Roger Schäli and Romano Sali were recently able to realize a project in the Engadin that they had been thinking about for a long time: climbing Piz Palü (3899 m) via the west, middle and east pillars. Instead of descending, they flew down with a paraglider. This Palü trilogy took them 16 hours.
"The idea is obvious and Romano and I have been talking about making it happen for a long time," says the Swiss professional mountaineer Roger SchäliThey actually wanted to do the tour earlier in the year. "However, the weather, the wind and our schedule only came together now."
Critical conditions at the West Pillar
On August 3rd, the time had come and Roger Schäli and Romano Salis put their plan into action. They started with the middle pillar, also known as the Bumiller Pillar, a long and serious tour that takes an average rope team 6-11 hours to complete.
Due to the heavy melting of the last few years, the West Pillar in particular proved to be much more challenging than expected. "In terms of climbing technique, it is as difficult as the Heckmair in the Eiger North Face, but is much shorter," says Schäli.
Turning around was a big issue, especially in the lower part of the west pillar. "Romano had the idea of flying out in the middle of the pillar to the right above the serac in very steep terrain."
Since I was too dreadful about this takeoff, we decided to climb to the top and fly from there.
Roger Schäli
Hope is growing again
When they finally reached the summit within a reasonable time, they considered completing their plan. "Although we were both already exhausted after the Bumiller and the West Pillar, it would have been a real shame not to climb the East Pillar."
After the second paragliding flight and the safe landing on the east pillar, it felt like a walk, Schäli remembers. "Solid rock and low speed. In addition, my favorite song from Züri West, "Lue Zersch Wohär Dass Dr Wind Wääit," brought humor and a breath of fresh air to our trilogy."
"In good conditions, this trilogy is certainly a project that can be recommended to ambitious mountaineers and paragliders. However, in the conditions we encountered, the tour proved to be very demanding," concluded Roger Schäli.
Well-rehearsed rope team
Roger Schäli and Romano Salis have been hiking together in the mountains for four years. "We get on very well and always have something to laugh about," says Schäli. That is often the most important thing on border tours.
Romano Salis is a mountain guide, helicopter rescue specialist and, according to Schäli, one of the most active paraglider pilots in the very demanding Engadin region.
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Credits: Cover picture Roger Schäli