Brenta Base Camp #2 - two new routes up Punta Jolanda

Semi-serious dispatch from the Brenta Base Camp – episode #2

PRUA DEGLI ONIRONAUTI by Alessandro Beber

So here we are, ready to make the most of this first day of real sun during our summer camp. Dazzled by the early morning light we head up towards Punta Jolanda, the only wall that is surprisingly dry after this long heavenly downpour.

Last night Fabrizio and Matteo joined us at the hut to relieve Jiri Leskovjan, and with a tinge of regret I think that it's somewhat disappointing I won't be able to climb a new route with this legendary CCC (short for "crazy Czech climber" ), as I like to call him.

But perhaps this is for the better: the many adventures of Jiri's wandering life deserve to be listened to with at least a bivouac under the starry sky, so we'll do something together in the future. When it's dry!

Despite everything our aim today is intriguing: make the first ascent of two new routes, splitting up into two teams since there are six of us in total, climbing the same face, possibly synchronizing our arrival at the summit to give it all a very cinematic feel... No seriously, the wall is beautiful and we'd scoped a couple of possible lines next to the routes Via Andreotti and Via Sebastiani.

During our climb luck is on our side: the rock is really nice and the difficulties never extreme. We follow the
weak points up the pillar to "ride" this sort of gigantic bow to the top. In the end we make the first ascents of two really beautiful, highly recommended routes.

As to the name of our line, we reason that if this tower resembles a ship's prow, then a ship also needs someone who can sail it! And we also reckon that perhaps it's not so true that the mountains are no place for sailors: there are in fact plenty of climbers who, like sailors, drift along the waves of rock to experience their own adventures.

We've therefore called our route "Prua degli Onironauti", the bow of the oneironauts, dedicated to those lucid dreamers who have decided to experience their dreams with eyes wide open!

BADANTI AL SEGUITO by Alexander Bau

We called our route "Badanti al seguito", carers in tow, because those at the belay care for the partner above, sweating away, climbing, driving in pegs and having fun. Being in three on a climb is always a good thing, for the company, the lighter load and the possibility of making tense moments less serious. So just imagine what happens when six friends decide to establish two parrallel new routes up a small, 250m high face. A right laugh!

This was the first day of the Base Camp when we didn't get soaked and, in this crazy summer, this is a great achievement. Punta Jolanda was the only face that was dry; our team decided to climb through the centre, between Via Andreotti and Via Dario Sebastiani which we then joined on the final two pitches as the roof at the end proved harder than we'd expected due to the poor rock, and we certainly couldn't miss out on joining our friends on the summit!

"Badanti al seguito" is a route without infamy and without praise, with a handful of beautiful pitches and others where you really need to know how to dance away lightly. What counts most though it the overall result, and in the end we had a great day in good company.


DISCOVER BRENTA DOLOMITES 2014
18/08/2014 - Brenta Base Camp #1 - meetings, new climbs and lightening bolts
25/07/2014 - DoloMitiche 2.0: Brenta Base Camp time
09/07/2014 - Discover Brenta Dolomites 2014

>> DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAMME DISCOVER BRENTA DOLOMITES SUMMER 2014 

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