First climb established on Mt. Phandambiri in Mozambique

Interesting news comes from a remote corner of southern Africa, more precisely from Mozambique, where on Wednesday 6 August the Italian climbers Mirco Grasso and Samuele Mazzolini completed O caminho dos cogumelos on the previously virgin east face of Mount Panda, also known as Phandambiri.

The Path of Mushrooms — this is the English translation of the name — was established ground-up over a period of six days and ascends black granite characterized by knobs, spanning 19 pitches with a total length of 890 meters, plus a further hundred meters of scrambling to reach the summit.

The maximum difficulties faced by Grasso and Mazzolini were 7a, and the due placed 70 bolts (excluding belay stations). The compactness of the rock and the lack of cracks made it impossible to use pegs or cams, which is why they chose to bolt the line. The large number of knobs that litter the face from the base to the summit gave the route its name.

Grasso and Mazzolini are currently in Mozambique as part of the Verso il Phandambiri expedition, which also includes Manrico Dell’Agnola, Antonella Giacomini, Maurizio Giordani, Anna Mazzolini, and Nancy Paoletto. The expedition is supported by the Italian Alpine Club (and the Italian Academic Alpine Club and has a dual objective: to make the first ascent of the mountain, and to provide concrete aid to local communities. Important contacts have already been established with local authorities, tribal leaders, and reserve managers on topics ranging from improving sanitary conditions in nearby villages to promoting the environment, culture, and traditions of the area.

Meanwhile, the entire team — and especially the first ascensionists — are thrilled. "The excitement of climbing an untouched face is always immense," Mazzolini stated. "When you're on the other side of the world, in a vast expanse like the African savanna, immersed in a different culture, it’s hard to put into words what you feel."

"Our climb is the result of carefully judging the right approach one must take when faced with a wall that has never been climbed before and about which nothing is known." explained Grasso. "What we established is a beautiful route on magnificent rock, one that will surely be a pleasure to repeat."

Phandambiri has all the makings of becoming a famous climbing destination thanks to the grandeur of the mountain, the beauty of its granite, the dry and never excessively hot climate, and the logistics that, once figured out, are actually fairly straightforward.

Should that happen, then O caminho dos cogumelos is destined to become a classic, albeit a a demanding one, since, with darkness falling at around 5:30 PM (it's winter there at the momemnt), nearly a thousand meters of climbing make for quite a vertical journey.

Link: www.facebook.com/Phandambiri