Let’s start with the fact that many simply do not know what VIA FERRATA is? The translation from the Italian language sounds like “railway”, that’s where the similarity with the railway theme ends, there are no locomotives here. In its essence, this is a section of the climbing route, equipped with special metal structures that ensure safety and comfort of the participant’s movement. These can be stairs, railings, safety cables, chains and suspension bridges located on a rocky area. All these devices allow access to picturesque places in the mountains not only to mountaineers and rock climbers, but also to ordinary people.
The birthplace of Via Ferrata routes was Europe at the end of the 19th century, at first via ferrata routes were built for climbers and rock climbers, for faster and safer overcoming of dangerous rock sections, but later they began to build routes for tourists. Currently, there are more than 2,000 routes in Europe for both experienced climbers and ordinary tourists.
Among the via ferrata routes there are also record holders, the highest route Mountain Torq is located on Mount Kinabalu, 3776 meters above sea level, it is 500 meters higher than the second place, the route in the Dolomites, Italy.
The highest via ferrata in the world is Olonana, located on Mount Kenya. This via ferrata was built in 2012 by the Kenya Wildlife Service and is located at an altitude of 4,985 meters above sea level. It offers unique opportunities for climbers, combining breathtaking views and extreme conditions of high altitude climbing.
Features of the VIA FERRATA Mountain Torq route:
- Location: Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia, is located in East Malaysia on the island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. Mount Kinabalu itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and famous for its nature.
- The highest point: 3776 m above sea level, on the Panar Laban rock.
- The lowest point: 3411 meters.
- The length of the viaferrat route: 1.2 km.
- The duration of the route is 4-5 hours.
- Interesting objects: suspension bridge at an altitude of 3600 meters, 22 meters long.
This route was designed to give ordinary tourists with average physical fitness the opportunity to admire the beauty of Mount Kinabalu.
