 5.1 | 1,184 | 0 | 4h 35m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Rifugio Dibona parking2,039 m
- Hut: Rifugio Angelo Dibona2,037 m
- Hut: Rifugio Giussani2,575 m
- Summit: Tofana di Rozes3,225 m
Key Passages
- Stepped slabs and scree above the 2,630 m fork
- Snowfields on the north face (early season)
- Very steep scree on the north-west shoulder below the summit
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The westernmost of Cortina's three Tofane, a 3,225 m limestone block with a huge south face. You can reach the summit by an unprotected scramble from Rifugio Giussani (I) or by the Lipella ferrata, which starts in a First World War tunnel.
The Tofana di Rozes is the most distinctive of the three Tofane west of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Seen from the Falzarego road it is a broad wedge with a huge south face and a pointed south-east arête, home to classic rock climbs. The north and west sides are gentler, a stepped slope of slabs and scree that carries the normal route.
The mountain was on the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary in 1915–17. The Castelletto, a rock tower on its south-west spur held by Austrian troops, was attacked with an Italian mine in 1916, and tunnels, trenches and hut ruins are everywhere. The Lipella ferrata uses one of these tunnels to reach the west face.
The normal route needs no climbing gear in summer but is a serious mountain walk at over 3,000 m: about 1,200 m of ascent from Rifugio Dibona, loose scree, sloping slabs with sparse blue marks, and snowfields into July. In return the view takes in the Marmolada, Civetta, Pelmo, Cristallo and the Sella group.
Climbing Notes
For the normal route you need to be fit for 1,200 m of ascent and sure-footed on loose scree and slabs without cables; good route-finding helps, since the marks are sparse. Wear a helmet. Most people do it in a day from the Dibona car park (about 7 hours round trip), or sleep at Rifugio Giussani for an early start. Before mid-July and after the first autumn snow, carry crampons and an axe and check conditions with the hut. The Lipella ferrata is long (6–8 hours with the descent) and strenuous rather than extremely hard; it needs a headlamp for the tunnel, full ferrata kit and experience of long, exposed ferratas. The Cortina mountain guides offer both routes.
History
Paul Grohmann, with Angelo Dimai, Francesco Lacedelli and Santo Siorpaes, made the first ascent by the normal route on 29 August 1864. Karl Domenigg, Victor Wolf von Glanvell and Gottlieb Stopper climbed the north-west face on 11 August 1899. In the First World War the Castelletto on the south-west spur was an Austrian stronghold; Italian troops tunnelled beneath it and detonated a large mine in 1916; the attack failed. The tunnels now carry the start of the Lipella ferrata, which has a memorial to Giovanni Lipella, an Italian soldier who died on the mountain on 15 June 1918 and was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour.
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
- Ski-mountaineering from Rifugio Dibona or Falzarego for experts only
- Apr
- Spring ski ascents in safe snow conditions
- Jun
- Rifugio Giussani opens around 20 June; much snow on the north side
- Jul
- Snowfields lingering early in the month
- Aug
- Best conditions; afternoon thunderstorms and crowds on the Lipella
- Sep
- Stable weather; Giussani closes late September
- Oct
- Huts closed; early snow and verglas on the slabs
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Giussani (48 places) strongly recommends booking ahead by phone or email; a sleeping-bag liner is compulsory.
- Fees
- Hut overnight fees with discounts for alpine club members
- Rules
- Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo: stay on marked paths; no wild camping
- Getting There
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Venice Marco Polo (VCE), about 160 km
- Train to Calalzo or Dobbiaco/Toblach, then Dolomiti Bus or SAD to Cortina d'Ampezzo
- By car from Cortina along the SR48 towards the Falzarego Pass, then the signed side road to Rifugio Dibona (car park about 2,035 m)
- Lipella alternative start: car park about 2 km above the Falzarego Pass for the Forcella Col dei Bos
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,083 m
Rifugio Angelo DibonaHutStaffed
- 2,561 m
Rifugio GiussaniHutStaffed
48 beds · Usually first half of June to end of September (2025: 20 June – 26 September); closed in winter, when the nearby Rifugio Tofana serves as a winter room