Polish alpinist Marek Raganowicz has made the first winter solo ascent on Trollveggen (Troll Wall) in Norway, with a rope-solo ascent of the 18 pitch route Suser gjennom Harryland (A3) (6/A3).

Marek's climb is the third winter and first solo ascent of the route. The line was established in 1996 and tops out on the left side of Trollryggen Pillar, reaching more or less halfway up the North face of Troll Wall. Suser gjennom Harryland is much steeper and more technical than any other route on this part of the Wall, despite not reaching the top of the mountain.

Using rope-solo techniques and no fixed ropes, Marek climbed in one push and did not add any extra fixed gear. He told UKC:

"I didn't do it 'capsule' style. Each day, I hauled my bags and portaledge higher instead of setting up camps on the wall. I only used two ropes for climbing – one lead line, one haul line."

After spending 16 days alone on the wall, Marek spent a further two days abseiling and aiding down the line. Conditions on the route included snow storms with spindrift, followed by thaws and rain. Temperatures ranged from a chilly -10 to 3 degrees Celsius.

Marek is well-acquainted with Troll Wall, having established Katharsis in February 2015 (UKC Interview) alongside fellow Polish alpinist Marcin Tomaszewski.

In 2013, Andy Kirkpatrick, Tormod Granheim and Aleksander Gamme made the first winter ascent of the same route. (UKC News report). Commenting on the significance of Marek's ascent, Andy told UKC:

'I soloed the route Regan soloed to within 30m of the top (the year before the 1st calender winter ascent), so know full well what a tough guy he is (there's a TEDx talk about it). Winter would be a whole other level!'

Visit Marek's Facebook page.

Marek is sponsored by: CAN Ltd, Edelweiss, Grivel, Mountain Boot Company, Patagonia, Polish Alpine Association, Sea To Summit and Zamberlan