Grotta del Lupo, drytooling in the Dolomites

Gianmario Meneghin introduces the drytooling crag Grotta del Lupoon LakeCentro di Cadore in the Dolomites.

The Grotta del Lupo, bolted a few years ago by Gianmario Meneghin Ghin, is located on the shore of Lake Centro Cadore in the Comune di Domegge di Cadore, Dolomites

The easy access and steep overhang ensure this cave is an excellent place to test even the strongest of climbers and some of Italy's best have visited the place, first and foremost Mauro Bubu Bole, followed by Massimo Da Pozzo, Kurt Astner, Herbert Klammer, Jenny Lavarda, Angelika Rainer, Mario Prinoth and many others.

Due to its proximity to the lake the temperature remains fairly mild, meaning that you can climb without massive layers of clothing to fight off the cold. The flip-side is that the waterfall rarely comes into condition meaning that many of the routes are often total dry. All routes are equipped with in-situ quickdraws, all you need to bring is a rope, helmet, ice axe and crampons.

At present there are 8 routes, starting from the left:

1. Nuove Emozioni D6
2. Primi Passi D7
3. Il Demone e la Fata D8
4. L'uomo Sogna di Volare D9+
5. La Legge di Newton D10
6. Lincantropia D10+
7. Lone Wolf n.l.
8. Speranze di Ghiaccio M10+

Access: From Venice take the motorway north towards Belluno, at the end continue towards Cortina d'Ampezzo to Tai di Cadore, then continue towards Auronzo to reach Domegge di Cadore. From here drive down to the lake towards Lorenzago, cross the bridge at Domegge and continue to the second hairpin bend and another small bridge. Park here and walk down the obvious path to reach the cave in 2 minutes.