6 pitches.
E2 5b (F 6a) An excellent climb with solid and steep rock, varied climbing with layback pitches and good protection. The crux is bold even though bolt-protected. At the top of the climb you can continue up to the top of the ridge using the Second PIllar and then the Nigg Variant or NE Ridge route. Via Felici is equipped with pegs and bolts but some medium–large Friends and nuts will be suited to the cracks on the climb.
Access: Go up to the lowest point of the north east ridge/central spur and find the start, by a ramp/slanting dièdre, indicated by red paint.
Description:
1. V+ 40m. Climb up the left-hand slab of the dièdre then go left beyond flakes and large quartz veins to take a stance in a niche at the bottom of a large flake.
2. V+ 45m. Climb the flake to its end. Then traverse left - thin - on a white vein to a vertical crack. Climb this and flakes to an overhang. Get above it by going right, up and back left. Climb a slab slightly right to a bolted stance under a steep wall.
3. VI 45m. Climb a thin flake to the right (VI) and come to a steep and knobbly cracked slab/wall which you get up to arrive at a large terrace where a tree used to be.
4. V+ 40m. Originally the route climbed a cracked dièdre 2m. left of the tree. The route now goes right of the tree. Find a dièdre right of the tree. Go up a crack on its left and after a few metres cross rightwards into the dièdre and climb to its top.
Descent: Abseil down the chimney to the left of Via Felici and then scramble down steep grass or carry on up via the Second Pillar and NE Ridge.
Access: Go up to the lowest point of the north east ridge/central spur and find the start, by a ramp/slanting dièdre, indicated by red paint.
Description:
1. V+ 40m. Climb up the left-hand slab of the dièdre then go left beyond flakes and large quartz veins to take a stance in a niche at the bottom of a large flake.
2. V+ 45m. Climb the flake to its end. Then traverse left - thin - on a white vein to a vertical crack. Climb this and flakes to an overhang. Get above it by going right, up and back left. Climb a slab slightly right to a bolted stance under a steep wall.
3. VI 45m. Climb a thin flake to the right (VI) and come to a steep and knobbly cracked slab/wall which you get up to arrive at a large terrace where a tree used to be.
4. V+ 40m. Originally the route climbed a cracked dièdre 2m. left of the tree. The route now goes right of the tree. Find a dièdre right of the tree. Go up a crack on its left and after a few metres cross rightwards into the dièdre and climb to its top.
Descent: Abseil down the chimney to the left of Via Felici and then scramble down steep grass or carry on up via the Second Pillar and NE Ridge.
H. Furrer, R. Ruch, 2 Aug 1982. Pitches 5–6 F. Giacomelli, C. Pedroni, R. Rossi, D. Scan 11/Jun/1978.
Feedback
| User | Date | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Cuthbert | 28 Sep, 2023 |
Show βeta
βeta: As others have noted, this a fine, interesting route. However, it’s not ‘super-Plaisir’ , and neither do I think that it is anywhere close to the best granite/gneiss routes around… For one thing, the bolting is very odd; pitch 2 has two sections of stupidly bold bolting where the edition of two further bolts could save someone’s neck (and arguments could be made for something similar on pitch 1). One could argue that this preserves ‘a bit of the meat in the sandwich’ in our age of ever softer media, but the requisite bolts then appear later on the route next to perfectly protectable cam cracks. (Doubling up on cam sizes 2&3 is wise, and a cam 4 will also not be carried in vain.) The point of this is baffling. Added to that, apart from the sensational pitch 3, the other two crack pitches lean more towards the awkward rather than the classic. Finally, it’s primo for an easy rap descent to the left to which the horrible gully descent (especially in the wet), is hardly a match. Longer than you think up the NE ridge ( a further 200m!), but it’s worth it for the easy walk off. Roasting hot too in the sun and then a little shockingly chilly in the shade in late September… | ||
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Show beta
βeta: As others have noted, this a fine, interesting route. However, it’s not ‘super-Plaisir’ , and neither do I think that it is anywhere close to the best granite/gneiss routes around… For one thing, the bolting is very odd; pitch 2 has two sections of stupidly bold bolting where the edition of two further bolts could save someone’s neck (and arguments could be made for something similar on pitch 1). One could argue that this preserves ‘a bit of the meat in the sandwich’ in our age of ever softer media, but the requisite bolts then appear later on the route next to perfectly protectable cam cracks. (Doubling up on cam sizes 2&3 is wise, and a cam 4 will also not be carried in vain.) The point of this is baffling. Added to that, apart from the sensational pitch 3, the other two crack pitches lean more towards the awkward rather than the classic. Finally, it’s primo for an easy rap descent to the left to which the horrible gully descent (especially in the wet), is hardly a match. Longer than you think up the NE ridge ( a further 200m!), but it’s worth it for the easy walk off. Roasting hot too in the sun and then a little shockingly chilly in the shade in late September… |
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