Dream day in Langental (Dolomites) for Daniel Ladurner, Johannes Lemayr

Now, a few days after completing this route, I'm sitting in front of the computer trying my best to describe this climb. Two tricky mixed sections on good rock, three elegant ice pillars, good pro with trad gear, a few pegs left in-siut, and the possibility of getting a suntan on the exit onto the summit plateau. What more could you want?

Having said that, there is probably no other new climb was as nerve-racking and required as much critical thinking as this one. This route follows the last line of ice right at the end of the Langental and receives the sun all day, meaning that perfect conditions are paramount to make an ascent possible. The exceptionally good ice conditions this winter, due to the heavy rainfall at the end of autumn, made the route feasible this season. Due to the length of the route and the time one spends on it, the objective hazards connected with one of the the drips collapsing are high. It requires very cold days and nights and, ideally, an overcast day, since the sun “consumes” the ice even at low temperatures. Unsurprisingly, it took us several attempts to find the right conditions.

For me this is one of the most impressive lines I've ever established, not only because of one of the most beautiful and tallest pillars I've ever climbed (in the sun, mind you), right at the end of the route, but also because of its complexity: weather, temperature, protection, speed etc are all key factors.

There are about 10 in-situ pegs, all the rest can easily be protected with a set of Totem cams (possibly twin medium and large cams). The crux is on pitch 3, on featured rock and a (not particularly trustworthy) peg and some good cams placements on a dagger that has to be climbed with caution. Twice we witnessed this collapse on its own after a few hours in the sun. Then there's a flow deep inside a corner, that exits below a wedged block. After a beautiful pillar there are two mixed pitches, and these are followed by another mixed pitch that exits onto an ice smear which is usually only loosely connected to the underlying rock. Last but not least, probably the most photogenic and impressive pitch of all, a 35m high free-standing pillar. Then simple ice leads easily up to the almost flat summit plateau.

by Daniel Ladurner

Ladurner thanks: SCARPA, HDry, Salomon, Tripoint

Ein Tag zum Träumen - A dream day
550m WI6 M7 Trad 10-12 pitches
Daniel Ladurner and Johannes Lemayr 23/01/2024, after studying the drip carefully since 2015 and a total of 3 attempts in December 2023 & January 2024.