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La storia infinita on Agner, first repeat and winter ascent in the Dolomites by Martin Dejori and Titus Prinoth

From 29 to 30 December 2015 the alpinists Martin Dejori and Titus Prinoth carried out the first repeat (and first winter ascent) of La storia infinita, the route established in 1990 up the NE Face of Mt. Agner (Dolomites) by the Czech brothers Miroslav Coubal and Michal Coubal.

Planetmountain

January 2016

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Martin Dejori and Titus Prinoth making the first repeat, and first winter ascent, of La storia infinita, the climb up up in 1990 up the NE Face of Agner (Dolomites) by the Czech brothers Miroslav Coubal and Michal Coubal

Martin Dejori, Titus Prinoth

It was summer 1990 when Miroslav and Michal Coubal forged La storia infinita - the Neverending Story - up the NE Face of Agner. The two brothers required five days to reach the summit via a line to the left of Spigolo Jori, 1400 meters with difficulties along the "black slabs" estimated up to VIII- , past dubious protection. An epic climb that remained, until last December, not only unrepeated but also shrouded in an almost legendary aura. Unsurprisingly so, also because the two climbers from the former Czechoslovakia had routes to their name such as the famous Alpenrose on Cima Grande di Lavaredo (completed to the summit to become Via Barbier) and also Gelber Engel on the Eiger. Now, 25 years later, the mystery about the The Neverending Story has been unveiled by Martin Dejori and Titus Prinoth with... disarming "ease". On the evening of 28 December 2015 the two young South Tyrolean mountaineers spent the night in the Cozzolino bivouac. They left this early on the 29th and, after a bivy en route, topped out at noon on 30 December. They had planned on spending three days in total but in the end needed only half this time on a route they believe “is well worth climbing, although it’s a pity that it’s often wet." According to the duo, difficulties along the 30 pitches are less than those originally estimated by the Coubal brothers. With this in mind, it is important though not to forget those long 25 years that have passed since the first ascent. And one cannot fail to observe the beauty and incredible "lightness" with which Dejori and Prinoth interpret their own mountaineering, a hallmark characteristic brought to the forefront, for example, on Via degli studenti, established in August 2015 (with Marta Mozzati, Giorgio Travaglia and Alex Walpoth) up the NE Face of Civetta. Theirs is a style of climbing, one might say, that can only be expressed by those who have mountaineering and the mountains firmly rooted in their DNA. This recent ascent is also confirmation that, with youngsters like these, mountaineering certainly is not “dead".

La storia infinita, NE Face of Agner. The report by Martin Dejori and Titus Prinoth

While waiting for the onset of winter one usually gets accustomed to grey days, expecting the summer runoffs to freeze and snow to cover the autumn meadows. Although the cold season had begun, skis and ice axes were left untouched, only our climbing shoes were still being used continuously. The year was drawing to a end and we still wanted to embark on a rock climb.

We met on Sunday evening to decide what to in the next few days, but as often happens, we put things off to the following morning… The next morning we finally made our decision and shortly afterwards jumped into the car, heading towards Valle San Lucano, Agnèr. Three days in the mountains, we believed, should suffice to be back home in time to celebrate New Year with the ritual hearty dinner.

We approached this immense face with great respect, trying to imagine the hardest pitch which only a few days ago I’d read is protected with threads slung around water-weathered spikes. Luckily for us there was no water: the route was perfectly dry. Unlike in summer, when we returned home empty-handed having noticed the black streak just below the summit. A starry night accompanied us as we set off from the Cozzolino bivy. We enjoyed the silence of this wilderness and waited for first light so as not to mess up on the starting pitches. Things ran smoothly right from the outset, the climbing felt easier than we’d expected and proved a real delight. We quickly reached the less steep central section and we even thought about finishing the route off in a day.

When we reached the crux section though we didn’t know precisely which line to take; time flew and all of a sudden we had no choice but to bivy below the yellow wall. The ledge was a bit narrow, but comfortable enough. After having savored our meal of saltless polenta, we dropped off into a deep sleep.

Titus took the lead the next morning. He traversed right, reaching the only section that looked feasible. Despite the biting cold he climbed formidably up the steep slab that should constitute the crux pitch. He placed a couple of Friends and tried to imagine the spikes used by the Coubal brothers. He came across some old pegs, indicating we were on route, and another pitch then led us away from the black slabs.

Some more easy pitches, past snowy sections, took us to the highest point of this uniquely beautiful mountain. I’d often admired its summit that resembles a snow pyramid, thinking about the routes that lead to the top. And now I was admiring the mountains that surround Agnèr, dreaming about new routes I'd like to climb next year…

Martin Dejori and Titus Prinoth

Martin Dejori thanks: Mammut, Mountainspirit
Titus Prinoth thanks: Scarpa