Col Nudo, Tito Arosio and Luca Vallata score first repeat of Miotto-Saviane-Corona

Almost all those who come from Erto know that Col Brie - the name we use to call Col Nudo - has at least two routes on it. In actual fact, there are three on the mountain that we can see from our house windows: the Hasse-Leukroth (yes, by Dietrich Hasse), the Miotto-Saviane or Via the Grand Diedro first repeated by Alessio Roverato and Alessandro Bau in 2006, and the Miotto-Saviane-Corona.

The latter starts with a long traverse from right to left (like all Dolomite traverses, it seems to me) above large overhangs, across friable rock adorned with tufts of grass. The second part of the route follows the direct line up a series of large corners and chimneys, often barred by crumbly roofs.

As often happens on routes close to home, maybe put up or attempted by a friend or by a friend of a friend, on a face you've always read or heard about, an aura of fear and reverence is created. The same holds true for this Miotto climb and the traverse in particular captured the imagination of local alpinists. Miotto’s routes on Col Nudo have all the hallmarks to create, as powerful Mass would put it “a complex myth”: prohibitive approach, huge exposure, "particular" rock quality, difficult climbing, very few insitu pegs, a grand and at the same time gloomy ambient.

In addition to being familiar with the area and being good at driving in pegs, what was needed to repeat this route was to confront the idea I’d created in my mind, by listening to all those stories over the years.

Obviously what I say now only holds true for me; until two weeks ago Tito had never heard of Cima Col Nudo and I'm still wondering what might attract a climber from Bergamo to places like this...

Technical Notes: The route was first ascended in 1982 over three days with two bivouacs, from 5 - 7 June, by Franco Miotto, Benito Saviane and Mauro Corona. The 650m height difference is breached by 900m of climbing, past difficulties that were originally estimated at VI A2. For the first repeat we required eight hours and we free climbed up to VI+ on the traverse. There are seven pegs insitu (we added four), 4 wooden wedges and two cordlets in the threads.

We would like to thank those who, through the clouds that covered the face, managed to make us out with their binoculars from Erto, and all those who, to our surprise, followed our progress, contacted and helped us both during and after the climb. In particular: Riccardo Rich from Canal, goblin Pino Bottino, bear Adriano Roncali and Gaia, the staff of Rifugio Casera Ditta.

Luca Vallata thanks Scarpa
Tito Arosio thanks Grivel, Kayland, Wild Climb