Trip Report
sacred and prophane in Sarca Valley...
Sunday November 23, 2014 12:35pm

http://becauseflatsucks.blogspot.co.at/2014/11/italy-arco-keruak-vii-300m-giovanni.html

top left corner top right corner
Credit: stefano607518
bottom left corner bottom right corner

top left corner top right corner
Credit: stefano607518
bottom left corner bottom right corner

Pian della Paia - Keruak (VII+, 300m, 7 pitches, G.Groaz, P.Baldo, L.Massarotto 1981) a traditional route (IV, IV, V+, VI+, VI, VII+, V). Nice exposed mainly crack climbing on less than perfect rock, with a lloooott of air under our ass and on very old rusty although few, pitons...some belays we renewed ;-). We were alone in the route and the route should not be climbed if anybody is already in the route. The risk of rockfall (some big as a full size old stile TV) is concrete and very possible.....
The guidebook marks the 6th pitch dihedral as A0 to be climb artif.... For us it went free and OS and we think it goes free around VII/VII+. The first 10m of the dihedral are seldomly protectable and request some phantasy ;-). a hint take a nut salewa n. 6 with you and a long sling...the nerves of the one at the belay will be released by having at least one... "jesus nut" after some m....the belay is not the one you would like to take a factor 2 fall. Cool historical route, a must do but obviously in NOT too busy days....

Colodri - Giovanni Segantini (6c+, 300m, 9 pitches, Massimo Antonini & Giampaolo Calzā Sept. 2008). A hard sport route in the style of the 80ies... a.k.a. spaced bolted and supervertical on small olds which always requires very technical movements.... My best sport climbing so far.
Intense, continuous (6c+/7a, 6c, 6c+, 6c, 6b+/6c, 6a+, 6a+, 6c, 6a) and requesting some nerves but never dangerous...you always fall in the rope and not touch really the rock badly ;-).
PS. put the following in google translator: "NON SI AZZERA NIENTE" ;-)
Nice, nice, nice..with Manu today we sorted out all the movements up to 5th pitch were it you can start breating for 2 pitches...before the famous "specchio delle mie brame pitch" (a slabby 6c hard sparsely protected pitch bolted 20 years ago by H. Mariacher...one of the first sport pitch of sarcatal and bolted from above....) "this is a famous pitch, extremely famous for all those who were around at the time: it's a slab, the first in the Sarca valley to have been bolted, bolted from above, on purpose for sport climbing by two famous climbers, Roberto Bassi and Heinz Mariacher, two forerunners of this sort not only in Arco but worldwide. Naturally we left this beautiful slab exactly how it had been conceived, which means the same distance between one bolt and the next. Needless to say that here good technique is of the essence." more info here (Click)

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stefano607518
About the Author
stefano607518 is a trad climber from italy/austria/switzerland.

Comments
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  Nov 23, 2014 - 12:49pm PT
quality choss


do you climb the crack in this headwall?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TfyDBI5-UgA/VHIuXwgOXnI/AAAAAAAAG8M/5btdQUMO_mE/s1600/IMG_0954.jpg
stefano607518

Trad climber
italy/austria/switzerland
Author's Reply  Nov 23, 2014 - 01:39pm PT
nope we stayed in the "main" crack which become a face climbing (you hardly see it in my pic

BUT

i am asking around whether there is any info regardin the mentioned and pictured crack

it looked awesome and solid...plus the exit might reserve other surprises...

donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Nov 26, 2014 - 07:13am PT
Some serious, hard climbing....thanks for sharing!!!
TRo

climber
  Nov 26, 2014 - 10:20am PT
The Sarca Valley has so many multi-pitch climbs (see separate guidebook) but everyone's down on the tired stone at Massone or Nago. Plus the Dolomites are only a few hours away. I don't know why I don't move there. Great trip report.
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