Photos by qwert

Climber following one of the overhanging routes at the Babna sector at Osp. Lots of nice tufa structures

A praying mantis at the foot of the Babna wall in Osp.

The main wall of Osp. The routes DB calls it the great wall, but in the guide book its called Stena, but since i dont speak slovenian, i dont know wich name is correct. Great place nevertheless.

Monte Disgrazia is sitting between Val Masino (and so the famous Val di Mello) and Val Malenco. At 3678 m it is the highest of the surrounding mountains (and in my opinion also the most beautifull). I took this photo on a geology field trip, so it was only look, dont touch (but i could tell you about the serpentinites that this mountain is made of, and the contact with the Bergell intursion, whose granodiorites and tonalites made the Val di Mello and the Badile ...), but as Mr. Schwarzenegger said: "ill be back".

Me at some easy slab boulder at cresciano.

The aid route through the great roof at the Sasso Remenno is completely bolted, but "fortunately" quite a few of the bolts are questionable enough to get some of that "i hope it will hold" aid feeling. It seems like that route isnt done very often, since there were quite a few cars that stoped, so that the people could look at us (there is a road and parking ground directly underneath the roof, see the rappeling picture)

Rappeling from the great roof at the sasso remenno. as you can see the road is directly next to the rock. fortunately there isnt to much traffic, but still enough that everyone is stopping to have at look at the climbers.

The Sasso Remenno is most likely the biggest boulder you can find (see climbers for size, or check google earth). the whole thing and its many satelites must have fallen down to the valley during a big rockfall.

Unfortunately we had a lot of rain (and snow in the higher regions) on our trip to the Val di Mello, so we couldnt do much climbing. But nevertheless this view after a rainy night was absolutely stunning. In the middle you see the Val del Ferro, wich offers some climbs directly next to a waterfall (or in a waterfall after much rain) and some climbs with a long approach at the higher rocks. the big rock at the right side is the Pappagallo, the leftmost of the four connected big walls Pappagallo, Altare, Precipizio degli Asteroidi and Qualido. The mountain on the left side must have also some routes, but it seems as it isnt as popular as the ones in the Val die Mello, maybe due to the fact the the approach is long, and that there is a quarry.

Me at the start of some unknown slab route in the Val die Mello. You can find slab climbs in all variants in the Val di Mello. from bolted sport climbing like to scary and absolutely unprotectable, from easy enough to walk them without hands to so hard that you simply dont know where to place your hands to at least get some kind of friction. In this case everything was somewhere in the middle. bolted enough to not panic and after the easy start along the vein in the picture it got gradually harder the higher i got, soon up the the point where i had to give up.

More Val di Mello slab. No holds, just some slight nipples in the form of some weathered out feldspar crystals, or some slight deppresions, wich offer a bit more friction than the blanc rock around them.

view towards the Sella in the North, from the top of the Pordoispitze. Nothing special to see in this pic, just shows the insane stone landscape on top of the Sella.

View of the Monte Brento in the Sarca valley. While the Monte Brento does offer some quite big stuff, the Placche zebrate/Sonnenplatten in the lower right offer some interesting limestone slab climbs.

View from the top of the Prodoispitze towards the Gran Vernel and the Marmolata on the left.

Last pitch of the Route "Via del Galleria", photographed from the top of the Pordoispitze. Given the Name of the route (galleria = tunnel) and the description we where expecting one of the usual old war tunnels that you find all over the dolomites. However it wasnt really a tunnel but this: The first one was squeezing behind a big tower in the middle of the wall, that was mostly detached from the wall. No chance to get through with a backpack on your back. Of course we all had backpacks with us ... lots of fun ... Also nowhere to built a belay, so the only option was to wedge myself into the tight offwidth, hoping that in case of a fall i would not be pulled out. The second "tunnel" is again an offwidth, between a tower and the main peak. However that got filled with scree and snow long ago, so there is only a small and dark, wet and cold chute left. Unfortunately thousands of tourist piss into the hole in the peak plateau, so you can smell the end of the route soon after you leave the last belay. But other than that: highly recommended route. Just make sure you are not claustrophobic and worthlessbelayophobic.

I just love the look of that wall! Frightening and tempting at once. Unfortunately the weather did not allow going for it. Way to much rain for starting into that big thing. Oh well. Another thing on the "gotta go back there" list.

Lower part of the east ridge of the Widderstein in the Kleinwalsertal. Loose rock, almost no protection options, rope drag like hell, took all day but nice views and high above the hundred of hikers on the paths below.

Perfect weather - perfect view towards the Kleinwalsertal and the "end" of the Alpen where they get flatter and flatter until you are in the glacial and molasse plains in front of them.

View from the Passo di Sella towards the Sella towers.

View down on the second party in the Via del Galleria. Incredibly chossy and hard to protect. Whole pitches without anything, belays consisting out of two rusty pitons and so on. But unlike some other routes just around the corner where the crowds fight for a spot at the belay, you are in perfect solitude. Typical dolomites climbing. Fantastic!