The mountain guide Paolo De Laurentis tells us of an unforgettable winter ascent of the Iskra route, on the Northern face of the Corno Piccolo, in the Gran Sasso Mountain.
Sul diedro della Iskra
I don't remember well when it happened,
I remember only a heavy snowfall at the beginning at the winter, followed by a wave of Scirocco, and finally by a frost, that create ideal conditions on the Northern face of the Corno Piccolo.
So in that period the North rock wall of the Corno Piccolo was frequently visited both by us and by other climbers.
Only few meters were ice-free
There were four of us, that day, on the Iskra.
I remember well the wonder and the joy of Pino, Biagio e Arnaldoin climbing the whole route, from the start to the end (except only for few ice-free meters) following a long ice strip... a true delight.
With Arnaldo De Crescenzo and Pino Sabbatini
Now, with a bit of nostalgia for who is no longer with us, and for that conditions that I have no longer seen, I'm hoping I can repeat such an experience, sooner or later.
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At sunset
The sun setting over the Corno Piccolo peak
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At the start of the route
The first pitch, the longest one
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At the belay
At the end of the first pitch
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Climbing the corner
One of the longest dihedral of the Corno Piccolo, visible even from Prati di Tivo.
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At the belay
Before starting
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