Tour name: Delagokante
Degree of difficulty: 4+ UIAA
Safeguarding: alpine climbing
Route length: 120m
Alignment: South west
Access time: 15min from the Gartlhütte; 1h from the Vajolett-Hütte
Descent time: 1h
Type of rock: Dolomit
GPS: area as GPX

Great fame, a certain traditional value, high quality and an enormous recognition value – the Delagokante fulfills all the characteristics of a true classic.

Along the rugged edge of the Delago tower runs the sometimes heavily exposed climbing route. The Delago Tower is one of the six Vajolet towers in the South Tyrolean Dolomites. The tower and route were named after the Austrian alpinist Hermann Delago. He had climbed the 2790m high rock in 1895 for the first time – single-handedly!

Our excursion starts in Muncion, a small village close to Pera. Here we leave our car and pack the climbing equipment together. Our destination is the Vajolett hut, which is about 6.5km away. 6.5km is certainly a feasible route, but we are in a hurry and therefore take the line taxi. The white minibus runs every hour from Pera up to Muncion and then continue to the Gardeccia hut (price for round trip 10 €). From here it is then on foot uphill to 2246m altitude to the Vajolett hut, After about an hour’s walk we reach our destination. The hut is surprisingly large and spoils us with a grandiose three-course meal. But we will not stay in the comforting dining room for a long time: Tomorrow we are going to the Delagokante early!

At 5.00am we leave the hut. Although it’s mid-June, summer is not very hot up here. It blows an icy wind! We start the approach to the wall. From the Vajolett Hut, you will climb steeply through the “Steinerne Rinne des Rosengartens” up to the Gartl Hut. About an hour later we are on top – and pretty close to the beginning of our route: Is only 15min away … but the weather is beating us. It’s snowing! In June! But whatever? We treat ourselves to a hot chocolate in the Gartlhütte and wait for it to clear up something. At 8 o’clock it is finally time. We put on our climbing equipment on and walk the last few meters to the wall.

We are the only ones on the route – which is very rare given their enormous popularity. The gloomy weather has probably deterred many climbers. Meanwhile, however, the sun can be seen from time to time. The clouds are racing, driven by the strong wind over the sky. We have the first pitches of the Delagokante
behind us. The route is alpinely secured: Between the refurbished stalls there are easy intermediate hooks. It does not hurt to have some nuts and friends with you. Two 50m long ropes are enough.

The landscape is phenomenal! The higher we climb, the farther the view of the surrounding rose garden opens. With a moderate level of difficulty (max 4+) you have enough breath to admire the magnificent panorama. But I still experience some adrenaline rushes: The route is sometimes extremely exposed … and swinging around the edge at dizzy heights drives my pulse off and on strongly upwards. But just this mix of tension and relaxation makes the Delagokante one of the most beautiful climbing tours in the Alps.

After five pitches we made it! We reach the summit, a small plateau around noon and enjoy the 360-degree panorama. Below us lies the tiny Gartlhütte, including the width of the valley. We absorb the sight in us. Unfortunately, the wind up here is so strong that we soon make our way back down so as not to completely cool down.

The descent is fast and uncomplicated. Along the eastern side of the tower, we rappel over several stands. After a good half hour, we have solid ground under our feet again.

Conclusion: a very nice climbing with exciting movements and great views in moderate difficulty.