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sbumbolo - Jun 5, 2006 1:18 pm - Hasn't voted
Interesting Route's detailsI did it with Bruno Arrigo and alpine guide Corrado Gonthier on June 2nd 2006. Because of the snowy conditions, we did the approach skiing from Rif. Torino and climbed with ski touring shoes. Overall duration : 5h Rif. to Rif.
We’d make the first belay (sling on rock) just before the icy couloir and the second just after the icy couloir (you’ll find two nails on your right at the exit of the couloir. Aniway don’t trust too much on these two nails). Once in the couloir, we’d kept the right side because the ice was better.
Corrado put one ice-screw in the couloir (with Tbloc) and slings on rocks with Tbloc on the upper slopes (eg : two for the crossing at the end of the upper slopes).
paulbracey - Aug 3, 2014 8:50 am - Voted 9/10
Awesome Route!We climbed this route the last week of June, 2014, hiking in from the Torino hut. We found that a couple of pickets were handy and made the passage through the bergschrund a bit safer with all that rotten snow to get up through. The pickets didn't get used after that, but ice screws were handy. The climbing was never difficult, but it is a pretty long way up - 8 pitches (if we counted them correctly) - and fairly exhausting. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the descent route (the normal route on the East Face) as it is not readily apparent and may take some poking around to be sure you're going to end up where you expect. It really is a spectacular climb. Highly recommended!
Cheers!