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Alessandro Baù / Luca Vallata
This is the most classic route on Civetta. Considered one of the legendary and most coveted routes in the entire Alpine arc, it was also the first route to reach the main summit of the group via the North-West face.
The route can be divided into two parts: the first ends at Cristallo; the second continues to the summit. The most characteristic pitch of the first part is the “Lettenbauer Crack”, which comes almost immediately after the short initial base.
The route then proceeds through corners and gullies to reach an overhanging, and often wet, band, which is avoided by traversing to the right. The gradient then eases to reach Cristallo.
The first few pitches of the second part, which are not easy to navigate, lead to the famous “waterfall pitch”, which is almost always wet. Higher up, a scree-strewn pulpit offers a perfect bivouac spot. From here, deep clefts, typical of the final part of the wall, lead to the summit.
On the first ascent the climbers had one 38-metre rope, a bivouac tent/bag, around twenty pitons and a few wooden chocks, which they undoubtedly used to surmount the first crack. They left 15 pitons in the wall. To date, the route is reasonably well equipped and almost all the belays are built.
The rock is sound and has been cleaned by the various repetitions in the more difficult sections, but can still be rather friable, especially in the easier sections. If there are several parties on the route it's worth assessing the rock fall risk before embarking.
See topo (download pdf)
DescentFrom the summit, descend to the Torrani huts in 20 minutes down the obvious track, then continue along the normal route to reach the Tivan path which leads back to Rifugio Coldai.
Notes1st repeat: Willi Reiner and Leo Rittler, 5-6 September 1928
1st solo ascent: Cesare Maestri, 4 September 1952
1st winter ascent: Toni Hiebeler, Ignazio Piussi and Giorgio Redaelli, 28 February - 7 March 1963
1st winter solo and 3rd winter ascent: Marco Anghileri Butch, 14-18 January 2000
1st winter one-day ascent and 4th winter ascent: Alex Pivirotto and Ferruccio Ferox Svaluto Moreolo, 1 February 2016
Civetta north-west by Alessandro Baù and Luca Vallata (Idea Montagna 2025)
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