Horror in the Dolomites

Parents carry child unsecured through via ferrata

"To save those with sandals, you're putting those in need at risk," mountain rescuers comment on the thoughtless tour.(Bild: Screenshot facebook.com/Noi Soccorritori, Krone KREATIV)

The mountain rescuers in the Dolomites are horrified: On a route for which good equipment is strongly recommended, they come across parents who were on the route with their children - completely unsecured. One toddler even had to be carried. A video of this daredevil action is now making headlines in Italy.

The routes around the summit of Cima Uomo (3010 meters above sea level) are actually considered unsuitable for inexperienced mountaineers. On the Ferrata Bepi Zac, a moderately difficult C/D route, mountaineers came across a family and immediately documented the incident on a video, which the Italian mountain rescuers "Noi Soccorritori" ("We rescuers") published on Facebook in shock.

Shimmying along the abyss
While full via ferrata equipment is recommended for the route - consisting of a helmet, climbing harness, carabiners, possibly a headlamp and even a safety rope for the ascent to the summit - the footage shows a woman helping a boy in sneakers through the rock face.

The child is simply shimmying along the steep slope on a steel cable attached there. Shortly afterwards, we see a man apparently carrying a small child in his arms through the same passage, also completely unsecured and apparently without suitable mountain boots or other appropriate equipment.

"To save those with sandals, you're putting those in need at risk", mountain rescuers comment on the thoughtless tour.(Bild: Screenshot facebook.com/Noi Soccorritori, Krone KREATIV)

Mountain rescuers: "You can't justify this"
There was a huge outcry on social media about the careless action. Maurizio Dellantonio, President of the Italian Mountain Rescue Service, expressed his horror to the online portal "il Dolomiti". After all, some passages of the Ferrata Bepi Zac are considered complex and challenging - it is definitely not a banal via ferrata.

Although it is right and important to call for professional help in good time if you feel unsafe or in danger on the mountain, "you have to have common sense", he continued. "You can't justify the fact that the parents took such a risk," added Christian Ferrari from the alpine association "Società Alpinisti Tridentini" to the portal.

"Not being afraid or ashamed to turn back"
According to "il Dolomiti", the dangerous tour had a miraculously happy ending for the family: they probably made it off the mountain without incident. Nevertheless, Walter Cainelli, President of the Trentino Mountain Rescue Service, warns: "Unfortunately, there is an increasing tendency to underestimate the risk."

The right preparation and equipment are key for climbing routes like this. And if you struggle along the way, Cainelli advises: "You shouldn't be afraid or ashamed to give up and turn back."