Daniel Ladurner, Hannes Lemayer celebrate Happy New Year ice climb in Dolomites

The 2019/2020 ice climbing season in the Dolomites began in early December with us reporting from the Langental, stating that after the first ascent of Saxofon at the hands of Daniel Ladurner and Hannes Lemayer, the valley would most likely be in the news in the near future. And indeed, after Once in a Lifetime climbed entirely on ice by this duo with Florian Riegler and Seitensprung added by Simon Messner and Martin Sieberer, it’s Ladurner and Lemayer once again who’ve forged something new on the steep valley walls, this time wedged deep in the narrow gorge to the left of Ciastel de Chedul.

Ladurner and Lemayer had noticed the line last year and on 17 December they made a first attempt with Florian Riegler, soon realising though that their normal pegs and ice screws wouldn’t provide an adequate safety margin. Ladurner and Lemayer returned on 31 December 2019 to complete Happy New Year which, protected with bolts at the belays and on the most delicate sections, now provides two pitches of intense mixed climbing up to M6+.

TOPO: Happy New Year, Langental, Dolomites