A NIGHT IN A WORLD WAR 1 TUNNEL
11 FEBRUARY 2025
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We set off towards the tunnel with one clear objective: Come back the next day with some amazing memories and experiences.
Although you’re never sure what you’re going to get with these winter adventures sometimes you just got a good feeling about it.
For this adventure we would tourski towards an (luckily) abandoned World War One tunnel. Back in the day, the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary ran through these peaks. There are a number of fortifications, trenches, tunnels, iron ladders and commemorative plaques in the area.
These soldiers also invented and used via ferrata’s to navigate these rugged peaks. Via ferrata’s, for those who’ve never heard of them, are a series of ladders and wires to get across difficult terrain. It’s definitely not hiking, but also not climbing. Somewhere in between I’d say.
Luckily we’d not be under attack and spent the night in the tunnel in peace with fancy 2025 equipment. While the soldiers back in the day would spend their time hoping to survive.
As we approached the tunnel conditions looked pretty bad for a good sunset. So we decided to head inside and start working on our little camp.
We didn’t know it at the time but this little camp would undergo a huge makeover. In the beginning we only had a slanted wall of snow at the entrance and a thick layer of snow on the ground that got in the cave over time by the wind.
The first few hours we made a basic version of camp, we flattened the space where we would put our sleeping pads and bags and created a small hole in the main living area so we had a space to put our feet. After we ate something the development of our camp really started.
A small breeze of icy wind entered the cave every once in a while. Over time this small breeze intensified so we decided to create a wall to block the wind from coming through the entrance. This way we would end up with a blocked off section in front where we would sit and eat and a spacious bedroom where we would sleep. This bedroom featured 2 windows and a hole in the ceiling for fresh air.
With this blocked off section the temperature rose rapidly to a rather comfortable -4°C. With an approximate outside temperature of -10°C I’d say that’s a clear win!
The new wall was not the only adjustment we made in the tunnel. Over time we got cold because we were just sitting still on a snowy floor so we changed shifts shoveling some more. Because our main project was finished, we created some seats and a pathway that would go from the front wall through the living area to the bedroom.
Last but not least we closed the windows of the bedroom with some more snow because a nasty wind entered our bedroom making it a little too cold to sleep. It probably seems like we’ve only been shoveling that night but we,… Well, we only shoveled that night…
At 1 am, if I recall correctly, we went to bed. There is not much I can say about the sleeping situation. I used a rescue blanket on the snow to make sure if I ended up next to my sleeping pad with my arm or as a whole I would not end up on the cold, wet, snow. The last thing you want is a wet sleeping bag in the middle of the night.
On top of the rescue blanket I put my accordion sleeping pad. To prevent rocks from poking through the snow into my sleeping pad as well as to make sure I’m not sliding all over the place because of the smooth texture of the main sleeping pad and the snow.
The second to last thing I added was the main sleeping pad. It's very important to get the right sleeping pad when sleeping in a cold environment. The sleeping pad has to have a high enough 'R-value' so you won't get cold during the night. My sleeping pad has a R-value of 8.5 which is definitely more than enough!
And then last but not least the sleeping bag. Mine is rated to -10°C (comfort) and -18°C (comfort limit) so that kept me warm all night!
In the morning when we woke up we dug ourselves out and enjoyed the view. In summer this place is packed with people. And when I say packed, I mean PACKED. So it’s really nice to be able to see this location at its most quiet moments. We only saw 5 people in 2 days. Pretty remarkable considering this place can welcome more than 10.000 people a day in summer…
After we cleaned everything we headed back to civilisation.
“In the end we definitely succeeded in creating amazing memories and experiences. We learned a lot, ate good food and survived the night. We were able to overcome a few issues and woke up to an amazing sunrise. What an adventure!
Hope you’re inspired by this adventure to go and chase your dreams or adventures.
As always: Adventure awaits, Let’s explore!”