Prati di Camera

Access
Passo Valparola can be reached by car from Val Badia or else by going over Passo Falzarego from Cortina or from the Agordino side. A ski bus service (on payment) connects Armentarola (Sellaronda lifts) to the Passo Falzarego cable car passing through the point of departure. So you can use this service to reach the itinerary without using your car. Itinerary
Go round the Rifugio Valparola and look over onto the south face of the small summit; behind this you traverse slightly downhill along the summer trail and then up high till you reach an area of rocks. From here climb up diagonally crossing the slope at the base of the second summit, Piz Ciampei, till you reach the saddle to the left of this. With an unstable snowpack it is best to descend onto the flat areas below and climb directly up the last slope that goes up to the saddle. Descent
The descent follows a lovely open valley with an ideal gradient, till you reach an almost flat area encircled by trees. At the end of this you enter to the right of a river bed, a path that goes into the woods and descends firstly by zig-zagging, then crossing decisively to the right. You reach a lovely open area with a few huts; after taking a break, follow a track for snow mobiles to your left that descends, with a few uphill sections, as far as Armentarola. The last flat section, close to the cross-country piste, is completed on foot along a secondary road as far as the Armentarola hotel (this way you reconnect to the Sellaronda lifts). Gear
Normal ski mountaineering equipment. Notes
With the Armentarola skibus service or a second vehicle you return to the point of departure. With “compact” snow conditions the climb can be done without using skins. Maps/Bibliography
Maps: Tabacco 1:25.000 foglio 7 Alta Badia
Guidebook: Francesco Tremolada, “Freeride in Dolomiti”, ed. Versante Sud
Alta Badia Tourist Office: www.altabadia.org
Alta Badia mountain guides, Corvara: www.altabadiaguides.com