Nautilus - Sergent

From Pont Canavese take the main road to Ceresole. After the long tunnel that starts from Noasca, before the long flat stretch leading to the village, make a U-turn to the left and take the old road. Drive past the Kosterlitz crack on your left the boulder, continue on and park in the forecourt.

The start can be reached from above by following the normal Sergent path, traversing the entire base of the wall and then descending a steep couloir. Alternatively, from below (recommended and faster), from the parking area continue along the old road, pass a large boulder that serves as a roof for building materials, and on the left identify a faint path that leads to the base of the wall. Cairns mark the scree sections. 30 minutes. The start is near the right edge of the steep right‑hand couloir that leads to the main Sergent wall.

GPS coordinates:
45°26'34.75"N 7°16'34.47"E
45.44310651176781, 7.276209510599341

P1 - 5b: A characteristic large, leaning flake and a crack as round as a saber characterise the start of the first pitch.
P2 - 4b: Continue up stepped terrain and then a nice cracked corner.
P3 - 5a: Traverse left straight across, delicate, and slide into the great Nautilus chimney – spectacular and evocative. Reach the chockstones and set up a belay with your own gear. (If you wish, but this is not the true Nautilus, from belay 2 you can continue straight up a 6c crack & corner – an old‑school variation followed by the first ascensionists on a repeat.)
P4 - 5a: Climb the chimney, continue past an optional bolt belay, and reach a solid tree where you belay at the end of this pitch. Once on the large ledge that cuts the wall in two, traverse right for about 70 m.
P5 - 4c: Find an easy ledge that first goes right then left, winding, until you belay in a corner that characterises the whole second part.
P6 - 5c: Climb the corner, then traverse left to jam up a beautiful crack, typical of the Orco valley.
P7 - 6a: Breach the small overhang above and aim for an obvious larch tree, just above which is the belay. The original route continued further over more broken ground; it is customary to finish here and abseil back to the base.

With a single abseil reach the Jedi Master belay, then the middle ledge. Traverse and locate the anchor at the top of the Elisir D’incastro. crack. Then descend briefly into the couloir to the start.

Nautilus, as also shown by the original photos, was opened with very little gear, in keeping with the style of those years. Mostly nuts and a few hexes were used (cams did not exist). One peg was used on the final small overhang of the second pitch.

In later years bolts were added at the belays and also along the pitches, causing controversy and subsequent removal. The large chimney was even violated with steel cables and electrical boxes during the excavation of the road tunnel. Fortunately, a group of people – whom we must thank – cleaned everything up with a great effort.

Today, if you take a set of nuts and a set of cams, and double up on medium and small sizes as a precaution, you won't go wrong. Also slings and 8 quickdraws.