08 Oct Dolomites- Chimera Verticale – new trad route on Civetta

 
The Italian Alessandro Bau (28) is a prolific Dolomites activist, especially on Civetta, East Dolomites, Italy
In 2003, he climbed his first big route on the Civetta, the Philipp-Flamm (1050m, Flamm-Philipp, 1957: when Reinhold Messner soloed this route in the late 1960s, a remarkable achievement for the time, it was considered the hardest route in the Eastern Alps).
In summer of 2005, with Enrico Marini he made the second ascent of Mejico Cabrones, another Venturino de Bona route put up solo in 2001 (5.11c, 33 pitches).
 This major route starts left of the Comici, cuts through it twice (with a few pitches in common), then forces a line directly up the exposed headwall that the Comici avoids on the right. There are only six bolts and thirty-five pegs in place, and some friable, overhanging rock high on the wall.
Then with Alessandro Beber, 21, made the second ascent of Nuvole Barocche, an amazing line up the wall to the right of the famous Philipp-Flamm, put up in 1999 by Venturino de Bona with Piero Bez.
It is one of the most "alpine" routes in the Dolomites, as it climbs one of the biggest and most renowned walls in the range, reaching the summit ridge of the Civetta just up and right of Punta Tissi (2992m). The thirty-five pitches that make up this ca. 1250-meter route have difficulties up to 5.13a/b with a little A2. 
Again, during two seasons, in 8 days, together with Alessandro Beber, Luca Matteraglia and Daniele Geremia Baù established a new route, Chimera Verticale 15 pitches and only 15 bolts: the route is very logical, follows a repulsive section of the wall and has difficulties of IX grade (VIII obl).
 
In summer 2009 Alessandro Bau redpointed his route in two days.
 
Again in 2009 he soloed Capitan Sky-hook VII+/A2 (redpoint by Roland Mittersteiner 7b+ (IX), a route established by Paolo Crippa and Dario Spreafico -1987).
 
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