On the south-east ridge of...

Claude Mauguier - Dec 7, 2004 3:45 am - Hasn't voted

Vid, I saw your reply to my "family photo" comment. When you shot THIS photo I' am pointing to, you probably missed the little rock gully by a few meters. It goes right left, first on rather smoothed rocks (a rope is essential here), then on good holds for about 10/12 meters, until you find a ledge running to the west and turning the central buttress dominating the large couloir which the first named gully is part of. Thereafter, an almost 180 degrees turning movement brings to the foot of another small gully, also with good holds. Technical level of this : about grade II-II+, UIAA. Of course, if the spot is snow covered, and worse ice covered, things are getting much more problematic : that's how the mountain was on sept. 29th 72, and we started down as you did, but fortunately found a large couloir on the southern side of the wide rock hump leading to the "hic" spot. And then ascended the final south flank of Presanella. We already had snow (fallen two weeks before) over the knees as we got half way on vedretta di Monte Nero, then we reached Passo di Monte Nero, which south side metallic ladder was about half height respect to today's situation (well looking at some pictures) : little vedrettina di Nardis was still existing !....A 5 AM move from the car park (where you start for Segantini), and a 6 PM arrival on the top : great pure sky.. Mte Rosa was seen !...and great pure cold : pictures had to be taken with gloves on. But everything had been prepared for a bivouac into little "Orobica" shelter. And the following morning the sea of clouds offered us the kind of sunrise you may imagine with Brenta Dolomites shadows emerging from it...That was my first summit : I could never again feel the same emotion...It's like the first love ! Sorry for the speech.