New route of Bubu Bole on the Torre Trieste

Photo Fabio Dandri ®

On September 30 Mauro Bole has redpointed in one day the new route he had equipped on the Torre Trieste during the same month. The itinerary, dedicated to Patrick Berhault, is over 900 meters long (20 pitches), with maximum difficulty of 8a. It is the first new ascent of Bubu Bole in the Alps.
The route Patrick Berhault on the Torre Trieste follows a straight line in the middle of the big face and starts in the same place of the Piussi, with which it shares the belay after the sixth length. The hardest section (8a) is a 50-meter face, in the 14th pitch, with small holds on gray and very solid rock. The route has been equipped with 8 mm bolts. Bole writes about it: «There is the danger to take long falls. And not always with good protections!». Bole warns the climbers who want to repeat the route that the quality of the rock of a few sections isn’t very good.
Vinicio Stefanello/Planet Mountain

Torre Trieste: new route dedicated to Patrick Berhault
Thursday, September 30, 4.30 am: I start the engine of my car, switch on the right music, the one that should wake me up from the few hours sleep I got and leave Trieste, to complete, finally, my new project. Two and half hours drive, rehearsing in my mind the hardest sequences of the route. I reach Capanna Trieste (near the village Listolade, Agordo), where I have an appointment with Giuseppe “Beppe” Ballico, who will accompany me on the imposing southwest face of Torre Trieste. The objective is to free climb, and in one day, the route I established here in September. Everything has worked smoothly: it had to be like this! Because we are at the end of the season now, and if something had gone wrong there would have been the danger that we wouldn’t get another good day to finish the route. It has been a run with limited time, and after 11 hours, with the head lamp, I climbed the last pitch.
Eleven hours that have drained me, both physically and mentally. In fact, beside the engagement of the climb, there was also the awareness that I couldn’t make any mistakes, and above all, that no holds should brake. That was the main risk, because to repeat the pitch meant to abandon the project, due to the few available hours of light.
Of course the run has been successful also thanks to the tenacity and constancy of Beppe, who followed me from belay to belay like a rocket. Yes, everything was concentrated on the hands of the watch that turned as fast as never before, while in my thought the risk of falling almost didn’t exist. Instead, on this route the risk to take long falls exists… and not always with good protections! May be exactly this thought of the “real risk” I had faced, is the one that disturbed me while I drove home the next day!
After reaching the summit we went down to the middle of the face, where we spent the night in the portaledge, used as a base during the first ascent. The next day, in fact, I had an appointment in the wall with Fabio Dandri, to take some pictures, and with Stefano Figliolia for some video shooting. Unfortunately the next day we were immersed in the fog, that didn’t lift until we took the mutual decision to abandon the “set”. We are still waiting for a favorable day, to go back to the wall and bring down all the gear!
This first adventure of mine, as first ascensionist in the Alps, has had a conclusion thanks to the constancy of the four companions who came with me on the wall and believed in me, supporting my project. Taking in account the amount of hours spent in the wall: Stefano Figliolia from Trieste, Beppe, Aldo Michelini also from Trieste and Gianmario “Ghin” Meneghin. Finally, a special thanks goes to Patrick Berhault, the climber Patrick Berhault, for all the things he was able to transmit to me and to those who have made of climbing a reason of life in all these years.
Here is the reason why I have dedicated this route to his memory. I used, first because of laziness, later because of choice, hand drilled 8 mm bolts. All the used equipment has been left in the wall, including the belays. For a repetition I advice to bring a set of friends, nuts, two 50-meter ropes and a good amount of good will and sensitivity to climb on rotten rock.
Mauro Bole