Much Mayr completes Ultimo Tango on Marmolada / Hansjörg Auer's unfinished Dolomites climb

End of August 2018: Hansjörg and I abseil from our first attempt at exploring an untouched section of the Ombretta face of the Marmolada. There are still hundreds of meters of abseiling below us, nevertheless we keep searching the wall for features that might indicate if the next pitches can be climbed. In any case, what we have in mind would be an stunning line on a wild, forgotten pillar. At last the two of us have another challenge on the South Face. And we realise we'd really missed that familiar feeling of knowing that an adventure lay in store for us up here, and that one day we'd return, full of excitement - just like a few years ago on nearby Ultimo dei Paracadutisti.

Hopefully it'll go free... maybe even without bolts? Swinging leads we've already established the first 4 pitches, each is both technically demanding and difficult to protect. The yellowish, somewhat loose rock gives way to the best grey limestone imaginable, where the pockets are just where you want them to be.

Pitch 4 packs a punch with technical slab climbing in the lower ninth grade. I drive 2 beaks into a thin crack before a long runout leads to the next belay. We really want to come back soon, but unfortunately time's up for this year. The weather has to be extremely stable, since after the complex approach to the upper section, there's not much time left if you want to abseil the few hundred meters back down to the ground in last light.

In April 2019, the death of Hansjörg suddenly left a deep, painful void that made me realise how lucky I had been to do so much with him during the last 11 years.

The next time I'm on the route is with Guido Unterwurzacher. We climb back up to the 4th pitch, improve the pro a bit and, the next time, make it another 50 meters higher. Pitch 6 is extremely challenging and gripping, just about doable without bolts. I fight my way up slowly, constantly faced by demanding sections. The next belay doesn't look particularly trustworthy and the route up above looks repulsive and on loose rock; unfeasible without bolts.

Only 2 years later do I return with Peter Mühlburger and thanks to a delicate traverse rightwards we find a free, logical route to the summit. The next pitch leads to the exit of Hatschi Bratschi. On the 12th of August 2021 Alex Blümel joins me for this last tango, l'Ultimo Tango.

by Much Mayr

Ultimo Tango, Ombretta, Marmolada
9 pitches 7c+ max
approx. 300m route + 130m approach grade II/III scramble from the central ledge (approx. 400m up to the central ledge )

(6c+, 35m; 6c+, 27m; 6c, 27m; 7b+, 25m; 6c+, 20m; 7c+, 30m; 7a, 40m; 6b, 50m; 5, 50m)
All fixed gear used was left in-situ. 6 beaks, 6 pegs, 4 threads.
Material: twin set of cams up to #1, one cam #2, one cam #3