Corno Stella & Central Pillar of Freney: Aurélia Lanoë and Silvia Loreggian’s 'South 6' project gets off to a perfect start

On 31 July Aurélia Lanoë and Silvia Loreggian set off without much ado, pedaling their way north as they embarked on their "South 6" project. The goal the two mountain guides have set themselves this summer is to cross the Alps by bike from the southwest to southeast and to climb six major south faces. A bit like the six great north faces of the Alps, but in summer, by fair means.

The pair left Ventimiglia in NW Italy and headed towards Borgo San Dalmazzo in the province of Cuneo to climb the Ge.La.Mo. route on Corno Stella. 350m up to 7b+, followed by a quick descent and the long journey towards Courmayeur to climb the Central Pillar of Freney via the historic "Bonington route". Once at the top, they continued along the Brouillard Ridge all the way to the summit of Mont Blanc, before descending to Chamonix.

We reached them by phone in Wenden, where they’re currently waiting for stable weather to climb "Caminando" on Reissend Nollen. After that, the schedule sees them heading to the Rätikon and Marmolada, before climbing Coglians Sud and ending their trip, symbolically, in the Gulf of Trieste. Here’s what Loreggian told us.

Silvia, can you tell us how this project came about?
Well, after K2, the idea came to mind because I wanted to get back into rock climbing — to do some raw, pure climbs in the Alps while also discovering areas I didn’t know. We also wanted to do it by fair means, meaning by bike or on foot, carrying all our gear ourselves: climbing equipment and just the bare essentials for camping along the way.

What did you choose, and how?
The core of the project are definitely Marmolada and Mont Blanc, which I know well, and Wenden, which is new to me but is one of the most famous south faces in the Alps. These are three iconic climbing areas, and then we simply thought of adding three more to make it six — a bit like a parody of the six great north faces. Rätikon couldn’t be left out. Then, since it’s a journey from west to east, we wanted something in the Carnic Alps, and friends recommended Coglians Sud.

So you already know which mountains and routes you want to climb?
Sort of. We have a general plan, but we’re flexible. A lot depends on the weather and route conditions — we’ll take it day by day. The routes we’ve selected demand a wide range of skills: some are trad, others a mix of trad and bolts, some are purely sport climbs, but all are in the mountains. We love the idea that we have to be versatile and can decide last minute

You started with Ge.La.Mo. on Corno Stella.
A beautiful route. We chose Corno Stella on the advice of local friends because we like giving "voice" to lesser-known walls and areas that deserve more recognition. And precisely because they’re less traveled, we loved the intimacy of spending a few days immersed in those places. Our experience there wasn’t just about discovering a great wall and climb, but also the wild, welcoming atmosphere, thanks to the hut warden Marco and the new friends we shared evenings and climbs with. The route itself turned out to be one of the most logical and stunning lines on the face; it follows an obvious crack system with solid gear placements all the way to just below the summit.

Next up was the Central Pillar of Freney via the Bonington route!
What’s there to add? The names say it all. The project is about climbing south faces, and this seemed one of the most beautiful we could do in the entire Alps. Neither of us had done it before, and being on the Chandelle, then the summit, felt truly special — almost symbolic.

In some ways, one of the most complex moments of the project?
Absolutely, but also very unconventional. We wanted to cross Mont Blanc in a way which is green, but you can’t bike through the tunnel. So we climbed the Central Pillar, summited, and descended to Chamonix, where my boyfriend Stefano Ragazzo had transported our bikes. He happened to be on the road, returning from work in the Monte Rosa massif, so he loaded them into his van for us and brought them over.

What was the climb like?
We got goosebumps when, biking into Morgex, we saw Mont Blanc for the first time on this trip. We’ve both climbed it many times before, but never via the Central Pillar and never after biking from the sea…! It was thrilling to think of the challenge ahead, especially because it felt like the most "logical" and green way to cross this stretch of the Alps. The climb itself went perfectly — good conditions, a late afternoon and short night at the Eccles bivouac, a 2:30 AM start… and by 2 PM, we were on the summit! Then a long descent on foot to Chamonix, where pizza and beer crowned our happiness at having pulled it off.

That's quite a trip!
Thanks. We don't just did it but we did it safely and fast from Eccles to Chamonix in a day by foot, we did it smiling even if the snow was soft and climbing with backpacks is heavy, we did it with fun because everything together is just "facil", as they say in French.

Now you’re in Wenden, waiting for stable weather.
To climb Caminando on Reissend Nollen. It's an insane mountain that neither of us knows. We’ve already hauled gear up to start really early because thunderstorms are always a risk in the afternoon. We’ll see how it goes.

The South 6 project is updated the Instagram handles of Aurélia Lanoë and Silvia Loreggian

SPONSOR
Silvia Loreggian thanks: La Sportiva, Grivel, Totem
Aurélia Lanoë thanks: Millet, Petzl, Altitude Eyewear, Canyon