The most common via ferrata mistakes

The most common mistake, and the sneakiest, because it's only obvious in hindsight. Many via ferrata goers calculate the duration of the route itself but forget to add the approach walk and the return time, which are sometimes longer than the route. Result: a group that sets off at noon ends up descending after dark. Planning your outing in advance is the key to success, and not just the duration shown on the via ferrata's info sheet, factor in travel time, breaks, and so on too.

A beautiful photo or an impressive altitude say nothing about a route's actual difficulty, or the length of its approach. This trap is all the more common because social media highlights the most visually spectacular via ferratas, not necessarily the ones best suited to a given level. Before choosing a route, the grade (K1 to K6) and approach time remain the two pieces of information that really matter, well ahead of the route's aesthetics.

A via ferrata tackled after a big hike the day before, a sleepless night, or right after another intense physical activity never feels the same as the same route tackled fresh and rested. This isn't about technical skill, but about clarity of mind and the actual strength available that day. Planning your outing with accumulated fatigue in mind, not just your general fitness, avoids many situations where you end up struggling on a section you normally handle very well.

Going out with others is good safety practice, but a group whose levels and speeds vary a lot, with no meeting point planned, can quickly become a problem. The slowest member ends up isolated, stressed about "holding everyone up", while the faster ones grow impatient at the top of an exposed section. An overly large group poses an additional challenge: every via ferrata has just one cable, so every climber has to wait their turn at each technical section, and the bigger the group, the more these waiting times add up, risking turning a mountain outing into a series of frustrating pauses rather than a smooth progression. Discussing pace, limiting group size and setting meeting points before setting off, not once you're on the cable, lets everyone move at their own rhythm without tension.

Many via ferrata goers focus all their attention on the route itself and forget that the descent or the walk back can represent an effort comparable to, sometimes even greater than, the route itself. A technically moderate via ferrata followed by a long walk back can therefore tire you out far more than expected, a rough patch with already tired legs and attention that starts to slip, right when vigilance is still needed on paths that are sometimes steep.

Seen from the summit, the marked path can look ridiculously long compared to a slope that heads "straight down" to the car park. This reasoning is a classic and dangerous trap: 400 metres of elevation gain on the way up remain 400 metres to descend, whichever path you choose, the only question is whether that path is secure or not. An unmarked path can hide unstable scree, a slope far steeper than it looks from above, or slippery ground with no reliable holds. Mountain rescue regularly intervenes for people stuck or injured after leaving the official path to save "a few minutes". Waymarking exists precisely because the terrain has been identified as the safest passage, straying from it means giving up that guarantee without always realising it.