Starsky & Hutch: vertical police.

Starsky & Hutch is the name of the new route equipped and later redpointed by Rolando Larcher and Luca Giupponi, on the South-East Face of the Punta Serauta (Marmolada – Dolomites). Ten pitches with an effective length of 400 meters, mandatory difficulty 7b+, and maximum difficulty 7c+. The two friends have equipped it with the usual, by now well-tried “Larcher style”: very sparse bolts and very engaging mandatory sections. For Luca Giupponi, athlete of the National Sport Climbing Team, it was the first experience of a first ascent, for Rolando just one more trip searching for the difficulty on the walls, where he has been for years on the pole position.
Oscar Durbiano

STARSKY & HUTCH
I considered Punta Serauta, at least until last summer, exclusively in wonderful winter conditions. I repeatedly circumnavigated it clockwise, snowboarding euphorically under the northwest face, on the mythical powder of the “Bellunese”, and then I went up again, still panting, with the cable car, near the southeast face. In the damp cable car I tried to clean the windows, to look to the inviting sunny slabs. I was still curious, and in the summer 2002, thanks to the indications of Heinz Mariacher, already author of a couple of routes on this face, I succeeded in reaching the base, after a titanic fight with the dwarf pines. The sun had set already long before, but a short look was enough to decide that this summit would be the project for the summer 2003.
The story continues during the last summer. I improved the approach with a fixed rope, and started with Andrea Tomasi. The middle section of the central wall is free, so I can easily choose and dream an ambitious line that may be will lead us to the top. I estimate the height of wall to be about 400 meters, the first 100 meters are gorgeous easy slabs with water grooves, followed by a steeper pitch, and then a very long overhanging section, surely the hardest and most awkward part. If we had managed that, we would have had 200 meters along an awesome pillar. We start really excited and climb two long pitches on the initial slabs, and then with a harder third length I reach the overhangs, with the belay on a wonderful ledge. For today it’s enough, with three 60-meter pitches we have arrived to the start of the difficulties, it’s better to go down and come back later well rested.
I come back with Luca Giupponi, (Gippo is his nickname), who is very eager to make his first experience of a first ascent. We jug up the static ropes, and for another time I don’t take advantage of the racing horse, and let him belay. But it will surely be a short affair, on the unknown overhang my arms will quickly give up and Gippo will have his baptism of fire. I have been loading for this section since my first attempt and now the moment has come to face it. The first part is not bad, but higher up what seemed like holes with the binoculars, are just spots of black musk, and the rest is discouragingly smooth. I fight in all directions for two hours, but then I must give up and it’s useless to let Gippo try, it would be wasted energy. It isn’t a question of strength, it’s just that there aren’t any holds. We are disheartened and we can’t do anything but rappel down to the base.
This is part of the game, either you can climb it free, or otherwise it doesn’t make sense to continue with aid, nullifying 20 years of preparation. When you dare to climb certain lines, searching for mandatory sections, to have to retreat is always possible. But to give up is never pleasant, and after 200 meters it burns even more!
We still have half a day and we kill the delusion with action. We bring down all the gear, but we leave the climbed pitched equipped and we move 100 meters to the left, starting on the reserve line. Less bold line, but surely more adapt for the first experience of Gippo. We manage to equip two nice pitches and reach again the base of the overhanging wall. Here it seems a little more doable and we go back home with confidence in the future. Gippo is excited of his first equipped pitch and is looking forward to repeating the experience, and, with the permission of Andrea, we decide to complete the ascent together.
Soon we are in action again, we are afraid of another failure, but things work out smoothly and we overcome the overhang that open us the doors to the higher part. Then, with two more pitches, we end also this tiring day.
Now with a little luck we reckon that we could finish the route in only one more day, therefore we decide to sleep at the Passo Fedaia, to be able to start very soon in the morning. We aren’t lucky and it rains until 8 AM. We wait around and with unsettled weather, a 10 AM we leave the car, it’s very late, but at least the sun prevails on the clouds. By now it is certain that we are not going to finish today, but we are at the end of August, and we fear that this wonderful summer could suddenly end, therefore also one new pitch more has a great importance. We jug up almost 300 meters of static ropes and start to climb. Following our schedule the first pitch belongs me: I start determined and quickly solve it; it will be a good 7b+, about 70 meters long.
Next to climb is Gippo, he follows the final pillar and, after 40 meters, not without a few nice falls, he brilliantly overcomes an awkward slab. I follow in top rope and at the belay I congratulate him for his first hard pitch, it will be 7b+, like the previous one. A not too banal difficulty for a first ascent, because, although you can have a high potential in your arms, experience, coolness and determination are equally necessary things, and they are hard to improvise. It is late and we must take a decision. To go down, and then come up again, keeping in mind that the static rope ends 60 meters under us. To equip the missing section, a couple of pitches, and then bring everything down, ruining our backs and then to have to come back for the redpoint? Or should we let here the haul bag with the power drill and the gear, descend taking away all the static ropes and come again with the double commitment of free climbing until here, and then equip the missing section, apparently very awkward and redpoint it straight away? We are a bit tired of the up and down, and Gippo doesn’t like jugging so much, therefore we choose the second option.
This is the more hazardous solution, that may be lets us spare a tiring day, but it compromises, with the stress of equipping, the redpoint, perhaps the most appealing part of these experiences.
We come back at the beginning of September, this is the decisive day. We start early, it’s a wonderful day and we free climb a few pitches. The first hard length is the third one, I fire it and we quickly continue with the next two easy ones. The sixth and the seventh pitch are more engaging, and with this sun also the feet start to scream. Until now everything has worked smoothly, now I have to equip the last hard pitch. I still feel strong, and I start on this overhanging shield split by a small crack. I need almost two hours to solve it, but when I reach the belay I am excited. Until now we had found only 7a mandatory sections, but in this last length I managed a sure 7b+. But it isn’t yet time to celebrate; Gippo lets me down straight away because I must redpoint it. Therefore I recover a bit and then start again.
I climb in an aggressive way, but I feel the hours and the meters in my arms. I barely succeed on the mandatory section with a dynamic move, now I still have only an endurance section, but I have reached the last course of the meal and I don’t know if I will make it to the belay. If I let go, I will not have the power to climb the mandatory section again and I will nullify the efforts made until here. So I gather together my last energy, probably more mental than physical, and gritting the teeth I jump to the belay. It has gone well, I wouldn’t have bet anything on my success, but sometimes you can also be lucky.
One more pitch is left, but it is easy and it is only a formality to crown this wonderful ascent. We begin to rappel and reach the car with the headlamps.
Also today we got our amount of 12 hours in the fresh air. Now the last task is left, to think about a name for the new route. In these years I have established and named a lot of routes, but never together with a friend-colleague policeman. So a couple of names comes to my mind, the first one is “Piedipiatti (cops)”, name that would really have a double meaning, when you reach the top. The second one was "Starsky & Hutch". The majority voted for the latter.
Rolando Larcher