Ra Gusela
Peak · 2595 m · Dolomites
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Ra Gusela is a sharp rock tower rising to 2595 m above Passo Giau, the second-highest summit in the Nuvolau group. Its Ladin name means "The Spindle," matching its narrow profile. A beginner-friendly via ferrata climbs the south face from the pass, and the top gives a 360-degree view taking in the Tofane, Cristallo, Sorapiss, Pelmo, Antelao, Civetta and Marmolada.
The via ferrata follows the rock's natural fissures via a wide ledge, a short metal ladder and a small couloir that angles across the face. Nineteenth-century maps mark the peak as Monte Gusella, before its Ladin name settled into the form used today. The mountain is built from Triassic dolomite rock, and its southwest slope rises 800 metres over just 1.5 kilometres. Its parent peak, Averau, rises 1.5 kilometres to the northwest, the higher summit of the same ridge system.
What you see
The east face rises as a sheer wall directly above Passo Giau, rated one of the most striking and technically difficult climbing walls in the area.
Practical
The via ferrata circuit gains 337 metres over about 3 to 4 hours and continues past the summit to Rifugio Nuvolau, the oldest mountain hut in the Dolomites, opened in 1883. It runs June to October.
via ferratarock towersunrise photographynuvolau group