Out Of The Blue discovered on Cima Busazza (Presanella, Italy)

On the small buttress of the north face of Cima Busazza, I had one last line left to open before I could consider that sector complete. Honestly, it wasn't a particular priority for me, because during the last year I had already established 5 routes on the face, in addition to making numerous repeats, and quite understandably, I was more oriented towards other "shores". Moreover, I had left this corner for last not by chance; among the three parallel ones that characterise the buttress, it was the one that attracted me the least.

Instead, the lack of feasible day-trip projects brought me for the umpteenth time beneath this mountain on the 22nd of January, and in hindsight, it was a good thing, because unexpectedly the line gifted us with the most beautiful and satisfying climbing of the entire sector.

The three pitches of M6+ were hooking galore that, as Ruggero Samanden enthusiastically exclaimed, "seemed designed specifically for ice axes," and there was no shortage of solid bubbles of alpine ice and numerous passages on clumps of frozen turf.

The first pitch on the slab was the one that excited us the most, with the crux move being precarious and protected only by a small pecker. Then, obviously from an aesthetic point of view, the corner at the top was a great sight, and also decidedly pleasant to climb; good hooks and solid placements alternated with moves on frozen turf.

We chose to call the route Out Of The Blue, the English expression meaning "suddenly," "unexpectedly," because this ascent was absolutely not in our plans for that day. Completely by chance, the previous evening a job fell through at the last moment, and so this route sprung to mind. I called Ruggero – the hut warden of the Sette Stelle refuge in Lagorai – but honestly I had little hope he'd accept since it was already eight in the evening. Instead, he agreed, quite surprisingly I must say, because usually if I call someone that late, they're at least already organised for the following day. So, all of a sudden, this line took shape and also turned out to be a beautiful mixed outing… completely Out of the Blue…

As always, we ask that our first ascent style be respected; please leave the route as clean as it was found, using the abseils from the Via Teti for the descent.

Out Of The Blue is also one of the most representative tracks in the career of Trance DJ Ferry Corsten, and this route is a small homage to his music, which has always accompanied me.

- Emanuele Andreozzi, Trento

Info: emanuele-andreozzi-alpinista.com