David Lama, more multi-pitches on Loferer Alm and Tessin

How do you train for an ambitious project? Perhaps by repeating and freeing difficult multi-pitches. This is probably the line of thinking of David Lama on his return from his successful Himalayan expedition to Cerro Kishtwar is in training for what now lies in store: a return to Patagonia in January to attempt, once again, to free the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre. This legendary route has always been under special "observation" because of the "historic controversies" as well as the recent disputes which involved Lama himself. Many will in fact remember the criticism Lama's film team received for having left fixed ropes and various in-situ gear on the mountain...

But let's return to present day. As reported previously, at the end of October the Austrian repeated Stoamanndl 8b and Donnervogel 8b on the Loferer Alm and on 13 November he returned to the nearby Waidringer Steinplatte together with Florian Klingler to repeat Woher Kompass, a 120m high 8a+ established by Klaus Geiswinkler and Bertram Prinz in 2000. Lama sent the two crux pitches, 7c+ and 8a+, both second go to secure the first repeat since being established 11 years ago.

Four days later Lama reached the top of Vamos a la playa, an 8b+ above Cevio in the Tessin, Switzerland. Established by Swissman Pesche Wüthrich, Lama had already attempted the line unsuccessfully in spring but now, together with Wüthrich, he freed all six pitches. Another project sent. But probably the main one (alias the first free ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre) will require far more... and not only because of the technical difficulties of the route.


Vamos a la playa
Cervio, Tessin
First free ascent: David Lama, Pesche Wüthrich 17/11/2011
Grade: 6a, 8a+, 8b+, 8b+, 8a+, 6b