Civetta Dolomites double: first winter ascents of Chimera Verticale and W Mexico Cabrones

Taking advantage of the high-pressure system sitting over the Alps, two completely independent teams ventured up the legendary North West Face of Civetta in the Italian Dolomites to claim their first winter ascents. The first team, comprised of Val Gardena mountaineers Alex Walpoth and Titus Prinoth, repeated Chimera Verticale, while Alessandro Baù and Giovanni Zaccaria from Padova with Thomas Gianola from Bozen climbed W Mejico Cabrones.

Chimera Verticale takes a line between the famous Aste and Andrich climbs all the way to the top of Punta Civetta and was put up by Baù with Daniele Geremia, Alessandro Beber and Luca Matteraglia in 2007 and 2008. Titus Prinoth and Alex Walpoth required two bivouacs to breach the 600m line with difficulties up to IX. The duo reached the summit three nights ago and descended the following morning down the Alleghesi via ferrata. Prinoth had never climbed the route before, Walpoth had, in 2014 with Martin Dejori.

A few hundred meters to the right, Baù, Gianola and Zaccaria tackled the line established solo by Venturino De Bona in 2001. All three already knew the route that leads to the top of Punta Tissi; Baù had made the first repeat in 2005 while Gianola had climbed it in 2012 and Zaccaria in 2016. The three mountaineers made two bivouacs on the mountain before reaching the top and descending via the normal route yesterday.

Both repeats are first winter ascents. Further details will follow in due course.