[AndiT]

Thanks! I do like jumping above gear. A great route for sure. Got it on film too, so hope to show it at the 'True Grit' lecture in a couple of weeks.

[Will Hunt]

Luka Krajnc has repeated Bellavista! Steep, 4 pitch Dolomites 8c!

[slackline]

Luka Krajnc has repeated Bellavista! Steep, 4 pitch Dolomites 8c!

And the rest, its on the Cima Ovest (although pitches are shared with other lines, namely the Swiss and Cassin).

They're big bits of rock....


Tre Cime de Lavarado (Portrait) by slack---line, on Flickr

[Johnny Brown]

Nice pic. Any idea what the flowers are?

PS agree with Paul it could do with better development - the grey blue sky has a very RAW look.

[duncan]

Nice pic. Any idea what the flowers are?

An Alpine Poppy of some kind?

[SA Chris]

I'd say it looks like a poppy of some sort too. Great pic anyway.

[slackline]

Thought they were poppies too. 

Cheers for compliments, one of the better shots from the trip (got the idea from a picture in a Refugio of Torre Venezia with a sea of pink flowers in the foreground, I don't have original ideas), been meaning to go back and play around with this, that can be my work distraction for the day 

Anyway, all 

[John Gillott]

Nice pic. Any idea what the flowers are?

PS agree with Paul it could do with better development - the grey blue sky has a very RAW look.

Yes, very nice. Does it need straightening up a bit?

Slightly different angles but compare with:

http://www.travelphotogallery.net/the-alps-ferrata-trekking-rock-climbing/tre-cime/the-italian-dolomites-tre-cime-photo-22.jpg.html

Which has it about right.

[slackline]

Yes, very nice. Does it need straightening up a bit?

Quite probably, I was lying on the ground with my head sideways.

http://www.travelphotogallery.net/the-alps-ferrata-trekking-rock-climbing/tre-cime/the-italian-dolomites-tre-cime-photo-22.jpg.html

Which has it about right.

Snap!

[slackline]

Libby Sauter and Chantel Astorga set new women's speed record on The Nose (10h41min knocking about an hour and a half of previous womens record)

[chillax]

Libby Sauter and Chantel Astorga set new women's speed record on The Nose (10h41min knocking about an hour and a half of previous womens record)

Excellent stuff! Met Libby over there a couple of weeks ago and shes been out to improve the women's record for a while. I think it was a source of frustration that the difference between the mens and womens record was around 10 hours! I reckon they can still improve on it too.

[Ethan]

An 8c and 8b+ second go by Sasha! 

[slackline]

Alex Honnold solo's Cosmic Debris (5.13b / 8a) and also the stunning roof split in two by Heaven (5.12d / 7c) 

[Doylo]

For me its harder to comprehend Honnold's crazy solos than Ondra's hard ascents. I think its because i'm a scaredy cat. Fair play.

[PATRuL]

comprehension can lead to tension ... i wonder why i bother x

[grimer]

For the attention?

Only kidding  x

[El Mocho]

Alex Honnold solo's Cosmic Debris (5.13b / 8a) and also the stunning roof split in two by Heaven (5.12d / 7c) 

Heaven was a flash  the guy is amazing

[T_B]

Presumably (I hope) he adopts the Croft tactic of never doing a move he can't reverse? Mind you, that doesn't stop you getting pumped. Ice cool.

[benpritch]

sick

[ding dong]

incredible

[Nemo]

Vid of Dean Potter soloing Heaven a few years back:


Obviously a great effort solo flashing it, but despite the (terrible!) landing, perhaps doesn’t look like the most outrageous thing he’s done?  I can just about get my head around getting psyched for the short period needed for single pitch routes.  And on those, I still think the stuff Alain Robert was doing 20 years ago is yet to be bettered.  Various gnarly, long, technical 8a+/8b’s in hideous positions – La Nuit Du Lezard etc.  Kommunist and Darwin Dixit are physically a grade harder – but I suspect they’re less of a big deal to solo – the crux on both is low down and they’re both steep and positive.

The stuff that Honnold does which really blows me away are the big wall solos – Moonlight Buttress, NW Face of Half Dome etc… and now Alien (doing this on the same day as soloing Astroman again  ).  The only other vaguely similar things I can think of are Hansjorg Auer on The Fish and Huber on The Brandler Hasse.  Keeping your head together soloing for the long periods you need for routes like that is just a totally different ball game.  Alien…  flippin heck… The thought of soloing to that belay on The Rostrum and then launching out across that roof is just stomach churning.  There’s not gonna be any reversing going on once you’ve set off on that – it’s about as committed as it gets.  And you’d have plenty of time to whistle “always look on the bright side of life” if you dropped it…  Gobsmacking… It’s still making me sick thinking about it…  (Thankfully I’ve never seen Moonlight… I’m assured that’s even worse!!!)   

Not so sure about trying to compare Honnold’s ascents to Ondra’s though.  They’re playing very different games.  It’s a bit like trying to compare Silvo Karo to Roger Federer.

[duncan]

Tom Evans reports that Mayan Smith-Gobat has freed The Salathe (via Monster crack variation), the second female ascent after Steph Davis.  The Kiwi woman got close to freeing it last year (one hang) but ran out of time, weather and partners.  This year she has been working the route with Sean Villanueva-O'Driscoll.

Salathe headwall: Mayan belaying, Sean climbing (Photo from Tom Evans)

[DaveC]

I have heard that 'Wheel of Life' at Mt Stapylton had a fifth ascent last weekend from Ben Cossey. There are whispers of a downgrade but I haven't seen any further details on the www as yet and my source here only had sketchy information.

[chillax]

Tom Evans reports that Mayan Smith-Gobat has freed The Salathe (via Monster crack variation), the second female ascent after Steph Davis.  The Kiwi woman got close to freeing it last year (one hang) but ran out of time, weather and partners.  This year she has been working the route with Sean Villanueva-O'Driscoll.

What's the accepted free ascent style for the headwall these days? isn't there some distinction between doing it with belays and making it one long pitch?

Going by the wisdom of Supertopo, its .13c as a rope stretcher. 13b without I think. Mayan and another partner flew by us on a speed ascent of the regular route on Half Dome in August (speed was not a word that could be used to describe our style on that route... ). Nice person and great climber. Great to hear she got it done.

[abarro81]

I thought Salathe was supposed to be 8b+ (14.a) or have I just made that up/got confused with the nose?
Good effort anyway!