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Gnadenlos is New Dangerous Ice Route on Ortler in Italy

Ice climbing season is about to start in Canada, but already there’s a new 300-metre WI5 that’s been climbed in South Tyrol, Italy, called Gnadenlos.

First ascent of Gnadenlos. Screenshot from video below

The climbing team of Johannes Lemayer, Daniel Ladurner and Herbert Plattner climbed the thin ice line up the Northwest Face of Ortler, a 3,905-metre peak, in the Ortler Alps on the border of Italy and Austria.

The climbs heads up about 200 metres of waterfall ice before tackling 100 metres of serac ice. The climb sounds similar to Gimme Shelter V WI6 in the Canadian Rockies.

As Planetmountain.com noted, “Gnadenlos is clearly visible above the Berglhütte hut, circa 150 metres to the right of Pleishornwasserfall, and according to Ladurner it came into condition for the first time ever about three weeks ago.”

The team rappelled off of V-threads and noted, “The official grade is ‘WI5 with great risk.’ It goes without saying that a danger like this once is simply incalculable.”

Watch a slideshow/video of the first ascent below.

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