Martin Feistl and Martin Sieberer opened an impressive 500m ice line in the busy Sass Pordoi area yesterday. They graded it as M6, WI 6.
The ice line follows the water that poured down a gully before it froze, hence the name “Gullyver’s Reisen,” which also refers to the 18th-century novel Gulliver’s Travels.
The climbers said that the excellent ice conditions at -15ºC allowed them to climb in a completely clean way on popular walls pinned with dozens of bolts for summer routes. Sieberer noted their new route don’t cross any of the summer ones so they used no bolts.
Sass Pordoy ice climbing frenzy
Feistl says he discovered the gully where he opened Gullyver’s Reisen while repeating Grazie Giovanni, a 300m M6 WI6 line opened by Marco Cordin, Massimo Faletti, and Paolo Valentini on Nov. 16.
Ice climbing on Sass Pordoi peak has been intense since the beginning of November. Simon Gietl and Vitorio Messini opened the formidable Eywa route (570m, M6, WI6) in mid-November. Eywa is located right in front of the route Feistal and Sieberer did yesterday.
