Through the snowy woods at Passo delle Erbe

High fog, too thick to ski, heavy snowfall, too beautiful not to take advantage of it: so we abandoned skis and snowboards for once, to put on our feet (for the first time) a pair of snowshoes and venture into the freshly whitened woods.

Climbing from the valley of San Martino in Badia, on the winding road that reaches Antermoia, and continuing on the SP 29 we arrive, among wonderful coniferous woods, at Passo delle Erbe. After the winter snowfall, it is likely that will find this pass closed, and then its beautiful natural landscape becomes the perfect setting for a walk through pristine forests, and mostly far from the most popular places in the Dolomites.

We took the car, and between newly whitewashed roads and meters of snow all around, we ventured to the Pe de Börz car park. From here, leaving the car and climbing over a few meters of snow until we found the path, submerged by heavy winter snowfalls, we started our walk.

The road climbs with wide hairpin bends through the woods full of snowy pine trees and some wildlife tracks. After the night snowfall all is untouched and the snow, as soft as whipped cream, sinks with muffled noise under our feet. Snowshoes are necessary, as the ground is not beaten, and even with snowshoes on your feet you sink half a meter into the snow. The path is first immersed in the woods, until the view of the majestic Sass de Putia in the background and the immense snowy valley of San Martino in Badia on one side is clear through the pine trees.

The walk leads through very silent woods that, near the pass, thin out into a wide clearing dotted with some wooden shelters, which peeps out among the meters of snow. Here the view opens onto the Sass de Putia massif which dominates the panorama. We descend towards the pass, and crossing the road, continue on the cross-country skiing track that reaches a plateau at the foot of Sass de Putia. On this plateau, the Roda de Börz route crosses snow-covered meadows dotted with mountain cottages closed for the winter season, with a loop that joins the ski slope and returns to the Passo delle Erbe.

The part of the hike leading to the pass takes about an hour, including photography stops, and is all uphill, while the Roda de Börz loop (8A), mostly flat, takes about 1.5 hours.