Between March 6 and 9, Roger Schaeli, Filippo Sala and Silvan Schupbach made the first ascent of the north face of 3,237m Punta Pioda in the Swiss Alps.
Also known as Pioda di Sciora, it doesn’t have the same level of notoriety as the legendary north faces of the Eiger, the Matterhorn, or the Grandes Jorasses. Still, a glance at the photo below shows just how impressive and aesthetic this face is.
The first ascent of the north face of Punta Pioda. The climbers called their line ‘Luce e Tenebre.’ Photo: Thomas Crauwels
The peak lies in the canton of Graubunden in the Swiss Alps. It’s part of the Sciora group, known for its rugged granite faces and alpine climbing routes.
The Sciora group, from left to right: Sciora Dafora, Punta Pioda, Ago di Sciora, Sciora Dadent. Photo: Jean-Louis Pitteloud
According to Sala, Schupbach has a long-term project to climb forgotten north faces and the last wild walls of the Alps. During their four days on the Punta Pioda wall, Sala recalls they had to face loose rock, freezing temperatures, and high technical difficulties.
Photos from the climb. Photos: Filippo Sala
“Every pitch was a real battle,” recalls Sala. “Long and complex pitches [combining] aid and free.” The climbers graded their 700m route M8, A3, 70°.
The climbers returned to an alpine hut the first night and spent the other two nights bivouacking on the wall.
In late February, Sala established another new north face route, this time up 2,923m Pizzo San Giacomo in the Ticino region of Switzerland.
Punta Pioda was the first time that the three experienced climbers shared a climb together.
