Via ferrata dei Bambini (Children's via ferrata)
Resorts: Gressoney-Saint-Jean
The ferrata dei Bambini is actually a good fully equipped trail on an ascending ledge, for those that want to try it out for the first time in a slightly exposed area. In spite of the name it is a trail with distant fastenings, very useful for beginniners but not suitable for children (who have short levers and could not reach the fastenings or footholds very well on main passages without help).
Technical information
How to get here
Tollbooth of Pont-Saint-Martin. Follow the directions for Gressoney. Once you’ve reached the town of Gressoney-Saint-Jean you can park your car in the large parking area right in front of the church and cemetary that you see when you come into town.
Description of the route
From the parking area cross the street and enter the town center. Cross the town until you reach an open space to the left. In the middle of this open space is Gover lake. Remain on the right back until you find a sign close to the private road that points towards the morainic rock that goes down from the overlooking spur. Follow that road that goes along the horse fence reaching a mule track that goes up to the left lined by a wooden fence. Follow it until you reach a trail that climbs up into the woods, (wooden sign that indicates the ferrata). The steep path climbs up into the vegetation (trailmarker 4a red or yellow and yellow stickers) until you reach another path (trailmarker 15) close to a huge stone. Continue towards the right on sloping plains until you reach the huge morainic rock. On the path, to the left, there is a sign that indicates the Jòsé Angster ferrata. The massive granite rocks climb up to the left, from the sign, and point towards a small chalet. There are a few yellow stickers or markers but you don’t necessarily have to take that path. From the chalet go the right for 7-8 meters where you will reach a path towards the right that crosses the fastenings of the Jòsé Angster ferrata. Continue on the path towards the right and once you’ve reached the edge of the diagonal wall towards the left find the first wires. Continue lert, on a steep trail until you reach the granite ledges of the spur and then continue following the steel wires that take to the mid-wall ledge. Continue on this ledge still on the trail and then directly onto granite overhangs. You turn the first edge (passage with fairly distant hand and foot hold) and then a second one that is slightly exposed. You continue to climb until you reach the last edge where you will find all the difficulties of this climb. Once round the first rocky ledge you reach a large canyon. You continue on a steep fully equipped trail until you reach a horizontal trail that joins with path 4a in ascent. You can descend to the left or reach the peak by following the trail to the right in about ten minutes.