From Rifugio Falier, follow the trail 660 towards Passo Ombretta until the path bends sharply to the left (~20mins from the Rifugio).
Leave the main trail and take a track that climbs diagonally to the right in the direction of a ramp that leads to the top of a yellowish block leaning against the wall. Shortly before reaching the corner at the end of the ramp, go up briefly and cross to the left, taking you under a chimney/couloir that goes up diagonally to the left.
The route:
Go up the initial chimney and continue on easier blocks until it is possible to exit to the left. Briefly walk along the grassy ramp reaching the belay (4 pitons, fixed cord & maillon). 30m, III.
Continue diagonally to the left until you reach the top of a small pillar leaning against the wall with an uncomfortable anchor (wedged boulder & cord). 25m, II.
Lower and traverse to the left. Go up the couloir, exiting to the left and reaching the anchor located at the base of a crack/chimney (1 piton and 1 fixed sling). 35m, II, III, 1 piton with sling.
Follow the crack/chimney; at its end continue up crumbly rocks and then up an easy slab to reach the belay (fixed slings). 40m, IV, III, IV, 1 fixed sling.
Diagonally slightly to the right to the slab, then take the dihedral/ascending couloir to the left. Anchor on a slender ledge on the right (3 pitons + 1 fixed sling). 50m, IV, III.
Move left and go up the couloir/chimney; at its end, traverse to the left until you reach a crack that you follow until the belay (2 pitons + fixed rope). 50m, IV, I, 1 piton with sling.
Follow the diagonal crack to the right until you come out at the base of a large slab. Traverse briefly to the left until the belay (3 pitons + ropes). 15m, IV +, III, 1 piton, 1 fixed rope on a chockstone.
Vertically until you reach the crack, which you follow to its end. Diagonal to the right until the anchor (fixed cordelette).
30m, V.
Climb the diagonal dihedral to the right until it becomes clearly more vertical and narrows like a chimney. Here exit to the right (delicate) ignoring the gear that can be seen higher up, reaching the belay (2 pitons).
45m, V, V+, VI-, 4 pitons (2 with cord), 1 intermediate anchor (2 fixed cordelette).
Go up the crack which then becomes a chimney until you come out onto the large ledge. The belay is located slightly to the left (2 fixed slings + lanyard). 55m, IV, III, II, I, 1 fixed sling, 1 intermediate anchor (2 pitons + cord).
Halfway ledge:
Walk along the large terrace aiming for the base of the pillar that characterizes the line of ascent. Three large caves are clearly identifiable. Two almost overlapping and one more to the right. Go under the vertical part of the two overlapping ones and build a belay. 80m, I, II.
Diagonal to the right along a system of superficial cracks, right below the vertical section of the cave on the right, where you find the anchor (2 pitons + cord). 40m, III+.
Diagonal to the right and go up a small slot. Then continue up a short slab and the corner until you reach the small cave with the anchor (3 pitons + cord). 45m, IV +, 1 piton.
Go up the overhang to the right, then go diagonally to the left following the crack up to the belay (2 pitons). 35m, V +, VI-, V, 2 fixed cordelette, 4/5 pitons (1 with cord).
Move left and follow the gully which then becomes a dihedral. At its end, go diagonally to the left some easier blocks up to a comfortable ledge with the belay (2 fixed slings to connect). 45m, IV +, III, IV +, III, 1 intermediate anchor (2 pitons + cord), 1 piton.
Go up the easy rocks to the left and continue vertically following a vague edge to the belay (2 pitons + fixed rope).
45m, II, III, 1 piton.
Go up vertically until reaching the slab. Go around the most vertical part by moving diagonally to the left, then traverse to the right up to a small crack that leads to the belay (2 pitons). 40m, IV, IV +, 2 pitons.
Climb the dihedral & crack to its end, then a short slab. Anchor on the ledge above. (2 pitons + fixed rope; just to the left there is another anchor on 2 pitons). 35m, IV +.
Again vertically up the slab up to a slanting slit to the left. Anchor at the base of the dihedral (3 pitons). 35m, V +, 1 fixed cord, 2/3 pitons, 1 intermediate anchor (2 nails).
Follow the crack that bends to the right at the top and then returns vertically to the ledge, above which you find the belay (3 pitons + 1 fixed sling). 45m, VI + or VI and A0, 16/17 pitons, 1 intermediate stop (2 pitons + cordon).
Original route: after having covered the slender crack for about 6 meters, exit to the left and climb a vertical slab up to the belay. Easier climbing but less fixed gear.
Diagonal to the left and go up to the base of the slab, which you cross diagonally to the left until you reach the belay (4 pitons).
30m, IV, VI, 6 nails.
Go up briefly, cross to the right for about 4 meters and climb the beautiful slab. Then go diagonally to the left until you are below the a vertical dihedral, where you find the belay (3 pitons). 40m, V +, 8/9 pitons, 1 intermediate anchor (3 pitons + cord).
Climb the dihedral and then keep to the right (ignore the pitons on the left). Follow easier rocks to reach a comfortable ledge and anchor under the final slab(2 hammered bolts). 30m, V, IV, III, 2 pitons.
Traverse to the right up to a black water streak. Go up to the overhang and go around it to the left, passing a small slab to reach the summit rocks. anchor on 2 bolts. 30m, IV, 1 piton.
Descent:
From the summit descend on the north side with 2 abseils:
(55m) go down to a terrace located in carved about between the towers. Continue past the anchor. A little further down, to the left (looking at the rock) is another anchor.
(60m) Down until you cross the terminal crevasse/bergschrund of the glacier.
Descent (cont.):
From here there are two possibilities:
Go up towards the top station of the cable car located at the top of Punta Rocca (3250m) or to the intermediate station located at Rifugio Serauta (2950m). The last ride is at 4/4:30pm and the cable car takes you back to Malga Ciapela.
Walk down towards the mid-station of the cable car. Just before reaching it, turn left onto the ski slopes. Follow them up to Passo Fedaia to the rifugio (2057m). From here return to Malga Ciapela (2 cars or hitchhike).
Incredibly beautiful, exposed climbing at Marmolada slab holes in closed compact, sometimes strongly overhanging, unstructured wall. Nerves of steel required. Extremely rewarding! One of the most beautiful test pieces in the Alps. In the Italian guidebook erroneously called "Terra ingognita". Read more on darshano.com in German or kletterblock.de
FA:Darshano L. Rieser & Ingo Knapp, 1983
FFA:Darshano L. Rieser, Ingo Knapp & Hanspeter Jesus Schrattenthaler, 1995
One of the most famous lines of the whole Alps. The longest line of the Dolomites. Often done in 2 days with a bivouac.
The numbers of pitches is subjective (indicatively 35 pitches). First 950 m in the III and IV grade (up to pitch 18); Second part around IV+ up to 1450 m (up to pitch 29) and the final 200 m (30-35 pitches) of head wall of V and V+ with one pitch of VI-. Then 150-200 m of easy scrambling to Monte Agner peak (2872 m). Bivouac is possible at the end of pitch 18 (large comfortable grassy ledge) and at the end of pitch 29 (small ledge, 2 ppl). Few pitons along the line, many old ones along the hardest final part.
IV, 45 meters: climb in an ascending dihedral to the right, where higher up there is an evident area of mountain pines. Continue arriving at a balcony where you stop on a mountain.
III +, 50 meters: climb the slab above the belay, then move to the right and enter a grassy dihedral, from which you then exit to the left. Go up a vague edge to the right, finally stopping on the mountain.
IV +, 50 meters: go up the slabs above the belay, without a set course and then tend towards the left, arriving at a good level where you stop on a mountain. Warning: not difficult but poorly protectable shot.
IV, 80 meters: go up on easy ramps to the left, surrounding the rocks (nail), then go up by dihedral-grassy channel and rocks, leaving at the end to the left to arrive at a blade-spike where to equip the stop, from reinforce with friend.
IV, 40 meters: go up crosswise to the left and continue through the crack to the belay with a piton and hourglass under the direction of an evident dihedral.
IV +, 40 meters: climb the beautiful handled dihedral, then continue along an easy crack, until you stop on a small terrace.
V +, 30 meters: turn left and then climb the dihedral above, until you come to a stop on the right at the base of a cracked wall under the direction of a large yellow roof. Stop on two small hourglasses. I don't have a precise memory of this shot.
VI + and A0, A1 on pegs and friends, otherwise VII +, 25 meters: up the bolted crack, first slightly to the right, then straight towards the roof above. Do not reach the roof but go up to the left and then back up to the belay.
VI + and A1, 30 meters: traverse to the left (nail), then a little longer and then climb towards the roof and follow the crack under it to the left. Up by crack towards the roof above (a few nails). Get over the roof thanks to the nails on site. Challenging exit, a stirrup is useful. After the roof, continue more easily and reach the stop to the left, next to a niche that can be suitable for bivouacking in 2-3 people. It is the most challenging pitch, which we found wet even after a dry spell.
VI + / VII- and A0 or VII, 25 meters: traverse to the left to a stuck nut, then go up an obligatory vertical wall (VII-), then to the right and then aiming for a niche further to the left with ropes. Traverse to the left under the niche, you will come to a nail and then to the famous artisan nail of Casarotto, very protruding. The big bolt is very danceable and tends to come out: to use it, it must be pulled downwards. One meter below is also an hourglass with a cord, useful for the second. Now cross briefly to the left again and arrive at the convenient stop.
VI, 45 meters: go up by dihedral, staying on the right side (peg), then traverse to the left to the central part of the dihedral. Follow it and then cross left to a comfortable stop.
IV +, 45 meters: from here begins the great dihedral that made the route famous. Climb through an open dihedral, also taking advantage of the slabs on the left, up to the belay. Warning: very poor protection.
Length 13, V +, 50 meters: continue along the dihedral, now more protectable, up to the belay.
V +, 45 meters: still dihedral, overcoming a roof on the left.
VI +, 45 meters: following the dihedral you arrive under a square roof with a crack on the bottom that you follow to the left and then continue straight up to the belay on the right.
VI, 50 meters: vertical dihedral.
VI, 40 meters: dihedral up to a nail on the left, then go up through the crack and then re-enter the dihedral until you stop.
VI and A0 or VI +, 55 meters: by dihedral you reach a roof that you avoid on the right, then you climb up to a short but very bad area (pitons), then to a piton with a cord you cross to the left to achieve better and more articulated rock. You come out straight from the large dihedral, stopping on the ledge, beware of the many debris.
I, 50 meters: go up over rocks and debris to the right, arriving at an excellent bivouac area under large overhangs. Traverse to the right again until you reach a dihedral worked on the right of a niche, belay to be equipped.
max IV, then II / III, 140 meters: go up the dihedral, and then continue for a long time on easy rocks. Then go left towards a ridge at the base of a gray-brown rock edge, where you can stop on a spike.
III, 55 meters: you pass the rounded edge on good articulated rock (to be verified), then moving left by saddle with pines to reach an easy ledge that leads to the summit.
