Discover Brenta Dolomites - From the past to the future of alpinism in the Dolomites

In July 1884 John Ball reached Molveno and discovered a sleepy little village, inhabited by farmers and shepherds. He slept in the only inn in the village and, accompanied by two local hunters, Matteo and Bonifacio Nicolussi, on the next day he began the alpine exploration of the Dolomites, crossing the Bocca di Brenta for the very first time towards Pinzolo. His cultural background, based on romantic ideals, enabled him to see the mountains as places worth discovering, visiting, that needed mapping out and learning about. This gave birth to local tourism and mountaineering in the Dolomites.

In the 150 years that followed the way people practice alpinism, and the possibilities it offers, have changed dramatically; the means have changed, as have ambitions, the perception that the mountains represented the unknown and, above all, the number of people taking to the mountains has changed considerably. The way they mountains have been experienced, interpret and learnt has been exhibited at Molveno this summer via photo exhibitions, book presentations and lectures. However the latent, underlying question remained: was it still possibile to discover something new, even in this mountain group as tamed and famous as the Brenta massif?

The Brenta Base Camp - Dolomitiche 2.0 initiative proved that, even today, people can interpret the mountains, alpinism and adventure as they wish, on mountains that, at first glance, have already revealed their soul in every hidden corner. Apart from the value from a climbing point of view, what remains from these alpine achievements is the human side : seeing the climbers who explored the Brenta group during the last 40 years together, shaing their experiences and the spectacle of the summits, discussing and reflecting about the greater meaning of modern alpinism, is the greatest success of this initiative, that goes well beyond the age gap and the different approaches.

In this sense the pleasant snack and dinner at Rifugio Croz dell'Altissimo was far more than a mountaineering symposium. It wass the demonstration that the tension that drove alpinists two or three generations ago is no different from what motivates climbers and explorers today.

The four new routes climbed during the Brenta Base Camp therefore also has a symbolic meaning. In addition to a mass use of this area, and perhaps even in this, everyone can still find profound sensations and unexplored places in the Dolomites, while being at one with nature. The freedom to interpret as one wishes to is endless and the discovery is still out there, waiting for a new phase, even more intense and different.

See you next year

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