1+day via ferrata in the Dolomites

Benny was a great guide, very helpful and provided easy explanations.

I am leaving a 1* review for the absolutely terrible, argumentative, and unprofessional service I am currently receiving from Renato after our trip. This was meant to be a full day excursion but our guide Patrick sensibly suggested that we cut it down to half a day to avoid the stormy weather in the afternoon. Patrick told us that we would be issued a partial refund as a result of this. We agreed. It is now several weeks after our trip and Renato is going against Patrick's promise and is saying they cannot offer a partial refund. I am currently wasting my time trying to get Explore Share to sort this out and Renato will not stop emailing me. I've literally said in writing that I don't want to engage with Renato anymore, but he won't respect that. I really don't want to spend my time arguing with someone over email who refuses to live up to the promise of their own employee. Patrick was an excellent guide and the trip we did was very fun. I would be leaving a full 5* review if it were not for this nonsense with Renato.

Short summary: very short hike (2 hours, not remotely close to all day), dangerously rushed, last minute change of guide with no communication from Renato or original guide, no response from email and message sharing feedback. More details: We booked the “1+day via ferrata in the Dolomites” about 6 weeks in advance at a cost of over $500 USD for a family of 4. Things started smoothly; Renato set us up with guide Richard and suggested the Sass de Stria via ferrata based on the info we provided. The night before the via ferrata, we got a message from another guide, Matteo, telling us that something had come up with Richard and he would guide us instead. No problem, things happen. He asked us to fill him in on what had been arranged. I told him the plan had been to meet at Sass de Stria at 9 AM. Matteo arrived sometime after 9 and began setting us up with equipment. (Note: you must bring an empty backpack to carry your via ferrata equipment, something we weren’t aware of. Our backpacks were full so we wore our harnesses, helmets, etc for the regular part of the hike too). We started the hike to the via ferrata and Matteo was very fast. When my kids waited at one point for me to catch up (I was slightly behind) he told them they were relaxing too much (not joking). By the time we got to the via ferrata portion I asked if we could go a bit slower. Matteo flatly said no, that it was important and better to go fast. Having never done a via ferrata in our lives we were passing others who seemed to be going a reasonable speed. We were repeatedly told to move faster so as not to have room between Matteo and each subsequent climber and not to pause. I do understand the need to keep close, all being tied together with one rope, but it was hard to be careful or enjoy the experience moving at such a fast pace. In fact I slipped at one point, losing my foothold, and it was pretty scary. No instruction in climbing technique was provided (I don’t know if that would be usual or not), but my husband and kids are good climbers and I managed. Shortly after we reached the top of the via ferrata, I asked if we could explore the tunnels. Matteo said we could do a short tour, which involved walking in one trench/cave and then back down to the parking lot. We did not go to the summit or explore other fortifications or do any nearby trails. The entire experience, which according to the website takes an average of 6 hours, lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes, including getting equipment on. When we got to the parking lot, Matteo asked what we had planned for the day and I told it it had been the guided tour, so there was obviously some disconnect. Matteo did give us suggestions for things we could do on our own, so we took his advice and headed to nearby Lagazuoi. I emailed Explore-Share to share feedback concerning the fast pace/shortness of the experience, since I felt maybe there was a miscommunication. (Was I supposed to tell Matteo everything that had previously been arranged, including what we had booked through Explore-Share?) It’s been well over a day with no response. I messaged Renato through the website with similar feedback and also did not receive a response. There was pretty poor communication all around since we also never heard from Renato or Richard about the last minute change of guide. We still had fun because the Dolomites are beautiful and via ferratas are cool. But if we had to do it again, we would use a different company or just rent the equipment and do the via ferrata at our own pace and for considerably less expense.

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Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Feratta at Passo Sella. This was because our knees were sore from hiking the previous week so we could take a cable down. He was in tune with our skill. This was our first via feratta and we loved it. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the explore-share platform. It was a bit confusing a few days before when we had two guides communicating with us on WhatsApp about tow different via ferattas. Once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience.

Our guide Robert was very friendly and professional. He was patient with our teenage children and we all felt safe with his guidance. Robert even took several photos of us.

Robert was an awesome guide. The first day we did a four hour long Via Ferrata and the second day we did some easy multi-pitch climbing (5.6/4a) from 7 to around 11, then he took us to do a little bit of sport climbing (more in the 5.10/5-6 range) for another hour to get some trickier routes in the Dolomites in before ending our tour. I really appreciated the quick pivot since the initial climbing felt more like a warm-up for us, but he explained that as a mountain guide it’s important to do some easier things so no one winds up injured, which makes sense. He also took awesome photos of both days that we definitely couldn’t have gotten ourselves. After a few sport routes we felt more tired and very happy with the trip. Hopefully next time we’ll be able to climb a little harder and do a few more days. Grazie, Robert!

We had the absolute best time on our first ever Via Ferrata. Robert was a great guide, super patient and knew exactly how to help those of us that needed a little guidance and encouragement to get through the tricky spots. Such a fun day ending with such a great sense of accomplishment!

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Explore-Share was very responsive (sometimes overly proactive/importunate, but not overly), and Paolo was a no-fuss guide. He didn't speak English fluently, but we got on sufficiently. He communicated with me candidly before the trip, keeping me posted with weather conditions and working with me to find a via ferrata that was challenging, met our expectations, and ended up being a great experience.

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Robert, our guide provided to us, was awesome! He was patient, knowledgeable and kept good communication to make the day run smoothly. It was a great introduction to via Ferrata! Highly recommend

We were due to climb Marmolada but were unable to do so due to the tragic events on the mountain just a day or two before. Instead our guide Daniele arranged an excellent multi pitch sport climb on Ra Gusela. Great trip, much appreciated.