The refuge SAT Roda di Vaèl, on the saddle of the Ciampàz, in the southern part of the Catinaccio mountain group and on the foot of the Croz di S. Giuliana and the Masarè peak, celebrated in the year 2007 its 100 th anniversary.

The idea to build a refuge in the upper Vaiolon Valley maturated during an assembly of the section “Welschnofen-Karersee” of the German and Austrian Alpine Association of Welschnofen, since a first refuge has already been built below the peak of the Coronelle.
In the year 1899 had the section already negotiated with the local authority to acquire a municipal site in the area Sforcella in the Vajolòn Valley , for building a refuge.
The constructing work for a refuge with 20 possibilities to sleep, began in spring 1906 and on 7 th August of the same year was celebrated the official opening.


Theodor Christomannos was one of the construction sponsors, which already has sponsored the Grand Hotel Karersee and the “Dolomites road”, making possible the drive over the Costalunga Pass starting from the Karerpass. This refuge and the near and some years older refuge “Kölner Hütte alle Coronelle” were the most liked destinations just of the hotel guests of the Karersee area and specially of the Grand Hotel. But the section Welschnofen-Karersee named the refuge “Ostertag Hütte”, the family name of the industrialist of Ludwigsburg – Stockholm , Karl Ostertag-Siegle, due his generous financing of the construction and furnishing of the small refuge.
   

Luis Plank, host of the refuge from 1925 to 1929

The first host of the refuge was the alpine guide Anton Plank of Welschnofen and in the time between the two World Wars were his sons running the refuge, on the SAT's instruction. The first of these two hosts was Luis Plank, from the year 1925 to 1929, than his brother Josef Plank from 1930 to 1939, both supported by their sister Rosa Plank, who worked in the kitchen. In July 1921 was the refuge entrusted to the SAT through the authority of the Italian military, and the name was changed into “Roda di Vaèl”. Except of some preservation and strengthening works on the building, there was no change in the refuge until 1983, where the SAT decided the renovation and the enlargement.

Carlo Delmonego (right on the photo), host of the refuge from 1947 to 1974     Carla Delmonego helped her father Carlo to run the refuge from 1947 to 1955

From the year 1947 to 2004 was the refuge run by only two hosts, each for the time of 30 years: in 1947 was celebrated the new host, Carlo Delmonego, very famous in the Fassa Valley as a hotel owner and later also as the head of the mountain rescue service. Born in 1906 in Vigo di Fassa, before the Second World War he has bought the Hotel Cervo and than he lived in the Switzerland for some time as a foreign worker. After the war he returned to Vigo and opened again the hotel, running it together with his wife. In the first years after the war he also took on the refuge. But the real hostess was his daughter Carla Delmonego, who was an excellent accordion player, which she had learned in the Switzerland . A lot of especially local people came the way up to the refuge right for listening to her music.

The sudden painful death of Carlo Delmonego in autumn 1974 forced the SAT and its refuges commission to find a new host for the “Roda di Vaèl”.
The choice was on Rino Rizzi, a famous alpine guide of Pera di Fassa, who had already worked in refuges in the past. In the age between 16 an 20 years, Rino Rizzi has been the delivery boy of the refuge “Re Alberto I” run by his uncle Marino Soraperra, and at the same time also the delivery boy of the refuge “Contrin”.
In the early 80 th , the SAT decided to renovate totally the refuge. In September 1982 the committee gave the order of the new building, with start of work in September of the following year. So, the rebuilding started in September 1983 and continued through the entire summer 1984 for the partly opening of the refuge in the year 1985. The works came to its end in the same year and the official opening was set in summer 1986.
   

Marino Stenico (in the middle) and Armando Aste (second from right) in summer 1962

Apart from the enlargement of the capacity, were the thermo sanitary installations totally renovated and enlarged. The refuge was provided with a new electricity generator and with four water containers with 8 m³ water, each and a rainwater collecting pump. Furthermore has the service suspension railway been built, too, indispensable for the supply of the refuge and the transport down to the valley of the rubbish. The new refuge was official opened on 13 th July 1986. On this occasion was the main (dining) room of the refuge named after the academic alpinist with gold medallion of the CAI and the SAT, Marino Scenico, a grandiose alpinist of the 6 th UIAA grade of difficulty rock faces of the Dolomites.

The host running the refuge “Roda di Vaèl” since the summer 2005 is the alpine guide of Pozza di Fassa, Bruno Deluca and his wife Roberta.