A family caught on camera as they made a hair-raising climb without safety equipment in the Italian Dolomites have been slammed by mountain rescue groups.
The unidentified parents and their young children were spotted by another shocked climber who videoed them as they attempted to tackle the perilous Via Ferrata climb.
It involves making your way along razor thin ledges at spine tingling altitudes, using metal cables, ladders and metal fixtures anchored into the rock and many are left over from World War One when installed by Alpine soldiers.
The family – foreign tourists – were spotted on the Bepi Zac section of Via Ferrata – which is graded as difficult – and runs between a rocky ridge from Passo Selle to Forcella Laghet in the Monzoni range of mountains near Trento.
A guidebook says the route – which reaches a stomach-churning height of 2730m – is ‘exposed’ and has ‘narrow ledges’ and ‘unprotected paths’ which are ‘decidedly adrenaline fuelled’.
The father is seen treading carefully along the narrow ridge above a steep drop, all while carrying a baby
The man navigated the risky climb while carrying a small child – scaling the metal steps with only one hand free
A young child is seen stretching to reach the hand holds on the path in another video
A young boy is seen nervously holding onto the cable as his mother encourages the clearly worried child
The video shows the father holding his baby in his arms as he gingerly makes his way along the cableway holding on with one hand, while his wife is behind gripping onto the same fixture.
Luigi Bartocci, who posted the video, said: ‘Look at this madman, he is absolutely crazy, would you check this out, look at this, guys.’
‘There he is with a small child in his arms. It’s amazing. They are at almost 3,000m and they have no safety equipment, they have nothing.’
Luigi added: ‘Look where he is,’ as he carefully makes his way down the section before reaching a wider path at the base of a ladder fixed into the rock.
Minutes later Luigi spotted a mother and child, again foreign tourists, making the same perilous descent – with a young boy nervously holding onto the cable as his mother encourages the clearly worried child.
Luigi said: ‘And then they say accidents happen in mountains,’ before fortunately the pair reach the same ledge as the previous climbers and carry on with their hike.
Walter Cainelli, president of the local Alpine Rescue, said: ‘Unfortunately there is a rising undervaluation of the risks that exist.
‘Basically, if you reach a point where you can’t carry on because you don’t have the right equipment, then you turn round, it’s as simple as that.
‘Too many times throughout the year we are called to intervene and help people who go into the mountains under prepared and without the right gear.
The foreign tourists were climbing in Italy’s Dolomites when they were caught on camera
The baby clings on to the father as he feels his way along the section of Via Ferrata – which is graded as difficult
The Bepi Zac cableway crosses positions held by Italian troops and Austro-Hungarian adversaries during World War One and is popular with experienced thrill seekers (file image)
Mr Cainelli added that in 2023 there has been 12,349 operations carried out Italian Alpine rescue teams.
Maurizio Fugatti, president of the Trento province, said: ‘Everyone is welcome on our mountains, but the best way to experience them is to first cultivate a deep sense of respect.
‘Don’t play with the life and do not underestimate nature. We have lived in the mountains for centuries; we love it even though we know how severe it can be.
‘And the toll paid is high, sometimes by those who ran to the aid of others. The best way to honour their memory is to follow the rules, with scrupulous prudence.
‘We owe it to ourselves, to our loved ones and to the many people whose lives must not be jeopardized by recklessness and carelessness.’
The Bepi Zac cableway crosses positions held by Italian troops and Austro-Hungarian adversaries during World War One and is popular with experienced thrill seekers.
Between July 4 and July 7 six people were killed in accidents in the Italian mountains, officials said.