Stefan Glowacz, Philipp Hans establish new variation on Pic de Bure in France

After establishing Wallride Vol. 1 on Croda Bianca in the Dolomites in mid-July, the two German mountaineers Stefan Glowacz and Philipp Hans turned their bikes west and pedalled, not without difficulty given the bad weather, all the way to the Dauphiné Prealps in France where they forged a new line on Pic de Bure.

The new route is a varianttion of the famous Pilier Est, established in three days in September 1961 by the formidable French climbers André Bertrand, René Desmaison and Yves Pollet-Villard, and shares 10 pitches with this historic pillar. Glowacz and Hans added 11 independent pitches on the lower part of the face, for a total of 21 pitches and 600 meters, and difficulties up to 7b+ before reaching the summit at 2709 meters. Just like their climb in the Dolomites, trad gear was used to protect the route, as well as removable bolts.

The original idea had been to establish a completely independent route, but due the poor rock quality they were forced to follow the East Pillar. Nonetheless, the team is happy with the result and stated they have "great respect for the 1961 first ascensionists."

This is hardly surprising; Desmaison is considered one of the most formidable alpinists of his generation, and on this limestone peak he added 12 different routes. It’s also worth remembering that a few weeks prior to climbing Pilier Est, Desmaison and Pollet-Villard teamed up with Pierre Julien and Ignazio Piussi to climb the Central Pillar of Frêney, immediately behind Chris Bonington, Ian Clough, Jan Duglosz and Don Whillans.

After their first ascent, Glowacz and Hans cycled to Switzerland and have just arrived in the Grindelwald area where, weather permitting, they will try to finish the third and final new route of their Wallride tour.

Info: www.glowacz.de