Cimon della Pala, Dolomites: Emanuele Andreozzi, Matteo Faletti establish Elements of Life

Italian alpinists Emanuele Andreozzi and Matteo Faletti have climbed a darting line up one of the most famous peaks in the Dolomites, Cimon della Pala in the Pale di San Martino group.

The new route tackles a direct line up the mountain's north face, following for the first 100 meters the icefall climbed on 24 January 2020 by mountain guides Patrick Gasperini and Flavio Piccinini with Tiziano Vanzetta, before continuing for another 800 meters across new terrain.

Writing on Facebook, Andreozzi commented "We followed the weakest and most logical line up the face. In the Dolomites this is perhaps only possible in winter because in summer the available space for this style of climbing - which quests for the line of least resistance - was taken decades ago."

"The 900 meters of virgin terrain surprised us, providing us with a very beautiful and varied climb: vertical ice, lots of mixed climbing and a spectacular and sharp cornice halfway up the route. The ice conditions were exceptional; the face never gets sun and at this time of year, even when it's hot elsewhere, a microclimate forms on the north faces keeping temperatures well below zero."

Andreozzi and Faletti left only just one piton in-situ, on the M6 ​​pitch, while on the descent they equipped all the abseil stations, with only the first rappell following the line of ascent. More information will follow in due course.

Emanuele Andreozzi: ringrazia Elbec
Matteo Faletti: ringrazia la sua famiglia, La Sportiva, ELBEC, Leki, MDV (Marker, Dalbello, Völkl)