Via Ferrata - Telluride, Colorado

Hiking Via Ferrata - Telluride, Colorado Another one that has been on my radar for a while now. I was still stinging from defeat at Maroon Bells when Tina suggested we should check out Via Ferrata. Italian for "Iron Way", a Via Ferrata is an assisted climbing route. In a nutshell, that means you have safety lines you are attached to and sometimes man made steps or handholds on the hardest parts. You just need a helmet, harness and special lanyard (with two carabiners) and knowledge to use them....but you don't need technical climbing skills. I guess you need to NOT have a fear of heights. Yes, there's more to it than that. Hiking boots/shoes are recommended (instead of climbing shoes) and you need to be in appropriate physical shape to handle the course. Bring the right clothing (you start in the shade but spend a good amount of time in the sun if you start early like we did.) Since it was a last second decision, we didn't have the gear with us, so we contracted with a local guiding service (we used San Juan Mountain Guides and they were great. Gear and a guide for two around $200 per person). We met our guide (Tyler - great kid) at the base of a rough switchback road just outside Telluride. Luckily, we both had 4WD, so we were able to shuttle a vehicle to the end of the trail, then drive to the top....which is great, because hiking a road is my second least favorite thing to do, right behind hiking a switchback road. On the way up, we passed Bridal Veil Falls and stopped for a couple photos. At the top, its a very short climb and you're on the shelf that the trail follows. Now a couple things about Via Ferrata. Yeah, it has cables and steps/handholds. But there is still risk. There are a lot of spots where a 10~12" trail is all you have to walk on. To your right the cliffs continue up and to your left, it's a sheer drop off for hundreds of feet. No cable. Just...well, don't veer left. You can see it in the video. At no time did I feel uncomfortable, but if you have issues with heights and/or exposure, the first couple dozen feet of the trail will be where you should decide if you have made a wise decision or not. From there, it's just nonstop fun for the adrenaline junky. Exposure, cool gear and incredible views of Telluride and Bridal Veil Falls. It'll seem way too soon until you hit Via Ferrata's 'main event'; a section where the ledge disappears and it's just you, a cable and some iron steps glued into the rock face. It may end too soon or not soon enough, depending on your level of tolerance for these types of things, and then you're back to cable/no cable routine. Going in, I thought it might be gimmicky or underwhelming, but I can say that when we finally hit the flat, solid earth of the short trail back to the car, my only disappointment was that it was over. And I can't remember the last time I've done something like this and been sad to see my car so soon. I think the overall trip was around 4 hours, moving relatively fast and using a shuttle system instead of hiking that evil road. If you aren't a technical rock climber, but you like a bigger adventure, I can't recommend Via Ferrata in Telluride enough. If it says anything, I learned that the term Via Ferrata isn't specific to this one trail, and before we were off the mountain, I was already researching other Via Ferratas....It's that cool. If this sounds (and looks) interesting, plan it. Plan it now. It's relatively empty, but it's getting more and more popular every day. We only saw one other group. But for views and an experience like this, I can see the place getting really popular, really quickly.

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