Swiss speedster Dani Arnold has free soloed the hulking spire of Cima Grande in the Dolomites. Arnold’s 46 minutes and 30 seconds ranks as by far the fastest time. In 2014, Christoph Hainz put down a marker of 48 minutes, but his route diverged a little short of the summit.
Arnold had previously climbed the 550m Comici-Dimai route three times, but this time he did so with just a vest, climbing pants and a chalk bag. Almost running in places, the Swiss alpinist overtook several other teams on the route. Good going when you consider he spent the summer not speed climbing in Europe but mountaineering on Broad Peak in the Karakorum. The 35-year old now holds speed records on four of the six classic north faces in the Alps.
