L’estate incredibile di Sebastien Berthe

Dal Bianco alle Dolomiti

Il belga Sebastien Berthe, uno dei pochi al mondo ad appuntarsi il Nose in libera, aveva grandi progetti per questa estate da passare sulle Alpi. Progetti che, a questo punto, sembrano essere stati quasi sovrastimati dal belga, considerata la velocità di realizzazione. Ha iniziato sul Capucin, Monte Bianco, cercando e sfiorando la on sight della “Voie Petit” (8b, 450m), con un piede scivolato su un tiro di 7b e con il volo all’ultima presa del chiave di 8b, tutto il resto, compresi i tiri di 7c+ e 8a, a vista.

Poi, in pochi giorni, dal granito alla dolomia di dubbia qualità delle Tre Cime, dove Sebastien aveva messo in conto qualche giorno di tentativi per passare su “Bellavista” la mitica via di Alexander Huber che ha fatto sognare una generazione di dolomitisti, con il lunghissimo tiro chiave (55mt) valutato originariamente 8c. Partito con David Leduc alle sei di mattina, alle nove di sera era in cima, con “Bellavista” in tasca: il tiro chiave e il successivo di 7c+ fatti al secondo giro e il resto a vista. Finora la più veloce ripetizione RP di questa via “che non sarebbe 8b+ se fosse a terra, ma l’ambiente…”

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"Bellavista" (8b+, 450m), Cima Ovest, TreCime di Lavaredo ✔️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Woooaw, I can't believe it! Yesterday, I could send "Bellavista" on my first day on the route 🤗 With David Leduc, we had all the week to work and hopefully send this beast… Well, It looks like we can spend the rest of the week, enjoying the pizza-icecream-italian-life 😄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Starting the day at 6 in the morning and finishing it at 9pm, it was busy climb!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This route is a typical boldly Dolomite's one and only rely on pegs (exept from the anchors where you can find good bolts) which make the whole climb really interesting.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I could climb the 8b+ crux pitch on my second go, fininshing it completely pumped, shouting to hold on! This pitch is one of the craziest one I've ever climbed: 55m of traversing overhang and sustained climbing on good holds. Terribly exposed, if you fall, you find yourself at the end of the rope, in the middle of the void, far away from the wall. You better take a jumar with! One of the main challenge about this pitch is to go back to the belay anchor after your try 😂 I don't think the pitch would be 8b+ on the ground, but the atmosphere around it make it very hard! Moreover, I must say, fixed draws and chalkmarks made it way easier.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I led all the pitches until it joins the "Cassin" where we swapped lead. I onsighted all of them exept the crux and the following 7c+ (where I fell at the second move before starting again and onsighting the rest of it).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It is so impressive to notice that @alexander_huberbuam opened it over a four-day period of solitary climbing in winter 1999! Then, he freeclimbed it in 2001, and he didn't have thickmarks and fixed draws in the crux pitch… Bravo! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thank's David for this day!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I am so happy about my 'multipitch flow' right now! What's next?!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @scarpa_de @lecomte.alpirando @patagoniaeurope @petzl_official @revolutionclimbingteam @escalpades

A post shared by Sébastien Berthe (@sebertheclimber) on Jul 18, 2020 at 10:00am PDT

Tempo di riposare un giorno per lanciarsi sulle orme dell’alpinista belga più forte di tutti i tempi, Claude Barbier, imitandone un collegamento impegnativo come tempistiche da corsa in montagna.

Cima Ovest via Cassin, 6h33 – 9h47⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Cima Grande via Comici, 11h13 – 14h18⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Punta di Frida, via Dülfer, 16h40 – 17h26⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Cima Piccola via Innerkofler, 18h04 – 18h47⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Piccolissima via Preuss, 20h06 -21h11⠀

E adesso? Tenterà “PanAroma” sulla stessa parete o cambierà ancora roccia?

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The longest climb of my life on the Tre Cime di lavaredo!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The 24th of august 1961, Claudio Barbier (probably the best belgian alpinist of all time) made the one of the most incredible alpinism feat in the history. He linked, alone and in a day, 5 routes on the Tre Cime (one on each tower): 1750m of climbing and about 52 pitches! This feat is extremely impressive for that time as he didn't have climbing shoes, chalk or even harness… He always was a true inspiration for us!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here is what he wrote to his friend Marino Stenico:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cima Ovest via Cassin, 5h20 – 8h18⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cima Grande via Comici, 10h10 – 13h10⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Piccolissima via Preuss, 14h45 -15h55⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Punta di Frida, via Dülfer, 16h30 – 17h30⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cima Piccola via Innerkofler, 17h55 – 18h25⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 60 years later, here is our schedule:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cima Ovest via Cassin, 6h33 – 9h47⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cima Grande via Comici, 11h13 – 14h18⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Punta di Frida, via Dülfer, 16h40 – 17h26⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Cima Piccola via Innerkofler, 18h04 – 18h47⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Piccolissima via Preuss, 20h06 -21h11⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Well, Barbier was to fast for us, his record would need more atempts to be beaten 😅 Such a crazy climbing that we were not sure to be able to complete until the end… What a great feeling to climb and run fast and light from a route to the other! Finding our way through the magnifcient rocks of the Tre Cime was a real challenge: messy scree, delicates rappels, long run out, dreamy pitches, massive simu-climbs,… Time to rest a bit! 😴⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @scarpa_de @lecomte.alpirando @patagoniaeurope @petzl_official @revolutionclimbingteam @escalpades

A post shared by Sébastien Berthe (@sebertheclimber) on Jul 20, 2020 at 9:00am PDT