Piantobaldo, new route on Monte Presolana in memory of Camos and Piantoni

13 pitches, 600m high, all very beautiful and demanding, with some sections of ice described as being "touching". The route in question takes a line up the NW Face of the Western Presolana - one of the great faces in the Alps - and is called "Piantobaldo" in remembrance of the nickname Bruno "Camos" Tassi had given to Roby Piantoni. The route was established by the Italian alpinists Yuri Parimbelli, Tito Arosio and Ennio Spiranelli on 11 March and they have now dedicated it to their unforgettable friend. The trio were successful on their second attempt and they needed 11 hours, swinging leads and overcoming difficulties up to WI4 M7 A1. Above all though, what is interesting is that after the first two pitches shared with Orobic Ice, Piantobaldo demonstrates that the Alps still have plenty of room for adventure for those capable of finding it.


PIANTOBALDO by Yuri Parimbelli

Superfluous to say that the idea of climbing the NW Face of Presolana via this route came from Ennio and that I accepted immediately without even asking for details. I simply liked the idea of trying something new together seeing that despite knowing each other for ages we hadn't had many occasions to climb together.

I then thought about asking Tito along, a young and adept climber who combines massive motivation with great talent. He too accepted immediately and without further ado we reached the base of the mountain.

We attempted the route a fortnight ago and since we thought we'd climb fairly quickly we took little gear. But we reached the start of the 8th pitch after midday and with just 3 pegs, so we opted for the retreat. The next day all of us had various obligations which we couldn't skip... unfortunately this is life...

We returned last Thursday and Friday and things went well, despite the 8th pitch testing us a fair bit. We worked well as a team, each of us took turns leading and we had great fun and there was a great mutual understanding which I hope will repeat itself in the future.

The grades are indicative and we gladly accept corrections or thoughts. Thanks to our mega sponsor Pablo Ayala , the warden of Rifugio Albani where we stayed. He fed and spoiled us and contributed to the successful outcome.

We called the route Piantobaldo because it was the name that Bruno Tassi “Camos” gave to Roby Piantoni during the Mountain Guide Training course, and this name evokes two people who for both me and Ennio meant a great deal. Two people with completely different personalities and approach to life but with an unstoppable determination to pursue their objectives. They accompany us always, whereever we go.

Yuri Parimbelli

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