A via ferrata (Italian for "iron roa". Plural vie ferrate. In German, klettersteig) is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities. Walkers and climbers can follow via ferratas without needing to use their own ropes and belays, and without the risks associated with unprotected scrambling and climbing. They are found in a number of European countries, including Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland and Spain; and a few places in the United States (such as Waterfall Canyon east of Ogden, Utah, West Virginia) and Canada (such as Mount Syphax). The first via ferratas were built in the Dolomite mountain region of Italy during the First World War, to aid the movement of mountain infantry. The Dolomites probably still have the greatest number of via ferrata.