My first via feratta

Via feratta, Italian for "iron road," or more tellingly, "the rebar way."

We finished our adventure in Switzerland with Tom's old friends, Christine and Oliver.  They met five or six years ago when Tom walked up to them in Italy and asked if he could rock climb with them, complete strangers.  They found kindred friendship in each other.

Tom and Christine climbed on Saturday and Sunday, Oliver rode in a 120 km bicycle race on Saturday.  I wrote in my journal on Saturday and went for ice cream on Sunday.

Oliver and me

But for our last day, they tried to pick something everyone could enjoy.  Everyone being me.  So Tom, Oliver, and I headed for the town of Andermatt to their via feratta.  In that part of the world, industrious outdoorspeople have drilled holes in the rock and placed rebar, making a route up rock face.  Alongside run anchored cables for harnessed climbers to clip into for safety as they ascend.  

Via feratta routes vary in difficulty.  It took a bit of the wind out of my sails to look so cool in my harness, and then discover Tom quit clipping in because the route was too easy for him.  But he said there are routes where if you let go of the rail, you'll fall hard (until your harness catches you).

And then we came home.