Via Romantica (6+)

Published on 2023-06-09 by Michael Stanton

Many of these pictures are from Timo. If the filename begins with timo then it is his!

After the great climb of Opa Highway, my mind travelled back years to the climb of Via Romantica one late fall day with Uli. That would be good to do again! Timo had a day free, and I suggested this climb. He came over the night before and we slept after a lot of joking around.

At the parking lot near the Jägerwirt in the morning, we packed our things and set off, somewhat intimidated by the crowded parking lot and many climbers. We both suffer from the climber's disease of thinking everyone is going to climb our route and we'll suffer in lines, strife, rockfall and delay. I told myself most of these people are going to the Multerkarwand and other places. Timo told me about a time he made Anna race with him to the start of the route, convinced a group of four was bound for it. She was so mad when they "won" the race, only to see the four people walk by for some other destination!

Michael arriving at the start of the route.

The first pitch -- easy start to a harder move! (6-).

Based on the weather in the last week, I was confident no weather would stop us. To that end, I decided a single rope was good enough, also reasoning we could use it effectively to speed up on the 5 very easy pitches on the line. Timo wasn't so sure that was a good idea. We brought quickdraws and a few cams and slings too.

We hiked up and found the route easily. I had the first pitch (6-), leading up and left on a ramp. Around a corner there was a tough move, climbing up onto a higher ramp with poor feet and rather shallow and oddly-angled handholds. I kept trying with a foot in a slippery pocket on the right, but finally committed to a lieback with that foot pasted on a vertical wall right in front of me. Then it wasn't so bad.

Timo in the stellar jamming section of the second pitch.

Higher, Timo passes the crux overhang move (6+).

Michael emerges from the difficulties of pitch 2.

Grappling with the difficult traverse on pitch 3 (6).

Timo emerges from the delicate traverse of pitch 3 (6).

Another scene of the traverse exit.

Timo came up and set off for a great corner/crack leading to an overhang (6+). He solved it with a reach far out left for his left foot, then some power to stand up on that with his right foot on the opposite wall. Good stuff! A young lady from Innsbruck came up to the anchor, and I set off with the pack. The crack climbing was fantastic, and the overhang had me breathing pretty hard! Really good stuff.

For pitch 3 (6), I went up easily to a corner, then followed a line back to the right above an overhang. Tricky moves, though well protected. Timo asked if he could take a picture right at the crux, I quickly said "no" because it was so delicate for a moment. That was a bit silly of me, but I was at my personal edge, just trying to do things right. I finally got my right foot on a decent ledge off to the right and all was well. I built a belay up and around the corner.

Timo led up and left for pitch 4 (5+). It starts with a tough move on only-okay rock, then goes more easily to a belay atop this buttress of rock. I followed, continuing above him for the walk across a steep grassy ridge to a great gray buttress.

The enjoyable corner crack on pitch 6 (6).

Another shot of this.

Exiting the crack.

Timo starts up for pitch 7 (5+).

The end of the longer seventh pitch (5+). Michael retrieves protection below, partially out of sight.

As I walked I considered the weather. A huge, dark grey cloud now loomed over Treffauer to our west. A distinctly cool and damp wind had sprung up. In fact, it may not have been a great idea to assume weather would be perfect! I mentally calculated our odds. If we had to retreat, we'd lose gear because the single 50 meter rope wouldn't allow us to abseil full pitches. I reasoned that if we could quickly get past all the grade 6 pitches, we could climb the easier stuff even if it was wet, because the route is more blocky than slabby. The Innsbrucker below had already spoken about the chance of storm, mentioning that wet rock is not the only problem -- lightning on the exposed summit slopes could be a danger as well.

Ach. Difficult to reconcile these options and tradeoffs! But because of this uncertainty, I proposed here to Timo that we climb the original route rather than climbing two pitches of sustained 6/6+ that make up the "HaGa" variation starting from this point. We'd have a pitch of 6 then 5+, which meant we'd reach the 6+ pitch just a bit earlier...and in my opinion every second counted.

Somewhat disappointed, Timo belayed me for the nice corner crack above, which I sought to lead as quickly as possible.

It's funny...but my idea about the weather was strangely rewarded. In the end, the day was fine. But it continued to darken over the next hour. As Timo finished his brilliant lead of the crux 6+ pitch, the Innsbrucker remarked to me, "and now are the first raindrops with us." He was right...it was starting to rain! But Timo was almost done, so if it got worse, at least the danger of leading a tough pitch on wet rock was over.

But I get ahead of myself...I really enjoyed pitch 6. It felt like a perfect match between my current abilities and what the rock had to offer. Rough congress with the crack led me to easier ground, then a little niche with a belay stance. From here, Timo continued left and up, out of sight for a while. The young man from Innsbruck joined me at the little belay in the shady corner. We watched the sky darken.

I was surprised to see Timo directly above me after a few minutes, soon I was climbing, and again just continued forward on easy, slabby terrain to reach the belay stance at the base of the stunning 6+ corner crack. I brought Timo up and he led out. Right off the bat the moves are tough! He executed a strenuous lieback to get past the first clips, then exited the main crack for a shallow corner with good edges for fingers on the left. The Innsbruckers arrived, and we counted the raindrops as Timo finished the great pitch.

Timo just above the most difficult section of pitch 9 (6+).

Another angle of the same.

Now in the enjoyable corner (good hands!).

Michael finishing the spectacular pitch 9, with the couple from Innsbruck below.

Climbers become very intimate with their rocks!

Crossing the slab of the 10th pitch (5-).

Another slab scene.

Timo finishing the interesting chimney on pitch 13 (4+).

Michael in the chimney on pitch 13 (4+).

Life is good.

I started up. I grabbed the quickdraw at the third clip, thinking that the important thing now was to get up before everything was too wet. I climbed the rest of the pitch free. Alas, I still have trouble with this pitch just as I did years ago! Still, after some wonderful climbing, I reached Timo and continued up for pitch 10 (5-). It follows an extension of the corner just climbed, then ventures out across a slabby face to connect with the upper portion of the mountain. The slab was a fun bit of variety in an already great route.

Timo came up, loving the way the angle of the slab increases just above where we cross it...making for dramatic pictures of the slab, while the difficulties are not high. He continued for a full 50 meter pitch of grade 3 terrain to a belay at the base of a cliff. The young lady from Innsbruck came up as I left.

I led a short connector pitch of mostly walking to the edge of a "Kessel" (caldron) with towering walls around a protected corrie. Timo set off for pitch 13 on the topo (4+) which turned into a very interesting and steep chimney pitch in the upper half. I believe he placed a cam in here somewhere. Indeed, the bolting on this route expresses a philosophy that easy terrain (grade 4 and under) requires only sparse protection, or sometimes merely as markers. On the other hand, when difficulties are high, the protection increases nicely. It's a good style.

I'm somewhat pleased with myself here for some reason.

Timo emerges from pitch 15.

The last moves...

A similar shot. I always want to convey the M. C. Escher world of alpine rock climbing. I fail, but the attempt is indicative of something real, some truth.

I led another walking pitch to the base of the last pitch (4+), a nice looking corner and chimney. I argued to lead this pitch, feeling bruised by grabbing the quickdraw on the crux pitch below (threat of rain had now dissapated completely). I also knew I wouldn't get to climb again until October, when the Continental Divide Trail is finished. I really am a big baby! Timo was not convinced by my arguments -- he covets a good lead, just as I do!

I had one last option: "let's do rock, paper scissors."

"One, two, three!"

He chose paper.

I chose scissors.

And thusly the baby snatches the lead!

Feeling really proud, because I rarely win at rock, paper, scissors, I sprang up the rocks, enjoying my last contact with edges, ledges, scoups and welcome, incut holds for a long time. It was such a fun pitch, and a great ending to a "mini-era" of rediscovering climbing here over the last few months.

I'm making some kind of joke here...

Timo and I on top, with tortilla.

This is what I do...

Well, another climb done!

The couple prepare their ropes for the hike down.

At the Kopfkraxen summit.

In Him is our home! Pretty cool cross.

Timo came up. We fell to taking many pictures. His choice of camera had inspired mine (a Sony RX7), and it was nice to have a climbing partner with identical RAW formats! Timo is a proper mountain climber, so we walked over to the true summit, marked by an unusual cross which has a little metal cap, reminiscent of the roof of a house. I like it: we should shelter in Him who made us. The Son is our "house." Let Him live in you, and then you may live in Him.

We went down, happily snapping pictures. In some ways I felt stronger than the week before, but my legs felt weaker on the steep descent. Poor Timo, who could happily run on this terrain had to wait a lot. Always resourceful though, he fell to taking pictures of the lilies of the fields.

He's never read the Lord of the Rings so he doesn't know the story of the entwives. I reflect on that story when I think how, usually, men and women orbit around different planets. The ents loved craggy nature, wild and often chaotic. So they ventured ever further into it with their trees. The entwives loved a nature that could be boxed and made to grow in smaller, and perhaps more beautiful containers.

In time the ents lost the entwives. Tolkien kept it a secret what happened to them. The ent is permanately wistful for his entwife.

We reached the pack at the waterfall, ate something then continued down. We reached the car at 17:30. Then, just as experienced with Helmut the week before, we dodged traffic jams all the way back to my place. Timo was surprised that my garage has a car wash. I offered him the use of it, and his van emerged clean and bright.

Timo strolls down the ridge, the peak Scheffauer (2111 m) in the distance.

Descent with multiple parties.

The hike down to the waterfall, visible in the lower right.

I stagger into Timo's beautiful flower portrait. I think this could be an ad for a bank: On an uncertain path, don't you want BankOfAmerica beside you? Hee hee...

Timo at the waterfall, good man.

Our wall and route, traced easily by our fingers that love the rock...

Thanks Timo!

Bonus: here are some pictures of Opa Highway, taken from our route:

Detail of Pitch 8 of Opa Highway (6+).

A close-up of the 9th pitch of Opa Highway.

Detail of Pitch 9 of Opa Highway (6+).