Luce e Tenebre

Punta Pioda North Face "Luce e Tenebre – Light and Darkness"
By Silvan Schüpbach

From March 6 to 9, Roger Schäli, Filippo Sala, and I climbed the central part of the Punta Pioda North Face. This very steep and compact section of the wall had never been climbed before and presents extreme difficulty. It marks another milestone in my long-term project of exploring the "forgotten" North Faces of the Alps.

The North Face of Punta Pioda (3237m) stands impressively in the middle of the Bergell Sciora group. It's hard to believe that, apart from a route on the right side, no one has ever touched this wall.

I’ve been fascinated by this wall for a few years now, but something always got in the way during every attempt. This winter was no different: In December, I was able to scout the first section with Ines Papert. However, by the end of December, I broke a bone in my foot and we had to put the project on hold.

On March 5, we finally ascend to the Sciora hut. The backpacks are heavy, but our motivation is high. There’s a lot to do in the hut—melting snow, digging out the chimney, and restocking the wood supplies.

The next morning, we begin our climb. In December, we had to climb a few tricky, slabby pitches in the first section, but now it's just an easy snowfield, and we quickly find ourselves under the first overhanging steep section. We manage only four pitches that day. The rock is fragile and sandy, and unfortunately, we have to do a lot of aid climbing. I try to free climb at least on the way down, which I manage more or less.

We fix our first pitches with ropes and return to the hut. Although we were incredibly slow, we are euphoric because we’ve achieved our first goal: reaching the large snow gully.

The next morning, we begin our push, wanting to stay in the wall. The start is hectic, and we only manage to make a basic tidy-up of the hut—we know no one else has been there this winter, according to the hut log, so we don't expect any visitors.

After some hard work, we reach the end of the fixed ropes by noon, bringing with us enough material for three days in the wall. Filippo and Roger continue climbing, and I set up the bivouac. In the afternoon, I notice two mountaineers approaching the hut. Of all times, I think to myself. We should have cleaned up better. On the other hand, the dug-out chimney, the refilled wood supply, and the water on the stove should make up for the mess, I try to calm myself. But I am wrong: When Filippo and Roger return to the bivouac, we’re already being criticized on social media. Of course, we feel guilty and know we made a mistake. No one wants to clean up after others. Still, we are surprised that these accusations—from a colleague we know well—didn’t come directly to us but were made publicly. I try to call the colleague to apologize, but he’s unreachable, and so I can only send an apology via WhatsApp.

A cold night full of doubts follows. Defying the difficulties of this wall is one thing, but being the villain at the same time is another. The next morning, we tell ourselves: “Now even more!” Indeed, the oppressive feeling gives way to the desire to give everything and finish this route. Luckily, my first pitch of the third day is a really nasty, tight chimney—perfect to take my mind off things...

Further up, I climb a very steep, diagonal crack that should lead us to the last bivouac site. With good intentions, I climb freely in the M8 range, placing cams behind huge, loose blocks, and letting sand and dirt fall into my eyes. However, my good intentions quickly fade, and I switch to aid climbing, which is slower but safer. I’m happy to let Roger take the lead later, who guides us with the last daylight to the bivouac band. Poor Filippo was supposed to have a rest day but has to do overhanging traverses with jumars and hauling the whole time... He arrives at the bivouac just as tired as the rest of us.

The fourth day brings relief from the cold night. I’m pretty exhausted and grateful that Filippo takes the initiative. He leads us with a rappel and through a gully to the normal route. He quickly guides us through the mixed terrain to the summit and into the sun—finally, a little warmth!

This great, austere adventure in the wild, unknown mountains of our Alps will stay with us for a long time. It was our first joint venture, and we worked incredibly well as a team.

In the future, we hope that all mountaineers respect the rules for winter rooms in huts (ourselves included!) and that conflicts are solved through direct communication rather than social media.