The Red Bench

At Toni Demetz Rifugio, 2685 metres above sea level on the Sasslungo range, nestled between two of the three peaks. A gondola lift allows access for those who are unable or don’t want to walk to the pass.

This was the climax of three lifts from Plan de Gralba, the final one a small two person space where you stand squashed close together after literally taking your life into your own hands to embark (and disembark). We nicknamed it the coffin and you can see one just above the bench.

You can also see the Marmolade Glacier in the far distance; the sommelier at the hotel told us that this glacier is predicted to disappear within the current decade. So sad.

On returning to catch a bus back to Selva we chose the wrong one heading up to Paso Gardena. After an initial panic we realised we could us a combination of lifts to get back to the resort. We’d bought an all lifts pass so no harm was done.

A great day and we stood higher than ever before.