The Dolomites // Alta Via 2

This is part one of our Dolomite Adventure. The Dolomites are a collection of craggy limestone mountains in Northern Italy. Within its boundaries there are 10 Alta Via’s or high ways. While the Alta Via 1 is the most popular we’ve chosen to do the more rugged and demanding Alta Via 2. The Alta Via 2 is around 100 miles in length and contrary to what I read online it is closer to 40,000ft of elevation gain rather than 33,000ft. The path begins above the town of Brixen/Bressanone on the slopes of Mount Plose and ends 100 miles later in the town of Feltre, Italy. Between those two towns are steep climbs up loose rocks, perilous stone walkways along cliff edges, scrambles on stone faces with the help of cables and rebar and lots and lots of Coke and French fries eaten in Rifugio’s along the way. It’s all so continental. The Alta Via 2 provides a unique and challenging mountain adventure in a place of unparalleled beauty.

[@trustGod133]

Only Danny would travel to Italy in order a hot dog and french fries

[@deadtothewxrld]

We all know that's really why he went

[@paulmelde919]

And throw it all up…. fortunately that did not happen this time!

[@mountainssea9642]

He just needs more hot dogs.

[@species5022]

And that at a stop point where I ate the best pizza in my life!!

[@BearPlane747]

Danny eating French fries with a fork is offensive af

[@d33f15h]

This channel is probably the best on all of KZbin. Endlessly inspired

[@saltydog6241]

Agreed. They deserve millions of subscribers.

[@ilikehiking]

Every time I watch your videos I'm in disbelief at how incredibly fit you guys are.

[@giorgiobarchiesi5003]

I can name almost every mountain you see in the video, and I have walked almost every path you have gone through, but oh guys you really gave me goosebumps! Thank you so much for appreciating the place, and for showing all this beauty to everyone! I can’t wait for the next part!

[@alaskan_bergwanderer]

You dudes on just on a whole other tier. I'm surprised the likes of Red Bull, Salomon, etc haven't come knocking on your collective doors for athlete sponsorship. BEASTS. And holy crap is this stunning terrain.

[@bev9708]

"The hardest part so far has been containing my fits of excitement, I just wanna scream and giggle!!" YES!!!!! That was exactly my own reaction in the Dolomites!!! Every day just OMG, WOOWWWW!!!! You guys are soooo inspirational, I can't wait to get back there for some serious running!!!

[@traviss8354]

What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning, watching a new MA video. Absolutely stunning scenery in this one. Also Chase in a tank top looking lean and mean, giving Danny's quads a run for their money! Great run guys.

[@jodymckenzie3828]

More, more, more! Love your adventures, your filming, narration and friends! Amazing! 😊

[@elpukito]

Mad respect, you guys are just incredibly strong. We were just in the general area two weeks ago, and the Dolomites are one of Europes absolute treasures. Can't believe how you run a marathon, climb some fairly intimidating ascents and still manage to capture the beauty of the scenery as well as you do. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your trip, and you've inspired us to take a closer look at the Alta Vias someday soon - but at a more leisurely pace ;-)

[@anaerobicalien]

Hey Danny I'm sorry to hear about the headache and nausea issues in the last two videos, I know that headaches can be commonly triggered by overheating but I think that with it being combined with nausea this could definitely warrant some further investigation just to rule anything more serious out. Also just want to say how much appreciation I have for this channel, you manage to capture the essence of these adventures so well and you're providing such a massive inspiration for us all to get out there into the wilderness and to be constantly expanding our comfort zones. Take care and here's to many more MA adventures!

[@BackyardHiker]

If I lived in that area of the world, I'd hike everyday up there...AMAZING!

[@dippondots3108]

As someone who lives within a few hours drive of the Alps this video is really interesting to see. Here I am watching your videos and dreaming of the wild and much less developed american mountains, often wishing to escape the masses in the alps, while for you the comforts of that developement make for a welcomed change. Awesome to see it from a totally new perspective.

[@grahamhallman243]

I like the undeveloped mess of many American mountain ranges. Exploring in the American Rockies is a damn jig saw puzzle and mess, so sprawled in many places. But the Wilderness Areas are sublime once you put the work in and the other major mountain ranges also have plenty of difficult access: don’t get me started on Alaska and my, my, Western Canada as well.

[@giuliostrocchi6188]

I thought just the same thing watching this video. These days I was wondering how wonderful would that be, to be in the "true" wilderness of the United States, without so many people around. And seeing this video, them being so appreciative of the rifugi and to have a cold coke or coffe, made me smile.

[@markh6384]

Looks amazing!

[@tahirrazzaq9494]

@@giuliostrocchi6188 Both are amazing in their own way! I love how wild and untouched the U.S mountain ranges are and I hope they stay that way

[@Ryanhelpmeunderstand]

The mountains are like, “not this guy again, I heard what he did to the others.”

[@robinsmith9734]

Bloody incredible you guys. Great filming, exquisite pace, down with the food, and gone! Next! Love it, recomending it to some other guys.................

[@ChewieTomatoes1]

Would love to see Danny do a Vlog on the prep work and post recovery before and after big runs like this. Love to see some content on nutrition, physical maintenance, and planning.

[@yuliyanikiforets]

Yes! I’d love to see that too.

[@johnfullwood2642]

Think he fuels up on coke and Twinkie’s 😂

[@niklasstahl98]

I don't think you wanna see Danny nutrition content lol

[@yuliyanikiforets]

@@niklasstahl98 hahaha fair point. I am curious on recovery though, physical maintenance. It’ll either be extremely helpful or an example of what not to do 😅😂 these guys are crazy.

[@harrisonaero]

Living my bucket list vicariously through you guys. Great edit.

[@gygantor360]

Such mixed emotions on this one! I love experiencing their sheer joy on this one, yet am green with envy. The jaw dropping scenery mixed with the European cuisine. I can see why this was a favorite. I loved the scree slaloming! Danny thank you again for taking us with you!

[@ChrisMcQueen]

I don't usually force KZbin to show me a video in 4K, but for this I made an exception. This was stunning.

[@Matt-vb7no]

This is my favorite hiking route in the world. Thoroughly enjoyed my time…not having to worry about camping each night helps too lol

[@ItaiGanor]

omg guys, my knees are hurt! I can't believe you run the Alta via 2! Your guys are awesome!!!! amazing footage as always can't wait for the next part!

[@giorgiobarchiesi5003]

The name “Marmolada” derives from “marmo”, that is “marble” in English. So the Marmolada is a “marble-like mountain”, and I think anyone can agree on this. The name of the summit, “Punta Penia”, comes from the Italian word “punta” (i.e. summit), and the local dialect words “pi nia”, that in regular Italian would be “più niente”, meaning “nothing further”. Another fun fact: the cross on the summit is 3343 mm (millimeters) tall, to represent the 3343 m altitude of the summit.

[@eyeswideopen2046]

Inspiring! Amazing what you guys can do. I just went 18miles with 5000 elevation. (45lb pack) and felt accomplished, seeing this makes me want to do so much more.

[@ZonDog]

Thanks guys for great views of the awsome Dolomites. Your stamina is world class!😊🇺🇸

[@jjames05]

of all the places you've been, this spot is the most beautiful. thanks for sharing your journeys.

[@connor9209]

You guys are nuts! That’s some ground cover in that time and especially around that terrain! Awesome!

[@poet5798]

Just incredible, it's always a good week when you upload, I just watch your stuff over and over again, waiting for the weekend to do this aswell..

[@johnfullwood2642]

Booking my holiday to Dolomites ASAP! What stunning scenery and always epic adventures. Best thing I’ve seen on you tube in ages. 👌👏

[@gregjekk7994]

I discovered MA 3 weeks ago after coming back from two weeks in the Mont Blanc region. MA's achievements in Chamonix were so much more spectacular than mine. But in this video I recognised some path I walked a few years ago. You are doing great job guys! Great locations and great footage!.Great channel.

[@davidwilliams3285]

Beautiful cinematography as usual guys. Keep up the good work, views and witty dialog, can't wait for part 2!

[@jimmyt159]

Loving the enthusiasm in this one. That gully you kicked off with on day two changed a lot this summer, a huge rock slide came down it, burying the car park at the bottom.

[@IdRatherBeHiking]

Another winning episode as usual.

[@jayking8051]

Flying over the glaciers while you watch them melt. You’re so amazing!

[@robertjaycox8488]

Absolutely stunning area

[@ronandervin9803]

Been following you guys for a few years and this might be my favorite video so far . Respect.

[@seanmcguire61]

Epic journey and killer footage! "Cliffhanger" mountains, Stallone would be proud.

[@deivclayton]

Beautiful journey! And some of the drone work was very well done.

[@yuliyanikiforets]

Y’all are killing it. I get stoked every time I see a new video. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. I nearly pumped my fists in the air when you said “there’s still a lot of uphill, and even worse, downhill” yes yes that felt validating. The downhill always kills my knees much more than uphill kills my quads/calves.

[@BeLikeNeel]

Absolutely beautiful terrain! Just admiring the moment when you said that people do this route in 10-14 days and you're going to do it in 4 ! True Mediocre Amateur fashion

[@filthy4422]

I get equally stoked whenever I get a notification for one of your videos, keep up the good work!

[@jimc3891]

Sounds like fun. Four days, no problem as long as weather cooperates. What an adventure. Something to put on the list for sure. Absolutely stunningly beautiful. Thanks for posting.

[@jackhazeVEVO]

Italy really has one of the most beautiful mountains in the entire world. The Dolomites are just breathtaking,

[@lucanucera9572]

Thank you for putting the distance in kilometres and the elevation in meters for us non-americans. I've probably learnt how to use miles and feet with all of your other videos ahah

[@kenwbrenner]

Thanks for the great two videos showing this trail. Good job of filming and narration.

[@nothankyou90]

Such an amazing video as always! You guys continue to impress all of us with each new adventure. Thank you for all the inspiration!

[@pagewhite61]

Spectacular! I can’t believe how beautiful it is. Thank you so much for the video.

[@AleksandarGospic]

You guys are crazy, can't believe the distance and elevation gain you are able to pull off in a day! 🤯👋👋 It's always great to see you on familiar Alps terrain! It's totally different to watch a video when you know vistas and trails, compared to your videos in the unfamiliar American mountains. It gives a totally different perspective, cause I can appreciate even more what you are able to pull off. That second day is just totally insane 😲😱 Can't wait for the second part, I hope weather was merciful 🤞 I want to enjoy those views 😍

[@reefer-joe]

This is the most amazing sceanery I’ve seen you hike through. Hope you had a chance to soak it all in in spite of your blistering pace. Just wonderful!

[@teleroel]

It's over 40 years ago that I started walking and climbing in the Dolomites. Since then I've done Via Ferrata's, some more rock climing, lot's of walking and now I know this area in winter, skiing around the Sella and also skiiing the Marmolada. So good to see you guys enjoying it all so much! Italian (mountain) food is excellent! I've skied down the slope shown around 13:55. It's totally off-piste and you need good snow conditions.

[@deannilvalli6579]

For most people, running a marathon on the flat street is a huge challenge. These so-called mediocres do it over very strenuous mountain trails and make it look like a breeze. They are shaming us.... I do love the light-hearted, self-depricating humor though. Ordering a Torte and thinking it was a sandwich?? And then saying "I'm not sad, though." I like their take it as it comes attitude. That really is the way to happiness.

[@allancowieLM1]

2 things are guaranteed watching a Mediocre video 1: Epic mountains 2: Danny suffering Everywhere you look there was epic views, what a range the Dolomites are.

[@MasterAssassin123]

My favourite YT folks in my favourite region! This video is going to be fire! I live a few hours drive away so I go to the Dolomites multiple times a year (winter and summer) to explore - cycling, skiing, mountaineering. It's great for evertything!

[@MasterAssassin123]

also - that via ferrata is now almost the only way to the top of Marmolada, after a big serac broke off on the Marmolada glacier last year, creating a massive avalanche of ice and stone, killing 11people and injuring other 8.

[@nickmartin7245]

those mountains look like thunder clouds in the distance so beautiful

[@railz87]

Awesome to relive the Dolomites. Incredible effort and way to capture a magical part of the world.

[@marcospedroso3690]

Wow, freaking awesome! I know the Dolomites well, you guys rock. Bravissimo 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@runningforviews]

I’ve always wanted to do this hike! Looks amazing 🤩

[@johnbarlow1428]

I think it’s fair to say that these gents may be amateurs (in a true sense), but they definitely are not mediocre. They crushed the Matterhorn and the Eiger and now….. Glad to see they are equally “concerned” about the cows!

[@architennis]

Gorgeous mountains, great photography, incredible feats of strength and endurance. Bravo! (I'm just amazed the Cokes help more than hurt the effort.)

[@themeatpopsicle]

This looks like the trip of a lifetime. Wow.

[@whenopportunitycomes8718]

Awesome awesome. Thanks for the motivation for the week ahead. Great views as usual

[@brettandrewclarke]

Beautiful outing guys. Views just unreal.

[@bensutton522]

Loved that you 2. Looking forward to part 2. Some great skiing too if you can come back in feb

[@markwerner7840]

Such a great adventure. Thanks for all the work on this Danny!

[@lifestylechips]

this is such an amazing trail...that climb with the ladder built into the rocks though looked pretty steep!

[@shelleydiamond6468]

Wow!! Beginning of the video the mountain spine reminded me of the Minarets of the Eastern Sierra. Just astonishing terrain & coke stops ….

[@tallguygreg]

"We've chosen to do the big number 2." Haha! I see what you did there! Well done!

[@mattforsythe9389]

Everything about that trek looks awesome!

[@austinado16]

Just amazing!!! I'm looking forward to part 2.

[@markhuebbe]

as always, I love everything about this

[@andreyv1]

Your most cinematic and 'professional' video yet! Looking forward to the next ones

[@djd1269]

Thanks for a new video!

[@misarthim6538]

I just feel compelled to mention this - these guys make it look easy, but it's incredibly dangerous to climb via ferrata without protective gear. It's not because it's so hard that you'll fall - falls are pretty rare on via ferrata - but it's because there's so much risk stacked against you. The steel members can fail or get bent out of shape, the conditions may change and otherwise easy section becomes slippery and tricky, a fellow climber may yank the wire, the weather may change abruptly, animals or other climbers may loosen rocks above you, there's countless potential things that can't really be controlled. You have to be incredibly experienced to understand both your limitations and situation on the mountain to even consider doing this.

[@ema_runs]

Wow, love that! 😁💪🙌

[@JustBrowsing777]

You guys are just built different 🤯🫡

[@WasatchWendigo]

Beautiful scenery, tough hike and great photgraphy. However, I have to say, sheesh, this should be a freaking coke commercial. Every stop, "coke" this, "coke" that, lol. Never had a drop of that stuff my entire life, double lolz.

[@christianhinkel9251]

My favorite treks always include a cake break!

[@10pound]

An amazing video!

[@michaelfoley6670]

Chase put it perfectly, “Dumpling soup, nice macchiato, and good coke…” that would keep me going!

[@michaelb1761]

This would be a 7 or 8 day trip for me in my aged decrepitude. Beautiful views.

[@brandonb.5304]

So awesome. Wish I had friends who were into doing this kind of stuff with me. This is definitely on my list.

[@mikemcintosh9933]

Great athletes. Great photography! Thank you.

[@DavideBarbieri1]

Superb. Can't wait to have you back in Italy for new adventures :)

[@saltairswings]

mind blowing

[@gerth2427]

I only wonder why you made the Alta Via in just 4 days….the area, the summits, basically everything there can be worth a whole lifetime. Or at least two weeks for a great endevaour along this Alta Via 😊

[@RogerWilliamsFTW]

Glad to see the band is back together!

[@KrisKanyon]

Wow! You've been to a lot of scenic places, but this has to be top 10.

[@hainesftw90]

What a beautiful place. Thanks for sharing this with us, looking forward to more.

[@JasonRamasami]

I loved watching this.

[@davidfisher92]

The gang is back!!! I was beginning to worry that Danny had scared everyone off!

[@niklasstahl98]

Damn, what a nice trail and great video to cover it. The Dolomites truly are a unique treasure. Have you ever thought about going to the Wetterstein mountains (Zugspitze etc.)? Jubiläumsgrat and Blassengrat could be a really fun and demanding ridge linkup for you guys

[@andygolborne5747]

Was in the Dolomites a couple of weeks ago doing VF, hiking and some cycling. It really is a fantastic place.

[@daveniederhauser5071]

I liked it, then unliked it, just so that I could like it again. This is the best one you guys have done yet.

[@marcms25]

wow what a view! hope I go there some day

[@SeeChadRun]

How incredible is this! So EPIC! Felt all the FOMO feelings ;-)

[@marki7275]

That was cool. Love it.

[@maxbowen6482]

Finally a video of a place I can relate to😂

[@holymackenaw]

Great to see you guys closer to me. I live on the other side of the border in Austria (Osttirol). great episode as usual.

[@riaanvandermerwe7141]

That was special ❤ What all this stopping for breakfast and hotdogs..... what happened 😂😂😂 Awesome video 👏

[@TheSun1901]

Just incredible! Thank you!

[@alexfriedman2175]

AWESOME VIDEO!!!! Thanks for producing these. Was just in Wengen and did the Rotstock via ferrata + Guggihutte, inspired by you guys.

[@sianspherica]

I'm a simple man, I see a new Mediocre Amatuer video I stop everything and watch it. It's one of so few KZbin channels where I wish each video was twice as long as it is.