Recommended via ferrata set?

Hi all,

Over in Europe now, thinking of picking up a couple of via ferrata sets as we'll probably do several vf's this month that we're here. They all kind of look pretty similar to me. Any reason to buy one instead of another?

Cheers,
David

Via ferrata is like the half dome cables, right? I assume in europe the cable routes are longer and steeper than the half dome cables thus the need for a harness?

Since it doesn't sound like you will be climbing, I guess you just want the lightest and cheapest harness, two pieces of webbing and two locking biners.

Or just hand over hand up the cable...?

MacksWhinetub wrote:Via ferrata is like the half dome cables, right? I assume in europe the cable routes are longer and steeper than the half dome cables thus the need for a harness? Since it doesn't sound like you will be climbing, I guess you just want the lightest and cheapest harness, two pieces of webbing and two locking biners. Or just hand over hand up the cable...?

This is completely inaccurate and dangerous advice as I would guess you know David.

I cannot offer suggestions about the best set up. Perhaps Ken will chime in, as he seems to have a lot of European experience.

@Mack- euro VFs can be vertical and challenging. A fall can be 15-30 vertical feet. Without a shock absorbing lanyard, it's not going to be a pretty catch.

The BD via ferrata gear looked super solid to me, though I haven't used it myself.
blackdiamondequipment.com/e…

I've used a CAMP set up and both BD versions. I liked the BD Easy Rider best, they had the easiest to operate locking mechanism out of those three.

MacksWhinetub wrote:Via ferrata is like the half dome cables, right? I assume in europe the cable routes are longer and steeper than the half dome cables thus the need for a harness? Since it doesn't sound like you will be climbing, I guess you just want the lightest and cheapest harness, two pieces of webbing and two locking biners. Or just hand over hand up the cable...?

Is this a joke?! Use the wrong equipment and you die in a fall. I have done routes that are overhanging and with huge drops below, the equivalent of really hard climbing if done free.

Camp and Petzl have good options, it really comes down to the carabiners and their ease of transitioning from one segment of the cables to the next. You will do this hundreds of times in a multi-pitch route.

Also consider renting if you will only try one or two routes on your trip. And climbing gloves come in handy.

MacksWhinetub wrote:Via ferrata is like the half dome cables, right? I assume in europe the cable routes are longer and steeper than the half dome cables thus the need for a harness? Since it doesn't sound like you will be climbing, I guess you just want the lightest and cheapest harness, two pieces of webbing and two locking biners. Or just hand over hand up the cable...?

Hi Macks, as others have noted, via ferrata is I think a little different than what you're thinking, and for many, a really huge amount of fun. Worth researching if you're ever over in Europe. There are a small number of them in the US as well.

Mark E Dixon wrote: This is completely inaccurate and dangerous advice as I would guess you know David.

;)

Thanks for the recommendations folks. There are 6 or more vf's within about 20 minutes of where we're staying, so I was thinking that purchase could pretty quickly start to make sense. Hopefully they won't mind if I fiddle with the different setups in the shops. As was noted above, the opening action of the biners is really key, you do it very frequently as you pass anchor points on the routes.

Yep the posts after me were right...
I just googled via ferrata in the dolomites, looks like you will definitely want one of those bungee deals. Crazy ass cable bridges and shit. Europe knows how to do the gnar better than us.

I've used the BD setup in the Dolomites and they were great, fast clip and unclip

MacksWhinetub wrote:Europe knows how to do the gnar better than us.

Hopefully we can halt and contain this particular disease form of Euro-gnar and keep it from spreading any further than it has now that the U.S. has (unfortunately) been infected.