mvs

Trip: Cortina, Italy - Punta Fiames, Spigolo Jori (5.8) Date: 6/1/2008 Trip Report: The "Jori" ridge on Punta Fiames is visible from Cortina as a knife edge on the left side of the Pomagagnon cliffs. It's a really nice climb, about 15 pitches with 4 pitches of sustained 5.7-5.8 on the upper part of the ridge. There is nice crack and chimney climbing, and the views dropping off into the abyss are amazing! The route shares the first 5 pitches with another line, the "normal" route on the mountain which is 5.6, and has nice looking vertical chimney climbing (I was admiring that climb from belay ledges). Bolted belays, but otherwise only occasional pitons. Large cams are helpful. Here are some pics: Dan at a belay A long crack pitch with big air! Looking up the "crux" pitch Always nice scenery on the side of the ridge Horning in on a portrait of Cortina Gear Notes: Take an "Outer Space" rack, but emphasis on larger cams. Approach Notes: Just do it in good weather! We tried the day before and literally climbed a frightening pitch on the _wrong mountain_. It was raining too. We were idiots.

Munich has it all, good schools, skiing, climbing. It is usually ignored though, not sure why. Germans are no fun I guess.

Princely Ambitions is my favorite Index climb. The first time I led/climbed it, my head was reeling. Just thinking about that hand traverse has me sweating.

Great TR! Sorry I missed it a few years ago...

Hey on that trip I wore "mid range" hiking boots, Vasque Sundowners. They were perfect I thought. They had plenty of ankle support, nice for the heavy pack and sidehilling (plenty on Wiley Ridge). With the aluminum crampons you get almost as comfortable on hard snow as your friends in heavy boots. Really, what percentage of the total trip time will you be on the kind of snow where you wish you had heavier boots? I'll bet ~10%, and that's too low to justify. However you do it, have fun! The only time we had unhappiness over the light boots was downclimbing a 50 degree ice slope, which in hindsight was unnecessary and probably not something you'd have to do either.

Me again, the total fucking idiot who mentioned the Sigg bottle, have you ever picked one up? It's not heavy at all, it's actually lighter than a Nalgene bottle. It is expensive though, I think it has a certain cachet. :-(.

LOL...spraying water. If you want to clip a bottle to your harness, why not use a Sigg bottle? It has a special lid just for this. Of course if you don't tighten it you could still drop bombs on RuMRs posse.

Markwebster, you might like Offline at Static Point. I remember some decent runouts there, it's granite slab climbing.

The luxury of a dry change of clothes! Wow...never had that. Down will work just fine for getting in with a damp base layer, damp socks. To really dry things out, put a Nalgene bottle full of boiling water into a sock and bring that in with you. You can then dry out an extra pair of socks too.

Yeah he was awesome! You know he also recorded the other guy's part...doubled too.

"Blue Powder" is an amazing song, calls on all the stuff Vai learned while working for Zappa. Technically monstrous too. I like Vai best.

I got this in 2003 by hiking hard in old shoes after a winter with almost no hiking. The doctor said: 1) take this anti-inflammation pill 2) use these heel cups (cheap, from a drug store) 3) never walk barefoot in the morning (esp. in the morning) 4) do this funny exercise with a towel in the morning to stretch your foot. Finally I did my best to keep weight off the heel, because that's when I'd feel the pain. I kind of tip-toed a lot. It worked too, after three weeks it went away, and I bought new "Superfeet" for a cushier ride. Best of luck everyone, it is no fun!

Sweet granites and snows on the white hell of piz palü! 16 hour day, felt like a zombie at the car.

Mountain Hardman!

That looked like Darth Vader without his helmet. Great report, beautiful pictures!

At the climbing gym I go to (in Germany), there are a lot of people climbing VI and VII (5.10-5.11), and the walls with harder routes have only 1 or 2 pairs on them. Also, there is such a fear of non-bolted routes, I am having a hard time finding anyone who wants to go with me on trad-protected climbs. The reaction is always complete bafflement..."why?" I've kind of given up for the season, and will climb easy high mountains instead. Maybe I'll meet one of these eurobadasses later. But he'd prolly want to climb trad 5.12 offwidth and that's just too damn hard. crap.

The pant police are loose!

Actually that is a different 1000 m ice/snow climb! That is the Königspitze Nordwand. I don't have a picture of the north wall of the Ortler here, but it looks very impressive. On the Ortler, there is a long, relatively narrow couloir for the lower half, and bulges from ice falls to go around (or up?) on the upper part.

Yeah, exactly! I guess relaxation isn't really in my vocabulary when it comes to climbing, 90% of the time. So my plan ideas always have a very "grim" cast from a Euro point of view. But it's just a fun full day!

Thanks Ken. One thing I haven't really found here is what I'd call a "Cascade spirit." If you go do a big climb (for an average sloth like me that is) the main thing you will hear is how risky it was or unsafe or alarming. Even the issue of skipping the hut and hiking up from the car...some folks thought I was an alarming, crazy guy for doing that. I don't know...maybe in the Cascades we just did our thing in more obscurity. Here, things are done in a certain way and deviation from the normal way seems reckless.

Trip: The Ortler, South Tyrol, Italy - Hintergrat (East Ridge) Date: 7/7/2007 Trip Report: Hi all, I thought I'd write a quick note on a really fun mountaineering/alpine climbing trip I went on Saturday. The Ortler is 3900 meters high, rising 2000 meters above the valley town of Sulden, Italy. It has significant glaciers and some nice ridge climbs. It has a > 1000 meter snow/ice climb of the north face that is very famous. It has a famous ridge called the Hintergrat, offering some exciting and exposed mid-5th class climbing in the upper 1000 feet, on terrain that is often snowy and icy. I really enjoyed this route. There is an "easy" way down a gentle glacier and then a class 5.0 ridge downclimb for 3 pitches or so. Finally a steep via ferrata, then you reach the Payer Hut for tea and strumpets. I did the climb as a day trip (reasonable by NW standards as a long tough day). Here are some pictures. If you come out here in the summer or fall and want to use ice axe and crampons, this climb is really wonderful. Here was the peak on my hike up: A little later I saw the famous Königspitze and Monte Zebru: Two people on the ridge. The route follows the whole ridge, especially the neat knife edge below the people and left: A party of 5 having fun in the technical part: A look back on the way down: Let me know if you come visit! ripsawridge (at sign) gmail.com --Michael Gear Notes: Rope, helmet, ice axe, crampons, a few slings and nuts. Approach Notes: nice trails, even a lift for part way if lazy. Even a hut on each end too. Jeez!

The North Ridge is a fine and quick way down if you are soloing. Just a bit of "using your hands" and then steep scrubby goat trail terrain. I wish you could just drop into the snowy basin from the col, but it looked steep and I don't know if it's possible. I walked back to Pineapple Pass along the west side of the rock. Can't believe your time, that is amazing!

Bartok "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste" is creepy and wonderful. The third movement with the viola and timpani theme is especially good. George Crumb "Ancient Voices of Children" must be heard with headphones in a dark room. I know it is old and not so obscure but "Dido's Lament" from Dido and Aneas by Henry Purcell is just...wow. Piazolla is all great. Nobody mentioned Elliot Carter string quartets. Those are really good, though probably the most fun if you are reading the score with the music. Thanks for the neat ideas on this thread!

Here's a brush shot:

In the north, the Wilder Kaiser is amazing, it's near the town of Kufstein Austria. In Italy, you can't go wrong with the mountains around Cortina, Val Gardena, and/or a bit further south in the Brenta Dolomites. Maybe the south face of the Marmolada is best for you. Such 5.10 routes up to 30 pitches in length!