UKC

"What news from Cortina?", I hear you ask...

http://alancassidyclimbing.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/bellavista-day-1/

Sounds cold...

In reply to JLS:

Good spot J, cheers.

In reply to JLS:

Yikes. He does get out there, Dave M, doesn't he? Quite a goal-oriented sort of chap.

jcm

In reply to JLS:

Still cold then...

http://alancassidyclimbing.wordpress.com/2013/09/15/bellavista-day-2/

In reply to JLS:

Successo!

http://alancassidyclimbing.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/bel-successo/

In reply to JLS:

Excellent!

Amazing effort but they didn't top out.

Just wondering if you need to top out to tick Bellavista? Don't know what previous ascentionists have done.

Anyway looked cold grim and hard

In reply to davo:
We didn't top it out for the following reasons:

We had to be in Venice for a flight leaving 6am. Topping out would have involved being benighted on the wall, in very low temperatures and trying to top out up essentially a (iced up) gully of very easy climbing which I am 100% sure we could have climbed.

We would also require time to return to the base of the route and then reclimb all the way to the top of the 8a pitch to recover our haul bag and static rope from under the roof. Even if we had found our way to the top, back down again in the dark we would not have had time for that.

The route Bellavista is described as an independent route only as far as the Cassin Rati bivvy ledge: (http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews4.lasso?l=2&keyid=33...
and both Dave and I were happy that we had climbed Bellavista. I am pretty sure we could both handle the Cassin and in an ideal world we would have gone to the top for the summit experience. But we were there to climb Bellavista and not Cima Oveste.

Other ascents have been weird too, for example: Bubu Bole's ascent began with the trying the crux pitch and him descending to then free climb up to the crux afterwards. The fact he "abseiled down" suggests he also only went as far as the ledge. http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews4.lasso?l=2&keyid=34...
NB: We at least went ground up all the way on all the independent pitches.

So, yes it is a shame we couldn't get a top out but there is reasonable justification (I think) for that.

In reply to Cassidy: Good blog, enjoyed reading it.

In reply to JLS:
fantastic achievement in those conditions, very inspiring!!!

In reply to JLS: Great stuff. Super inspiring!

In reply to JLS:
I have been following this with interest, alpine fledgelings cutting thier teeth with a fine show of steely resolve, great to see a couple of rock jocks out of their comfort zone for a change, welcome to the art of suffering, to summit would have been the icing on the cake, but considering the inclement weather just ticking "Bellavista" to the bivy ledge is quite an extraordinary achievment, given the cold conditions, 8c with numb fingers, the mind boggles, i'm sure Alan would have been gripped by summit fever had the conditions been a tad more amenable, bravo guys.

In reply to Andy Clarke1965:

I think a future very logic and cool link up would be to climb Bellavista and then continue up AKUT, that would add one more 8a pitch and some quality easy, not so wet climbing to the rounded ledge and on to the summit. Joining the Cassin is as Alan points out a waterfall in the best of conditions.

In reply to Spray: interestingly we had that suggested to us. Maybe when I go back for my lead of the 8c pitch....

In reply to Cassidy:

>"Maybe when I go back for my lead of the 8c pitch...."

I'm guessing next year's trip won't be in September

In reply to Cassidy: I suggested that to Dave

In reply to Cassidy: its got to be said, you were really unlucky with the weather. The rest of the month has been warm, sunny and stable. In fact much better weather than august or july when it was just plain unsettled... If you come out next year with dave, drop me a line... I have a suggestion for you both...

In reply to JLS: Brilliant and exciting reading... Well done to the two of you.

E

In reply to JLS:

Incredible effort by the sounds of it. Dave M is something else.

I hadn't realised Bellavista was semi-trad either; I'd somehow assumed it was bolted. Golly.

jcm