Desmochada - Southeast face
7. Circus Pets
600m 6b A0
Pete Fasoldt and Eli Simon (USA) 9/2/2011.
Description. The route follows a major crack system for 13 long pitches. It starts at a snow ledge about 30m below the huge horizontal ledge that splits the first third of the tower's south face. The climbing is of great quality on clean rock mostly in the 6b range. The first ascentionists climbed the entire route free except for a two meter section on the last pitch where they encountered an off-width crack filled with ice. They think the route can easily go free at 6b+.
History. They first attempted the route a few weeks earlier with German Carsten Von Birkhahn but only made it up 6 pitches. During the final ascent Fasoldt
pulled out a huge loose block on the approach pitch and took a 7 meter fall smashing his head, hand, knee, elbow, and butt. It was not a great way to begin the day. Luckily they had a few Percocets (pain killers) with them and these allowed Fasoldt to keep climbing. The route's name is a play on the words on the Percocets.
Approach. De Agostini to Niponino to Polacos. Scramble up easy rock (2 to 4) to the left of the Poincenot couloir to reach the base of Desmochada, then traverse across snow to the right side of the couloir, climb a short pitch (5+) and traverse back left across snow to the start of the route. Note that traversing right and left you are exposed to the serac above.
Pro. Two each Camalots to #3, one #4, one #5.
Descent. Rappel via the same route.
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