Hasse Brandler - Cima Grande di Lavaredo

The north face of Cima Grande di Lavaredo, one of the six problems of the Alps, climbed via one of the historic routes established on it. After a night camped in a trench, the alarm was set at 4:00 a.m., decidedly early, hoping to be off the route before 3:00 p.m., when thunderstorms were forecast. After a quick breakfast, we head to the base and start the route at first light. The sun accompanies us only for the first pitches, then hides behind the arête. We free climb to the pitches, encountering some difficulties, but the best part is yet to come. Tom stops under the roofs, I continue on the traverse and climb the first 7a pitch, my partner takes the second, which is decidedly more difficult and requires him to use a couple of quickdraws. I, however, free climb as second, lightened by the backpack I retrieved using slack ropes. Now comes the 7a+, which Tom leads, giving me time to rest before attempting the free ascent, but the plan fails, and I finally use a quickdraw. The next pitch, which was easier according to the route report, exhausts me, and with the free ascent now over, I have no problem putting in the gear. We then continue climbing to the ledge with the summit book, and then higher and higher through wet chimneys and corners. We finally reach the ledge that runs along the summit and take shelter from the rain in a cave. After discussing the situation, we decide to descend and not summit, given the unpromising weather. We descend first with a few rappels and then walk/downclimb the normal route. Thus ends our adventure, hitchhiking to Misurina and then stopping at Lake Misurina to eat risotto while watching the sunset. Thanks for watching.