Claudio Lanzafame claims first ski descent of Cima Serodoli west face

A descent slightly outside the norm, on a peak typically reached via the classic ski mountaineering route — the same one (with possible variations) used for the descent.

I ascended from the Nambino plateau on skis, following the classic route to Cima Serodoli. From there, I headed towards the west face, which offers a striking, non-trivial line, especially given the snow conditions I encountered: 60° entry, a central section averaging 50° with brief 55° sections, and an exit between 45° and 40°.

The main challenge wasn’t the steepness itself, but figuring out where to go. The face is complex and hard to navigate unless climbed first (in my case, I ascended from the east-southeast). A few days prior though, I’d taken some drone photos from another area, which helped me analyse the face and scope a line that felt safe, as perpendicular as possible, and — most importantly — which allowed me to keep my skis on the entire time.

After the descent, I skinned back up to Passo Nambrone (300 meters of elevation gain) and returned to Campiglio. Total elevation for the day: roughly 1,400 meters.

Grade: 5.2 E3 II – max 60°
Descent: ~580 m

Claudio Lanzafame, Madonna di Campiglio, 23/04/2025