Via ”Innocenti Evasioni”, Cima Susat, Brenta Meridionale(svil. 300m / diff. 7c (7a required) / first ascended by D. Bonvecchio, A. Stenico and M. Giovannazzi in 1991)
Destination: Val d’Ambiez! Much of the rock face enclosing this valley’s splendid amphitheatre belongs to a distinctive geological formation – the grey Rhaetian limestones – renowned amongst mountaineers for the quality of the rock. Joining us today is Danilo Bonvecchio, the ‘father’ of many of the finest modern routes in the area, first established in the early 1990s. It was during that period that the first attempts were made to bring the technical challenges achieved on the climbing walls in the valley floor to high-altitude rock faces, guided by a very specific code of conduct: the use of a drill to place bolts, but strictly from below and without using the protection to make progress.
The route “Innocenti Evasioni” on Cima Susat, which we are repeating today, was in fact one of the first experiments along these lines. Joining us is our friend Jiri Leskovian, a mountain guide and versatile globetrotting mountaineer, whilst the lads from Cartagena are following us from the ground with their mini-drones to take aerial photos. The first few pitches are shared with the Via Colonia; our route then heads straight up an overhanging blue flow, and from here onwards follows a barely perceptible sequence of holes and drips on the open face. We climb, with the mist trailing behind us – a familiar sight in these parts – until a gentle sun greets us at the summit, which is still covered in snow. It’s a shame we’ve already reached the top: a climb this lovely makes you wish it would never end!
