summary - Climb Magazine

SUMMARY
This report begins in the Karakoram with two
new routes and impressively fast ascents in the
Gasherbrum-Broad Peak Group. Following this are
details of the first continuous traverse of all 4,000m
peaks in the Alps, and then three important new routes
in the Dolomites: on the Sass dia Crusc, Meisules de la
Biesces and the Marmolada. Finally, there is Thomas
Huber’s Para-alpinism on the Tre Cime di Lavaredo linking three hard routes with BASE jump descents.
PHOTODIAGRAMS
There are many photodiagrams in this INFO: a panorama of the Gasherbrum-Broad Peak group
from K2; Broad Peak’s west side; a view from Gasherbrum I over the rest of the Gasherbrum Group
and beyond; Gasherbrum I from the west north west; an updated Polish map of part of the Western
Batura - Beka Brakai Chhok and valleys to the south; an unusual panorama from Sani Pakush over
Beka Brakai Chhok to the Batura-Sangemarmar peaks; a panorama of some of the higher Valais
4,000ers; the West Face of the Sass dia Crusc and close-up of the Livanos and Right-hand Pillars;
two of the South West Face of the Marmolada di Penia; the North Faces of Cima Grande and Ovest;
and the eastern end of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo from the south.
TO READ THE FULL REPORT. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AT WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM
PAKISTAN
The 2008 Russian-French
expedition to Baltoro
8,000ers
A
B
C
D
Broad Peak
F
H
A twilight view towards the Gasherbrums from K2 to the north. (A) Gasherbrum I (8,068m), (B) Gasherbrum II (8,035m), (C) Gasherbrum III
(7,952m), (D) Gasherbrum IV (7,925m), (E) Broad Peak Central (8,016m), (F) Broad Peak Central Foresummit, (G) Broad Peak Main (8,047m),
and (H) Broad Peak North (7,490m). The Normal Route on Broad Peak climbs the far side of the long snow slopes to the right, heading up to
the gap between the Central and Main summits. The new Russian route traversed these slopes from closer to the left edge. Peaks in the far
distance are the Ghent Group (7,401m). BRUCE NORMAND/K2 SHARED SUMMITS EXPEDITION
mountain-equipment.co.uk
NOV 2009 WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM 67
THE AUTHORITATIVE MOUNTAINEERING NEWS SERVICE
Viktor Afanasiev and Valery
Babanov planned to climb new
routes on three of the Baltoro
8,000ers. Other members of
Babanov’s expedition,
attempting the peaks by the
Normal Routes, would be
fellow Russians, Pavel Chochia
and Valery Shamalo, and the
Frenchwomen, Elisabeth Revol
(another male French member
of the team had to return home
before reaching the mountains).
After acclimatizing for two
weeks and reaching 7,100m
on the Normal Route,
Afanasiev and Babanov set off
for a new line on the West Face
of Broad Peak Central. The
obvious crux would be a huge
and dangerous serac barrier
at c7,000m but the approach
followed a steep spur that
proved objectively safe.
G
E
C
E
D
F
A
4
B
1
G
5
2
6
4
THE AUTHORITATIVE MOUNTAINEERING NEWS SERVICE
3
Broad Peak seen from the south west. (A) Broad Peak North (7,490m: first climbed by Jerzy Kukuczka and Voytek Kurtyka in 1984, see below), (B) Col 7,278m, (C) Broad Peak Central
(8,016m: first climbed in 1975 by Kazimierz Glazek and Janusz Kulis via the now Normal Route to the col, then the South East Ridge), (D) Broad Peak Foresummit (8,028m), (E) Broad
Peak Main (8,047m: first climbed in 1957, see below), (F) Broad Peak South West (7,721m) and (G) Falchan la (6,571m). (1) North West Ridge Integral to Broad Peak Main (Jerzy
Kukuczka/Voytek Kurtyka, 1984). (2) Central Buttress - Russian Route (Viktor Afanasiev/Valery Babanov, 2008). (3) West Flank/Rib – Normal Route (Marcus Schmuck/Fritz Wintersteller,
followed by Hermann Buhl/Kurt Diemberger, 1957: the approximate position of Camp 3 at c7,100m is marked). (4) West Face-Mexican Route (Carlos Carsolio, solo, in two stages: 28th
June-1st July, 1994 to the 7,000m Camp 3 on the Normal Route; 8th-9th July, 1994 from 7,000m to the Main Summit). (5) South West Face (Sergey Samoilov/Denis Urubko, 2005). (5)
1997 Spanish and Anglo-Australian attempts and high point (c7,200m) on the unclimbed South West Spur to South East Ridge. MARKO PREZELJ
Starting out on the 9th July, the two reached the
100m-high serac barrier on the 12th and climbed
through it via the only real line of weakness to
reach the upper snow slopes. During the night of
the 13th-14th, camped at 7,500m, they were
increasingly hit by avalanches resulting from a
sudden storm. In the morning they moved the
tent into a crevasse and discussed their options.
They had not planned to climb the difficult
summit headwall of the Central Peak but reach
the 7,800m col between Central and Main
directly. However, this now seemed far too
dangerous, so on the 15th they decided the only
way out was to make a long traverse right,
across the snowfield, and down to join Camp 3
at 7,100m on the Normal Route. This was highly
dangerous: sometimes the snow was up to their
waists, and a couple of slides from above
narrowly missed them. But the two were lucky.
On the 17th and in good weather, they were
joined at Camp 3 by more climbers, including the
other three members of their expedition. That
day they left at 4am and reached the 8,047m
Main Summit at 7.30pm (the only members of
their expedition confirmed by others to have
reached the highest point). Their new 3,000m
route was graded ED, WI 5, M6 and 90°, and
was climbed in pure alpine style.
68 WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM NOV 2009
Gasherbrum I and II
There were two events of note on Gasherbrum I
(8,068m). After their ascent of Broad Peak, the
Russian-French team moved to Gasherbrum Base
Camp (5,100m) on the 23rd July, and on the 28th
Afanasiev and Babanov set off for a new route on
the left facet of the South West Face. The pair
followed the same terrain, up the next major
glacier basin south of the Standard Route, as the
accomplished Polish pair, Jerzy Kukuczka and
Wojciech Kurtyka in 1983. The two Poles had
traversed up right onto the big snow slopes of the
South West Face above its serac-torn lower
section, and after failing twice to climb through the
headwall, crossed right onto a south-facing spur
and finished up slopes on the right flank to the
summit. Afanasiev and Babanov climbed much
further left, up a subsidiary snow and ice face,
squeezed between the South West Face proper
and the 1977 Slovenian Route on the West Ridge
(the Slovenians actually short cut the ascent by
climbing onto the crest from the right: in 1990 a
Japanese expedition climbed the ridge integrally).
Next day the Russian pair passed through an
objectively dangerous amphitheatre and reached
the rimaye at 5,800m. By the end of the following
day they had climbed the snow and ice slope to
6,900m and were asleep in their tent, when
Elisabeth Revol, who in 2008 reached the summits of
both Gasherbrums II and I in the space of 52½ hours...
stonefall ripped through the fabric and hit
Afanasiev squarely on the head. Next day, feeling
that retreat back down the stone-swept face in
daylight was too dangerous, the pair continued
up, exiting the slope at a small notch at c7,200m
on a subsidiary rocky spur below and south of the
D
A
B
7
6
C
5
1
2
4
3
F
Looking north west from Gasherbrum I. (A) Gasherbrum V (7,133m). (B) Gasherbrum VII (6,980m).
(C) Muztagh Tower (7,284m). (D) Gasherbrum IV (7,925m). (E) Gasherbrum III (7,952m). (F) Gasherbrum II
(8,035m). (G) Pt 7,388m. (H) Camp 1 for both Gasherbrums I and II on the South Gasherbrum Glacier.
(1) 1956 Austrian Route - the Normal Route. (2) West Ridge/Face (Carlos Carsolio, solo, 1995).
(3) 1984 Kammerlander-Messner descent. (4) 1975 French Route. (5) 1988 Dutch variant.
E
D
C
ELISABETH REVOL
A
B
5
4
G
I
3
H
NOV 2009 WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM 69
THE AUTHORITATIVE MOUNTAINEERING NEWS SERVICE
Looking east south east from the summit of Gasherbrum II (8,035m). (A) Gasherbrum II East (7,772m: the 1983 Kukuczka-Kurtyka Route follows the ridge facing the camera to the
summit of Gasherbrum II). (B) Urdok Glacier (smaller peaks to the left are part of the Staghar Singhi Group). (C) Gasherbrum La (6,511m). (D) Gasherbrum I (8,068m). (1) The 1986
Japanese Couloir, now the Normal Route (in 2008 climbers ascended the mixed ground slightly left of the lower couloir). Camps 2 and 3 are marked. (2) 1982 German Route. (3) 1983
Swiss Route (Loretan/Ruedi). (4) 1975 Habeler-Messner Route. (5) 1985 Italian Route. (6) 1977 Slovenian Route (joins the Normal Route at c7,800m). (7) 2008 Russian Route. There have
been several variants to these routes and in 1986 a Swiss team almost completed the obvious North Ridge rising directly from the Gasherbrum La. ELISABETH REVOL
TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN FULL YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT VIA THE ‘CLIMB MAGAZINE ARCHIVES’, AT
WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM
West Ridge. From this point they had the option
of climbing across to the ridge and descending
the Slovenian Route, or traversing even further left
across more precarious terrain to join the Normal
Route. The two reached the notch early in the day
and elected to rest there, eventually camping for
the night of the 31st.
On the 1st August Afanasiev, obviously a tough
cookie, felt he was perfectly capable of continuing
the ascent; so the two proceeded upwards for a few
hundred metres until meeting the 1977 Slovenian
line (first ascensionists, the renowned Andrej
Stremfelj and Nejz Zaplotnik). They followed this
through the snowy gully left of the true crest of the
West Ridge, and intersected with the Normal Route
at 7,800m. Here, in a quirk of coincidence, they met
the other members of their expedition, Chochia,
Revol and Shamalo, and climbed with them to the
top (summit time variously reported by these
climbers is from 1-3pm). Babanov reports leaving
the summit around 4pm, after which he and
Afanasiev descended to their tent at 7,200m, while
the others reversed the Normal Route. The new
2,300m route, climbed in perfect alpine style, was
graded ED, WI 4, M5, 80°.
The Russians had reached the summits of two
8,000m Baltoro peaks, both by new routes, within
the space of a little over two weeks. One has to look
back 25 years for something similar: prior to their
new route on Gasherbrum I in 1983, Kukuczka and
Kurtyka had climbed neighbouring Gasherbrum II
along a new line - the East Ridge crossing
Gasherbrum II East.
The other event of note concerns the female
French mountaineer Elisabeth Revol, making her
first expedition to 8,000m peaks. Revol is an
accomplished alpinist (her CV includes Pinocchio on
Mt Blanc du Tacul, The Shroud on the Grandes
Jorasses and the Brooks-Colton on the North Face
of Les Droites) who was a member of the French
Alpine Club’s young women’s team to the Northern
Cordillera Real in Bolivia, where she made first
ascents of technical new routes. Revol reached the
summit of Gasherbrum II via the Normal Route at
8.30am on the 30th July. She made this summit
attempt from Camp 3 at 6,900m and was on top at
the same time as one Spanish and one Georgian
mountaineer. She then made a quick descent of the
route, reaching Camp 1 on the glacier at 3pm. After
some rest and rehydration she left the same night,
crossing the crevassed glacier whilst it was well
frozen, and reached Camp 2 below the start of the
Japanese Couloir in two or three hours. The route
this year climbed partially on mixed ground left of the
couloir, and after overcoming this Revol reached
Camp 3 at 2pm on the 31st. On the way she had
encountered Spanish and Portuguese climbers
descending, having given up their summit attempt
because the wind was too strong. The two
Russians, Chochia and Shamalo had spent the night
in Camp 2 and were headed for Camp 4. Revol
caught them up before reaching Camp 3 but elected
to spend the night there, rather than accompanying
them to the higher camp. Next day she caught up
70 WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM NOV 2009
with the Russians at c7,600m and all three
continued to 7.800m, where at 11am they met
Afanasiev and Babanov coming up from the right.
Revol continued and estimates she reached the
summit at around 1pm. Her elapsed time from the
summit of Gasherbrum II to I was 52½ hours, the
fastest anyone has climbed two 8,000m peaks.
Seemingly the previous fastest ascent between
the two summits had been three days in July 1996.
The legendary French alpinist Jean-Christophe
Lafaille reached the summit of Gasherbrum II at
9.10am on the 28th July, descended to Camp 2
(6,400m) that day, and the following morning
reached Camp 1 (5,900m), where he spent most of
the 29th resting and rehydrating. At 11pm he set out
across the Gasherbrum Glacier and soloed the 1985
Italian Route to reach the Normal Route at c7,400m.
He elected to camp the night here, but late in the
day strong winds and large lenticular clouds made
him uneasy and, leaving his tent and gear,
descended the Normal Route to Camp 3, where he
was able to use a tent and sleeping bag belonging
to another team, and be in a good position to go
down the fixed ropes should the weather turn nasty.
In fact it didn’t. By 11pm he was more confident and
decided to set off upwards. He climbed through the
night and reached the top sometime during the
morning of the 31st. He returned to Camp 1 on the
glacier later that day, having made the round trip
ascent of both peaks from this camp in just under
four days. As his press office would announce, ‘no
one has ever climbed two 8,000m peaks in a row,
solo, in such a short time, and without returning to
base camp’. Remember also that in 1984 Hans
A
B
Kammerlander and Reinhold Messner made
mountaineering history when over a period of a
week they climbed the Normal Route on
Gasherbrum II, descended via a partial new route on
the South South West Face, climbed Gasherbrum I
by a partial new route on the North West Face
(reaching the summit three days after their ascent of
Gasherbrum II) and then descended its West Ridge.
Batura Muztagh
Beka Brakai Chhok - Corrections
In SEPTEMBER 2009 INFO we discussed the
relative heights of the Beka Brakai Chhok
summits. In this summary there were several
errors: (a) there appears to be no logical reason
for introducing the second ‘k’ in Brakai. The peak
name should therefore remain Beka Brakai rather
than Brakkai; (b) Peter Thompson’s solo effort
was on Beka Brakai Chhok Central and not North
as stated. This is the only serious attempt on the
unclimbed Central Summit to date. The ridge
running south east from Pt 6,315m (A top first
climbed by Thompson) leads to the Central
Summit, while the North Summit, on the ridge
towards Aikache Chhok, is better described as
BBC North East.
Jerzy Wala’s updated sketch map to this sector
of the Batura Muztagh in included with this report,
as is a photo from the summit of nearby Sani
Pakush. While it could be argued that this photo
alone does not conclusively identify the true
summit of the mountain, it appears to confirm
opinion that Beka Brakai Central is the highest of
the three BBC tops.
Article continued online at: www.climbmagazine.com
C
G
I
D
H
E
J
F
The view east south east from the summit of Sani Pakush (6,952m/6,885m) as seen on the first ascent of this mountain in
July 1991. (A) Batura III (7,729m: unclimbed). (B) Batura IV (7,594m: Japanese, 1978). (C) Batura II (7,762m: Koreans, 2008).
(D) Beka Brakai Chhok North East (6,845m: unclimbed). (E) Beka Brakai Chhok Central (6,882m: unclimbed). (F) Beka Brakai
Chhok South (c6,850m: Italians, 2008). (G) Bojohaghur Duanasir (7,318m: Japanese, 1984). (H) Hunza Peak (6,270m: British,
1991). (I) Sangemarmar (6,990m: Japanese, 1984). (J) Spantik (7,027m: Germans, 1955). Although one could argue the
horizon may not be perfectly horizontal, it seems near enough and shows BBC Central, the same distance from the camera
as BBC South, to be the highest of the three summits. The ridge descending from the Central Summit towards the camera
has been attempted on one occasion from Pt 6,315m (out of picture). The large summit snowfield on Batura II, climbed by
the Koreans in 2008 to make the first ascent, is clearly visible. HUBERT BLEICHER PROVIDED BY EBERHARD JURGALSKI
C
A
E
D
B
F
G
H
Looking east towards the Valais 4,000ers. (A) Rimpfischhorn (4,199m). (B) Strahlhorn (4,190m)
(C) Matterhorn (4,478m). (D) Monte Rosa-Nordend (4,609m). (E) Dent d'Hérens (4,171m).
(F) Monte Rosa-Signalkuppe (4,556m). (G) Lyskamm (4,527m). (H) Castor (4,228m). The
snow-plastered, multi-summited rocky ridge in front of the Matterhorn is the Bouquentins,
while in the foreground stands Mont Collon, with its North Face in profile. LINDSAY GRIFFIN
had to give up with foot problems after 21 summits. A friend who met Giovannini
coming down from the Jorasses when about half way through the odyssey
mentioned that ‘he looked less tired than I do after a day’s work in the office’.
Dolomites 2008
4
2
3
6
5
THE ALPS AND DOLOMITES 2008
The Alpine 4,000ers
Diego Giovannini and Franco Nicolini completed the first continuous, nonmechanized link up of all 82 Alpine 4,000m summits that appear on the UIAA’s
official list. The first accepted continuous traverse of the ‘Alpine 4,000ers’ took place
in 1993, when Martin Moran and Simon Jenkins climbed a total of 74 summits in 52
days, from Piz Bernina in the east to the Barre des Ecrins in the west. They travelled
completely under their own steam, walking, cycling and climbing a distance of
1,000km and making a height gain of over 62,000m. Before their traverse, there
had been a number of serious attempts. However, criteria for success had been
rather vague, as there was no universally accepted definition of what counted as a
‘4,000m peak’. Some opted for a total as low as 52 (the number of completely
separate mountains), others added more, and Alpine specialist Richard Goedecke
listed a staggering 150 individual tops and bumps. After Moran and Jenkins‘s
traverse, a joint UIAA and Italian Alpine Club committee, headed by the late Gino
Buscaini, came up with an ‘official’ list of 82, which they hoped would be used as
the benchmark for future attempts.
And subsequently, there were some notable attempts. Certainly the most wellknown occurred during the winter-spring of 2004 when Patrick Berhault and Philippe
Magnon completed 65 of the summits in a continuous, self-propelled (and filmed)
traverse, before Berhault fell through a cornice on the Taschhorn to his death. From
December 2006 to April 2007 Miha Valic did climb all 82 summits, but his tactics were
rather different. Valic used a van to move around the Alps and wait out bad weather,
choosing his peaks in no particular geographic order, as and when they were in
condition. It took him 102 days to complete the project (see AUGUST 2008 INFO).
Giovannini and Nicolini, both extremely fit mountain guides (Giovannini has
climbed Lhotse without oxygen), tracked from west to east, ending with the Bernina.
They used no mechanized transport and completed the journey in an impressive 60
days, starting in late June. They were originally joined by Merko Mezzanotte, who
A close-up of the left side of the Sass dla Crusc (2,825m) West Face. (1) The Left-hand or Livanos
Pillar (Gabriel/Livanos, 1953: 500m: UIAA VII-). (2) Jungendliebe (Andres/Zingerle, 1992:
approached via the Mayerl: VIII). (3) Grubatscher-Mutschlechner Memorial Route
(Hainz/Oberbacher, 1994: 550m: IX-). (4) Flammende Herzen (Brandauer/Frey, 1984: approached
via the Mayerl: VII). (5) Diedro Mayerl (Mayerl/Rahracher, 1962: 550m: VII). (6) La Perla Preziosa
(Sartori-Tondini-Zandegiacomo, 2008: 375m/eight pitches of new climbing: IX+). CLAUDIO CIMA.
B
A
5
6
2
1
3
4
The West Face of the Sass dla Crusc (2,825m) rises above the Badia Valley. (A) The Left-hand
or Livanos Pillar. (B) The Right-hand Pillar. The Middle Pillar with the legendary 1968 MessnerMessner Route is hidden between the two. Only a few of many routes are marked. (1) Livanos
Pillar (Gabriel/Livanos, 1953: 500m: UIAA VII-). (2) Diedro Mayerl (Mayerl/Rahracher, 1962:
550m: VII). (3) La Perla Preziosa (Sartori-Tondini-Zandegiacomo, 2008: 375m/eight pitches of
new climbing: IX+). (4) Gran Muro (Frisch/Messner, 1969: c500m: VII-). (5) Mauerblumchen
(Precht/Wenger, 1983: VI+). (6) Central Pillar (Corradini/Frisch, VI+). CLAUDIO CIMA
NOV 2009 WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM 71
THE AUTHORITATIVE MOUNTAINEERING NEWS SERVICE
1
Jerzy Wala's 2009 updated map of the Toltar and Baltar glacier basins. Added to this are
routes taken (dotted lines) to summits climbed in the Beka Brakai Chhok Group. The three
summits of Beka Brakai Chhok are now marked as: South (6,850m); Central (6,882m), and
North - or North East - (6,845m). JERZY WALA
Fanis. Sass dla Crusc
In late August Nicola Tondini, one of
the most talented of current Dolomite
activists, finally completed an all free
ascent of his new route, La Perla
Preziosa (Precious Pearl) on the
magnificent West Face of the Sass
dla Crusc (aka Sasso della Croce,
Monte Cavallo or Heiligkreuzkofel,
2,825m). The c550m route was
redpointed at UIAA IX+ (7c+).
Tondini’s goal is to create hard,
traditionally-protected routes on the
great Dolomite walls. In 2006 he
spied a line to the right of the now
THE AUTHORITATIVE MOUNTAINEERING NEWS SERVICE
classic Diedro Mayeri (Mayerl-Rahracher, 1962: 550m: VII) that he thought might
go, and set to work on the lower section with regular partner Nicola Sartori.
Using just nuts, Friends and pitons, the pair climbed the first four pitches to the
midway ledge. In a smooth diedre on the third pitch, Tondini was hanging from a
small wire while trying to hammer a solid protection peg, when he widened the
crack. The nut popped and he took a 20m fall. This pitch was finally climbed at
VIII- and the pitch above at VIII.
On the midway ledge he had a shock. His proposed line on the impressive
upper wall, which he had studied from below with binoculars, had some pitons. He
knew nothing of an ascent in this area and it was only the following year that he
discovered Hansjörg Auer had climbed it in 2005 (Silberschrei: nine pitches: 7c:
though not redpointed until 2009).
Next year Tondini returned with his sister and then again with Michael
Zandegiacomo, whom Tondini was instructing to become an Alpine guide. Another
line was found to the right but this ended at a point where there were only two
possibilities for upward progress; more or less in the same line on very rotten rock,
or out right on a superb compact wall of brilliant ‘Verdonesque’ limestone. The
problem with the latter was the complete absence of any protection. Tondini went
away to think about it for a year.
He returned on the 12th August 2008 and reluctantly decided to place two bolts
on the compact wall whilst hanging from hooks. After some work spread over
several days, and a few falls, this crux pitch finally went at IX+. Above, the
difficulties, though still notable, gradually eased. Tondini returned for the final
redpoint ascent on the 28th with Sartori and Zandegiacomo. Although
disappointed that the dream was not perfect, he was happy that for more than
90% of the climb the difficult moves on each pitch are obligatory.
The broad West Face of the Sass dla Crusc has outstanding history. The first
really significant route to be completed here dates from 1953, when Robert Gabriel
and Georges Livanos, forming one of the most active partnerships of the era,
climbed the superb left-hand pillar, now known as the Livanos Pillar. The next route,
surprisingly climbed in winter, took the conspicuous diedre right of the three main
pillars but left of the huge vertical wall known as the Gran Muro. This was the
Mayerl (aka West) Diedre (V+ and A2 but now free at VII).
In 1968 two young brothers decided to tackle the Central Pillar and unwittingly
completed one of the most historic ascents in the Alps. The lower part to the halfway ledge proved reasonably straightforward though loose (and today is generally
avoided by climbing the first half of the Mayerl Diedre then traversing left). Above,
the pair was unable to climb the crest and was forced to traverse right below a
large overhang and into the middle of the steep right flank.
In the lead, part way up the third pitch above the ledge, one of the brothers,
Reinhold, found himself in a spot of bother..... “ a smooth slab without any cracks and
hardly any holds. Four metres higher a break. I was perched on a small ledge with an
overhang and a lot of space below me. I didn’t give up. I tried again, and again, and
again. Thirty minutes later I had still not advanced one centimetre. There was no way
back. I couldn’t climb down - no chance, and no courage to jump”.
Eventually he made it. However, subsequent attempts to repeat the Messner line
by several talented parties all came to a complete standstill at this “four-metre slab”.
It wasn’t until 1978 that Hans Mariacher, climbing with Luigi Rieser, snapped a
crucial hold on the slab and then decided to traverse well right from this point,
finding a way through the wall above to join the original route. Mariacher’s variant is
VII-/VII but has plenty of in-situ gear. Until the mid 1990s Messner’s original line had
only been repeated on a top rope: the rock at this point is a little friable and the crux
moves are badly positioned above an ankle-snapping (or worse) ledge. Opinions of
the difficulty vary; from VII through to VIII-. It is possible that Messner not only broke
through to the “Seventh Grade” in 1968, but may well have climbed the first ‘Grade
Eight’ in Europe’s high mountains.
The first confirmed ‘alpine’ VIII-/VIII without bolt protection was most likely
Reinhard Schiestl’s 1979 lead of the crux pitch on Mephisto, also on the Sass dla
Crusc left of the Livanos Pillar. His partner, Luigi Rieser, arguably made the first
‘alpine’ IX- without bolts when in 1984 he climbed Odysee in the Wilder Kaiser.
Rieser, who now prefers to be known as Swami Prem Darshano after his religious
conversion, claims to have never placed a single bolt in his climbing career.
Sella Group
Meisules de la Biesces
Florian and Martin Riegler made the first free ascent of Vint ani do, a 350m line on
the West/South West Face of the Meisules de la Biesces (2,457m), first climbed in
72 WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM NOV 2009
2004 by Stefan Comploi and Ivo Rabanser at VII and A2. The brothers climbed the
12-pitch route at X- (8a+) to produce what is now considered the most difficult line
in the Sella-Sassolungo region. The route crosses a huge roof 120m above the
ground and when Martin repeated the line in 2007 he dismissed any possibility of
climbing it free. Six months later he returned with his brother and managed to work
the roof, with the crux moves involving dynos. Knowing that it would now go, but
wanting to complete the route in one sitting (the remaining climbing, although not
sustained, still involves uncompromising IX- or 7b+), the brothers returned for the
redpoint ascent, which surprisingly took place in winter - on the 2nd March.
The Meisules lies west of the Gardena Pass, just 10-15 minutes walk south of the
main road, and the main walls face either north or north west. It is home to some
great classics such as Maghi y Magetsch (VI+/VII), Tod und das Machen (VII+) and
Excalibur (VII-). On the lower walls, in an area known as the Dream Pillar, are over
100 shorter sport routes (up to four pitches in length).
Marmolada Group
Marmolada di Penia
Although he was unable to make a redpoint ascent, the Italian Rolando Larcher
completed the excellent AlexAnna on the South West Face of the Marmolada di
Penia (3,343m), left of the classic Solda Route (Conforto-Solda, 1936: 550m: VII),
one of the hardest pre-war routes in the Dolomites. Larcher spent six days on the
route with various partners; four days in 2007 and two in 2008. His principal
difficulty last summer was the unseasonably poor weather, which made it quite
cold at 3,000m, not only for himself on lead, but also for his patient belayers. In
the end he was able to climb the first half of the line on-sight up to 7a+, but in the
upper section, where the main technical difficulties are to be found, had to resort
to rest points. Nevertheless, Larcher managed to free each individual move and
reckons the eventual redpoint, which he hoped to achieve in 2009, will be 8a+/8b
with obligatory sequences of 7b. In creating the route he employed his usual style;
5
1
2
3
4
The South West Face of the Marmolada di Penia (3,343m), showing (1) La Larcher-Vigiani
(Larcher/Vigiani, 2000, FFA Larcher/Vigiani, 2001: 550m: 8a, 7b obl). (2) AlexAnna (Larcher
and various partners, 2007 and 2008: 550m: 17 pitches: not yet redpointed but estimated
to be 8a+/8b), (3) Solda Route (Conforto/Solda, 1936: 550m: UIAA VII). (4) Sassoni Route
(Sassoni/Scheffler/Uhnert, 1963: 550m: UIAA VI and A3). (5) New South Pillar
(Brandsatter/Iovane/Kroll/Mariacher, 1979: 550m: UIAA VI+). ROLANDO LARCHER
exclusively bolt-protected route, and at the time some
Italians, who still consider the South Face of the
Marmolada to be hallowed ground, were seriously
critical of the drilling (there was even talk of removing
the bolts). Others felt it the forerunner of the next stage
in Marmolada development.
1
2
Sextener
3
The western end of the huge South Face of the
Marmolada with the Marmolada di Penia (3,343m) just
off picture to the right. (1) West Ridge (Dittmann /Rizzi /
Seyffert, 1898: PD: a popular via ferrata with a snow
approach). (2) AlexAnna (Larcher and various partners,
2007 and 2008: 550m: 17 pitches: not yet redpointed
but estimated to be 8a+/8b), (3) Solda Route
(Conforto/Solda, 1936: 550m: UIAA VII). CLAUDIO CIMA
B
A
C
5
1
D
2
3
4
6
INFO: Valery Babanov/Rolando Larcher/Eberhard
Jurgalski/Elisabeth Revol/Luca Signorelli and the
reference sources of the American Alpine Journal
and Himalayan Index.
The eastern end of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo from the south.
(A) Cima Grande (2,999m). (B) Cima Piccola (2,857m). (C)
Punta di Frida (2,792m). (D) Cima Piccolissima (2,700m). (1)
South Face - Normal Route (Grohmann / Innerkoffer /
Salcher, 1869: 450m: UIAA III). (2) Egger Route
(Egger/Sauscheck, 1955: 300m: UIAA VI+). (3) Otzi Trifft Yeti
(Astner/Hainz, 2000: 350m: VIII+ or F7a+), climbed by Huber
as part of his BASE jump trilogy. Not shown but also on this
face is the modern classic Muro Giallo (aka Perien vor die
Saue: Albert/Glowaz, 1996: 300m: 7b). (4) Spigolo Giallo
(Yellow Edge: Comici/Varale/Zanutti, 1933: c350m: VI: a
famous 12-pitch classic). (5) South East Face Direct -Fabjan
Route (Comici/Fabjan/Cottafavi/Pompei, 1934: c300m: UIAA
VI+). (6) South East Face - Cassin Route (Cassin/Vitali/Pozzi,
1934: c200m: UIAA VII-: Cassin's first new route in the
Dolomites and a popular classic). LINDSAY GRIFFIN
Phantom der Zinne on the North Face of the Cima
Grande (Astner/Hainz, 1996: 550m: IX+ or F7c+: a
serious and runout direct line through the BrandlerHasse), reaching the top at 1.30pm. They made their
second jump without incident and at 3pm started up
the Swiss-Italian Route on the North Face of the
Cima Ovest (Scheiber/Weber; Bellodis/Franceschi,
1959: 450m: FFA Kurt Albert, 1987 at IX- or 7b+: the
first ascent of this climb was a dramatic race between
the two teams, with press and television coverage,
and hundreds of spectators. The ascent became so
notorious, partly because of the intrigue surrounding it
and partly because of the different personalities of the
two groups of climbers, that 40 years later it became
B
A
4
1
2
3
The famous North Faces of (A) Cima Grande (2,999m)
and (B) Cima Ovest (2,973m) di Lavaredo. (1) Das
Phantom der Zinne (Astner/Hainz, 1996: 550m: IX+
or F7c+). (2) Comici Route (Comici/Dimai/Dimai, 1933:
500m: VII). (3) Alpenliebe (Astner/Hainz, 1998: 500m:
IX or 7c). (4) Cassin Route (Cassin/Ratti, 1935: 450m:
VIII-). Routes (1) and (3) made up part of Huber's
BASE jump trilogy. CLAUDIO CIMA COLLECTION
NOV 2009 WWW.CLIMBMAGAZINE.COM 73
THE AUTHORITATIVE MOUNTAINEERING NEWS SERVICE
climbing from the ground up, using natural protection
where possible and only resorting to bolts - as
always, drilled by hand - when faced with totally
compact rock. In the end he placed only 11
protection bolts (plus two on each belay).
AlexAnna, named after Larcher’s children, is not his
first route on this part of the face. In 2000, with
Roberto Vigiani, he climbed the right edge of the
Cristina Pillar, a prominent feature that leads to the
compact and overhanging Lindo Pillar immediately left
of the Solda. The pair returned in August 2001 and in
a 12-hour day made the first redpoint ascent of what
they dubbed La Larcher-Vigiani. The quality of the
route was outstanding, the rock rough and pocketed
but offering very little in the way of natural protection.
Forcing a bold line through the centre of the Lindo
Pillar, the Larcher-Vigiani has 13 pitches, out of which
only the first two and the seventh (which has a
boulder problem crux of 7a), and an easy scrambling
pitch to finish, are less than 7b. The eighth pitch is
8a, and the ninth (7b+) was according to Larcher at
the time, the best pitch he had ever climbed. Ninety
bolts were placed, so only quickdraws are
necessary, but the typically spaced nature of Larcher
placements means that obligatory difficulties are high
(7b). The route had to wait until 2005 for a repeat,
when Bruno Pederiva and Mario Prinoth climbed it
after a number of previous attempts.
The initial section of the South West Face is an
almost unbroken line of overhangs and there are few
possibilities for completely free entries. AlexAnna uses
the first three pitches of the Solda and then branches
left to climb a steep corner system right of the LarcherVigiani, before finishing up the right side of the Lindo
Pillar in a superb position.
Larcher chose this sector of the Marmolada
because there is still great potential for new lines that
will not interfere with existing routes. However, despite
not being the first route to use bolts on the
Marmolada, the Larcher-Vigiani is an almost
Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Thomas Huber has linked his BASE jumping and
speed climbing talents to climb the three main
summits of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the space of
24 hours - another major event in the growing activity
of Para-alpinisim. In 2005, while on a trip to
Patagonia, Huber talked to Dean Potter about a
daring plan: to climb all three summits of the Tre Cime
in one day, by hard routes, using parachutes to
speed descents. Shortly after midnight on the 11th
September 2006 they began their ‘three routes, two
jumps, one day’. Their first climb was Otzi Trifft Yeti on
the South Face of the Cima Piccola (Astner/Hainz,
2000: 350m: VIII+ or F7a+: straight up the Yellow Wall
between the Egger Route and the classic Yellow
Edge). Climbing by headtorch they reached the
summit at 4am and waited till dawn before making
the first jump. At 6.30am they set off up Das
the subject of a documentary by the well-known
Italian film-maker Fulvio Mariani - I Cavalieri delle
Vertigini). Half way up the first pitch, Huber suddenly
experienced a huge pain in his shoulder and was
unable to climb. It was a bitterly disappointed Huber
that had to descend, abandon the project and spend
the next four months in recovery.
Huber had to wait two years to realize his dream.
On the 14th August he started again, only this time
he would be the only one BASE jumping. He
recruited three different partners for the ascents,
which would all be hard Kurt Astner-Christoph Hainz
routes. He decided to start with the Cima Ovest.
With Peter Anzenberger he made a fast overnight
ascent of Alpenliebe on the North Face
(Astner/Hainz, 1998: 500m: IX or 7c: a hard free
ascent cutting through the Couzy Route, which set a
benchmark for later high-standard free climbing on
the Ovest). The pair started at 10.30pm and reached
the top at 4am on the 15th. Again, he waited till
dawn before making a BASE jump from near the top
of the Squirrels Ridge. On the ground was his
brother Alex and together the pair made an ascent of
Das Phantom der Zinne on the Cima Grande.
Starting at 7am, they were on top at 2pm. They then
descended to the Ring Band from where Thomas
made his second successful jump (eight seconds of
free fall). At 3.30 he was tackling Otzi Trifft Yeti on the
South Face of Cima Piccola with Martin Kopfsguter,
who apparently had to wake Huber numerous times
on the belays. However, the pair reached the summit
at 7.30pm after Thomas had climbed a total of 48
pitches. From there, he chose to descend the
Normal Route at a more leisurely pace.