Dlacion de Frea, new ice and mixed climb on Sella Dolomites
At the end of December and at the start of January Lukas Runggaldier, Alex Peristi and Willi Comploi made the first ascent of Dlacion de Frea (WI6 / M6, 110m), a new ice and mixed climb in the Sella group, Dolomites.
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On pitch 3 during the first ascent of the icefall Dlacion de Frea (WI6/M6, 110m, Lukas Runggaldier, Alex Peristi, Willi Comploi), Sella, Dolomites
Lukas Runggaldier,
In all likelihood it is due to last summer’s abnormal amount of rain in the Dolomites that a drip appeared in the Sella group this winter that is believed to not have formed during the last 30, perhaps even 40 years. The deep icy chimney close to the Frea crag, shortly before the Gardena pass, was noticed by Lukas Runggaldier who on 20 December climbed the first two pitches together with Alex Peristi, only to return on 3 January 2015 with Willi Comploi to climb another two pitches and complete the asent.
The route is called Dlacion de Frea, which in local Ladin 'Frea ice drip’, and the route offers an ice that varies from being very thin to cauliflower ice, with a mixed finish believed to be somewhere in the region of WI6 / M6. According to Runggaldier it is the “ambient, in this deep icy chimney that makes the climbing even more fascinating."
These truly abnormal conditions were also seized by Alex Walpoth, Martin Dejori and Titus Prinoth, as well as Philipp Angelo and Jacopo Larcher who carried out the second and third ascent respectively.
TOPO: Dlacion de Frea, Sella, Dolomites
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