From March 6 to 9, Roger Schäli, Filippo Sala, and Silvan Schüpbach will climb the central section of the Punta Pioda North Face. This very steep and compact section of the wall has never been climbed before and offers extreme difficulty.
A personal report from Silvan Schüpbach
The north face of Punta Pioda (3237 m) towers impressively in the center of the Sciora Group in the Bregaglia Valley. It's hard to believe that, apart from a route in the right-hand section, no one has ever climbed this face. This wall has fascinated me for several years, but something has interfered with every attempt.
This winter was no different: In December, I was able to explore the first part with Ines Papert. However, at the end of December, I broke a bone in my foot, and we had to put the project on hold.
At the end of December, however, I broke a bone in my foot and we had to put the project on hold.
On March 5, we finally climb to the Sciora Hut. Our backpacks are heavy, but our motivation is high. There's a lot to do at the hut: melting snow, digging out the chimney, and replenishing the wood supplies. We set off early the next morning.
In December, we had to climb several slabby pitches on the first part of the wall. Now it's an easy snowfield, and we're quickly below the first overhanging steep section. We only manage four pitches that day. The rock is brittle and sandy, and unfortunately, we have to do a lot of artificial climbing. I try to at least free climb when following, which I more or less manage.
The rock is brittle and sandy, so unfortunately we have to do a lot of artificial climbing.
We secure our first pitches with ropes and return to the hut. Although we were incredibly slow, we are euphoric because we have achieved our first goal: reaching the large snow gully. The next morning we start our push, now we want to stay on the wall.
The start is hectic and we only tidy up the huts in a makeshift manner – according to the hut book, no one else has been here this winter and we don't expect any other visitors.
The start is hectic and we only tidy up the huts in a makeshift manner.
After hard work, we reach the end of the fixed ropes at midday with all the equipment we need for three days on the wall. Filippo and Roger continue climbing, while I set up the bivouac. In the afternoon, I watch two climbers approach the hut. Of all times, I think to myself, we should have cleaned up better. On the other hand, the dug-out fireplace, the replenished wood supply, and the water on the stove should be compensation for the poor order, I try to reassure myself.
When Filippo and Roger return to the bivouac, we are already being denounced on social media.
But I was wrong: When Filippo and Roger returned to the bivouac, we were already being criticized on social media. Of course, we felt guilty and knew we had made a mistake. Nobody wants to clean up other people's messes. Nevertheless, we were surprised that these accusations—from a colleague we knew well—didn't reach us directly, but instead we were publicly criticized for our mistake. I tried to reach my colleague by phone and apologized, but he was unavailable, so my only option was to apologize via WhatsApp.
A cold night full of doubt follows. Braving the difficulties of this wall is one thing, but being the villain at the same time is quite another.
A cold night full of doubt follows. Braving the difficulties of this wall is one thing, but being the villain at the same time is quite another. The next morning, we tell ourselves: "Now more than ever!" Indeed, the oppression gives way to the desire to give it our all and finish this route. Luckily, the first pitch of our third day is a really nasty, narrow chimney, the perfect activity to take your mind off things.
Filippo should have had a rest day today, but in reality he has to jumar and haul overhanging traverses the whole time.
Further up, I climb a very steep, diagonal crack that should take us to the final bivouac site. With good intentions, I free climb in the M8 range, placing cams behind huge loose flakes and letting sand and dirt trickle into my eyes. But my good intentions quickly fade, and I switch to artificial climbing, which is very slow but also safer. Later, I'm happy to leave the lead to Roger, who leads us to the bivouac ledge in the last light of day. Poor Filippo should have had a rest day today, but in reality, he's been jumaring and hauling overhanging traverses the whole time, and he arrives at the bivouac just as tired as the rest of us.
This magnificent, arduous adventure in the wild, unknown mountains of our Alps will remain in our memories for a long time.
The fourth day brings us relief from the cold night. I'm pretty exhausted and glad that Filippo takes the initiative. Filippo leads us down a rappel and through a gully onto the normal route. He quickly leads us through the mixed terrain to the summit and into the sunshine, finally a little bit warm! This magnificent, arduous adventure in the wild, unknown mountains of our Alps will remain in our memories for a long time. It was our first venture together, and we worked brilliantly as a team. In the future, we hope that all mountaineers will follow the rules for winter rooms in the huts (including ourselves!) and that conflicts should be resolved through face-to-face communication rather than via social media.
That might interest you
- Exciting documentary about Dani Arnold's North Face speed solos
- Benjamin Védrines and Léo Billon succeed in a massive north face trilogy in winter
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Credits: Images and text Silvan Schüpbach