Ice climbing, two new icefalls in the Gole di Gondo, Switzerland

Two new icefalls in the Gole di Gondo, Switzerland, both climbed by great local expert Francesco Vaudo. Both icefalls are beautiful 60m drips and the first, "Alta tensione", was climbed together with Mauro Piccione and Massimo Coccalatto and leads up two vertical sections at II/5+. The second is an extremely beautiful free standing drip and was climbed a week later by Vaudo and Silvia Preti and weighs in at III/5+.


Change of plans and 'Alta tensione'
by Francesco Vaudo

We meet at 8.00am, circa 60km from Gondo. "So should we go and climb Nessi" Mauro immediately asks. Sneering I reply that we'd have to be at least at the base of the route at this hour. "We could go and climb a new route" I propose, out of the blue. And immeditaly add: "with the uncertainty of perhpas not being able to climb it at all." The icefall is visible from the road, but not all of it... "Come on boys, we've got to decide what to do" I threaten, so as to cut things short. Said and done. The result is "Alta tensione", high tension...

	ALTA TENSIONE
	LA STANGATA