Drama on the Fiamma...

Went easy on the legs today, and took a cable car up to the Albigna Dam (possibly the best value eighteen Swiss Francs you could ever spend!). From there, it's a short stroll over an area of granite cliffs, called Spazzacaldeira. We climbed the NE Ridge, which was billed as a three star classic and a good introduction to the area. There was a team already on the ridge, but luckily we managed to climb past them early on.

At the top of the Spazzacalderia, there is a famous spire of rock called the Fiamma (The Flame). We opted to have some lunch on the rocky terraces below it and let a Norwegian couple climb it first. It's graded 5(c), so we thought they'd be quick, as they'd come up quickly after us up the ridge. However, when we scrambled up to investigate, they were back on the ground, having only got half way up. They swapped leads, but still no summit. Was it really only 5c? It certainly looked pretty tricky! A period of head scratching ensued.

Eventually, they admitted defeat, and asked if I fancied trying it? I duly went up to 'have a look' and could see some potential moves, but the exposure made it all look rather alarming. After a couple of false starts, I went for it, helped along by some encouraging noises from the team below. At about one bolt from the top, just as the slender edge of the summit was almost within reach, a Swiss pair arrived at the bottom, and on surveying the scene, told us (with some amusement) that the 'normal/easy' way up, was around the other side!! Opps!

Clare & Ole on thier way to summit glory after 'the battle of the Fiamma'

Nevermind, the four of us all took our turns to climb to the top, via a combination of routes, and thankfully all back down to the cable car in time for the last lift... Moral of the story - always check your guidebook before setting off!!

Clare on the NE Ridge of Spazzacaldeira

Clare making the final precarious moves