Piz Badile 'Cassin' and 'British' solo winter ascents by Valseschini and Libera

Last weekend was marked by great winter climbs on the remote Piz Badile, with two extremely important independent solo ascents carried out by the Italians Fabio Valseschini and Rossano Libera.

Fabio Valseschini kicked off the solitary action with his lone winter ascent of the British route (550m, VI & A2 - VIII free) on Badile's NE Face. The route had been first ascended by the extremely strong Mike Kosterlitz and Dick Isherwood who, while attempting to repeat the Corti-Battaglia, failed to notice that they had just climbed a new line up one of the most out-there walls in the Alps, right in front of Piz Cengalo.

Valseschini bivied at the base and began his ascent on 17 February, reaching the summit at 16.00 on 20/02/08. His four-day, three bivy ascent is a massive undertaking; to put it into perspective one must note that this is not only the first solo ever, but also the second ever winter ascent after the February 1982 Czech repeat by Zuzana Hofmannová and Alena Stehlíková. This is Valseschini's second solo on Pizzo Badile after Via del Fratello on the same ENE Face in late December 2006.

But that's not all. As mentioned previously, Pizzo Badile was the scene of yet another impressive winter solo last weekend, this time by Rossano Libera who climbed the famous Via Cassin up the NE Face. First ascended in 1937 by Cassin, Ratti, Esposito, Molteni and Valsecchi, this route had been Libera's long-term dream.

Libera set off in the afternoon on Thursday 21 February and reached the summit at 19.48 on Saturday 23rd. Two days climbing, two bivvies, the second in a snow hole beneath the summit and not in the fixed bivy below, so as to enjoy the night spectacle and rising moon. This great choice is absolutely in line with the "contemplative and mystical" mountaineering which drives Libera. Proof of this lies in the first solo winter ascent of the Cassin route - bar the disputed and, according to many authoritative commentators, unproven ascent by Dante Porta.

Just as for Valseschini, this great solo winter ascent is Rossano's second Badile solo after his extraordinary 2004 ascent of the 800m Ringo Star, the superb and difficult route first ascended in 1985 by Tarcisio Fazzini, Ottavio Fazzini and Tita Gianola up the NW Face.

Valseschini and Rossano's solo ascents are an expression of mountaineering which stems from profound and also complex roots. Ascents such as these are always particular. Beautiful and difficult to express in just numbers and ascent times. We hope to be able to give you full reports directly from the climbers themselves.