Our aim on our first day's walking was to explore the Piz Boe plateau by taking the Sass Pordoi Cable Car. Here we would get the fantastic scenery of around 3,000 meters of elevation without having to do a great deal of walking or ascent. Also, it would be a prelude for a major walk I planned later in the week, Rifugio Maria to Utia Franz Kostner.

The  cable car takes you to a natural terrace overlooking an unparalleled 360° panorama: the mountain groups of the Marmolada, the Sassolungo, the Catinaccio and the Sella, with a close-up view of the Piz Boè, surround you in a unique and exceptional dolomite spectacle.  Also visible in the distance are the Tofane, the Pelmo, as well as the Swiss and Austrian Alps.