Pale di San Martino routes re-equipped

Tullio Simoni, mountain guide and warden of the Rifugio Treviso, confirmed that the routes had been re-equipped and stated that only one bolt had been placed (on the Frisch Corradini) and that artificial threads had been created with a drill. Furthermore, during the training session a rescue was carried out on Via Gandenz on Cima del Coro.

To mere mortals, those practically unaware of alpinism, a similar piece of news would be nothing but pleasing. From their point of view they would think that  something has (finally) been done to slightly improve the safety of those "madmen" who climb mountains. The matter becomes terribly complicated however when the verdict stems from the mountaineering world.

Unsurprisingly this recent action triggered the inevitable and predictable criticism and "ethical" debates. There are those who believe that the mountains shouldn't be drilled, or better, that one should not modify the style of the first ascent, in particular on historic routes such as the classic Frisch Corradini, as well as the Esposito and Simon-Wiessner-Kess which are not less beautiful by any means. For the "pure hardmen" those artificial threads and the bolt, that drilling and adapting the rock to the needs of those who wish to climb it, is nothing but blasphemy. Or rather, another example of alpinism decaying, of mountaineering transforming into a tamed game, bereft of that adventure and "loyalty" which are its fundamental ingredients.

One of the most frequent lines of thought, albeit not completely without foundation, is that making the mountains easier eliminates not only the adventure - a completely individual concept – but also reduces the mountaineer's habit of managing an ascent from start to finish. With an "equipped" mountain one might lose the ability to judge in-situ gear correctly and, more importantly still, set up a belay or abseil should this prove necessary.

As mentioned this observation is not far-fetched. One detail should provide food for thought though: on the Frisch Corradini (but also on the other two routes) the members of the mountain rescue squad came across ""gobsmacking" belays, with completely useless pegs which would definitely not have held a fall. This begs the question: how were those belays judged by those (many) climbers who ascended these routes in the last couple of years? Why did no one place another peg to back the stances up? Is it likely that all used natural pro, or that pegs were placed and then removed? In other words, and without wanting to generalise too much, what the mountain rescue team witnessed seems to demonstrate that those who climb classic routes aren't as prepared as they should be.
 
It's useless to deny that this certainly creates a problem. At the root of the question lies the fact that alpinism, whether one likes it or not, has changed. For a start, nowadays there are far more people who climb routes like the Frisch-Corradini which, in the not too distant past, were considered curriculum climbs. And everyone knows that with an increase in climbers, the risk of accidents increases, too. Accidents which, in truth, have occurred. As everyone knows full well.

It is no chance therefore that the contested action was decided and carried out by a Mountain Rescue team, in particular by mountaineers (such as Renzo Corona, the man responsible for that training session) who need not envy anyone for their "mountaineering ethics." Add to this the fact that it is exactly these men who rush out at every call to rescue unfortunate victims, all the while putting their own safety at risk.

It seems therefore as if the time to seriously discuss this age-old problem, without any preconceived ideas whatsoever, has finally come. To find a middle line which respects the needs of the hut wardens, the mountain rescue teams and those who defend alpine ethics, in the hope that this defence is not pure and blind extremism. In other words, we need to share a real analysis of the situation together, to respect the decisions of those who work in the mountain environment. This is necessary so as not to cry or curse at fate when certain accidents occur.