One of Switzerland's most famous mountains has gained, arguably, its first really major new route in almost a decade, with the completion of Sogni d’alta Quota on the great North West Face.
This new line breaches the obvious and previously unclimbed expanse of rock between the 1985 Italian route, Ringo Starr, and the classic but serious 1937 Bramani Route.
After climbing several pitches in July 2010, local activists Antonio Gomba and Andrea Marzorati, accompanied by Corrado Trezzi, completed the line over two days this August.
They ascended the somewhat sombre 650m face, which rises above the contorted Trubinasca Glacier in 18 pitches (820m) of climbing.
Perhaps inevitably, the route relies primarily on bolt protection (take 14 quickdraws) but a set of Friends was considered essential. Pitches are generally between 40-55m and graded 5 to 6b+ (6a obl).
Starting 30m to the right of Ringo Starr, the three climbed a succession of slabs, walls and corners (wet at first) to emerge just left of the summit. They made one bivouac high on the wall, squeezed onto a ledge two metres long by 40cm wide. Then, after a night of wind and rain, they climbed the remaining ground in fine but cold weather to reach the summit next morning.
Although the belays had been equipped for a rappel descent, once at the summit the team felt it far less complicated to follow the normal way down on the Swiss side of the mountain - a rappel descent of the North Ridge.
The North West Face is not often climbed, mainly due to the complex approach (the Trubinasca Glacier can be time consuming, sometimes chaotic, and normally requires the full armoury of ice climbing equipment), and its austere, sunless nature, which can often make the lower section wet or verglassed.
It is a far more committing experience than the sunnier and more accessible North East Face, which holds the world-classic Cassin Route.
Climbed by Vitali Bramani and Ettore Castiglioni, the original route up the North West Face is the only one of an accessible standard (TD: UIAA V), featuring fine compact slabs, as well as loose chimneys.
Ringo Starr, climbed by the notoriously bold Fazzini cousins, Ottavio and Tarcisio, with Tita Gianola, is in fact not named after the famous Beatle but a well-known Italian biscuit. It features around 18 pitches at ED1 VI/VI+ (5b-6a) with little in-situ gear.
One of the most notable ascents on this face in recent times took place during February 2004, when local activist Rossano Libera made Ringo Starr's first solo and second overall winter ascent.
The Italian crossed the glacier with his brother, then climbed the route on-sight over five days.
Due to a route-finding error (deciphering the correct line, particularly in the middle section, is notoriously difficult) he created a new seven-pitch variant to the section dubbed Il Magnifico; the final, characteristic four-pitch diedre. It's not clear how close to this variant the upper section of the recent new route is situated.
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