UKC

Boltless 8a+/8b In The Dolomites

© Christoph Vonmetz/www.planetmountain.com
On the third weekend in September, brothers Martin and Florian Riegler made the first free ascent of Back to the Future, an aid line they established one month before in the Italian Dolomites. With a grade of X-/X or 5.13c/d (Fr 8a+/8b), the route is one of the most difficult non-bolted free climbs in the Puez-Odle group--and the entire Dolomites range.

The line ascends a mostly vertical and overhanging crack system on the north face of Torre Putia. Climbing ground up and using aid and as few pegs as possible, the brothers initially established the line on August 18. Twenty pegs were used, half of them on belays, with seven protecting the crux, Pitch 1 (X-/X, 30m), the "marvelously steep entrance wall with a salient yellow crack."

Read the full story by Erik Lambert at Alpinist.com.


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