Preface

The Dolomites are the only mountains in the world that every time you look it is like seeing them for the very first time. This is what happens to me every morning when I look out of my window... I have seen so many mountains in my life but only these will never tire me. My job for the past few years has been to accompany trekkers from all over the world to discover these places and at the end of the day all agreed that the Dolomites were the “most beautiful mountains in the world”. And so “scientifically” proved? Of course! The attraction of these mountains is universal, like Michelangelo’s Last Judgement or any other masterpiece worthy of the name, one never tires of beauty. After the guide book on the Alto Adige Crags (Versante Sud 2019) my love for these mountains was responsible for this latest work which was in fact missing from the shelves of bookshops, where next to Arco, Kalymnos, Finale, Ceuse, Verdon, Siurana and many other “temples” of sports climbing, a complete guide to the crags in the Dolomites should be an absolute must and which up until now was divided into 8 different publications, often difficult to find and anyway limited to one restricted area. It wasn’t easy, the territory is vast, for the most part accessible mainly in the summer, the new bolting continually changing and the climate doesn’t help. Despite all that, after more than two years work, it is with great joy that finally I am holding this book in my hands, describing the most beautiful crags in the Dolomites, special mountains which every time I observe them, make me close my eyes to the fact that always more frequently, too much tourism and the hunger to make money on the part of some residents, together with the roar of motorcycles, do not respect this wonderful corner of the planet. I wish you all an enjoyable time climbing in the “most beautiful mountains in the world”! Guido Colombetti June 2021