Mantel Ice established on Cima Mantello in the Dolomites, Italy

For almost two years, I’ve been keeping an eye on this virgin icefall on Mantel from the Buffaure ski area. However, given its somewhat unlucky exposure facing the sun, I’ve always hesitated. The other day, maybe the beer at Rifugio Baita Cuz helped clear my thoughts. And the stars aligned: cold weather, little snow, cloudy skies, friends available. All the right ingredients for a little adventure.

And so Davide Miori and Giordano Faletti, without a second thought, trusted what might have turned out to be nothing at all. We started from Muncion and, thanks to a good trail and the lack of snow, we found ourselves quickly at the base, welcomed by a light snowfall.

The start of the drip can be seen from afar, but I couldn’t figure out where the water was coming from. I had noticed the gully above, but I thought it was not very steep and that the route would continue from there without difficulty. Instead, the water comes from a narrow gully on the left, from where we later climbed into the upper section. The ambient where the drip is located is incredible, completely out of this world… no SAT trail nearby, only a track used for some climbs and by hunters.

In the end, the mountain gave us a real present, Mantel Ice, an absolutely superb line. Water ice in the first pitches and then a gully almost all the way to the summit! Go get it while it’s in condition!

- Martin Giovanazzi, Povo, Trento

Giovanazzi thanks La Sportiva