Calling all thrill-seekers to the Western Slope: The Ouray Via Ferrata is now open, and this season there’s a new route along the Uncompahgre River Gorge for advanced climbers to traverse. For the uninitiated, via ferrata is Italian for “iron path” and so-named for the network of hand and foot rungs typically installed into the side of a cliff face that allows adventurers to climb along it while hooked onto a safety cable. Ouray’s is fairly new, having opened in 2020 during the first pandemic summer with one route, known as the Downstream Route.