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Anticima del Dente del Sassolungo – parete Sud
Via "Caries" ("Caries" Route) → Cima del Dente → Sassolungo Group
(length 300m / diff. 9 / opened by A. Holzknecht and K.Unterkircher in 2003)
Here in 2003 Adam Holzknecht and Karl Unterkircher, two powerful climbers from Val Gardena, opened the Caries route, playing for a day the "dentists on a climbing face".
The route has remained largely ignored in recent years and counts very few repetitions, but it really is a remarkable achievement, given the technical and psychological effort required by great difficulties on a rock which is not exactly sound. In short, a formidable mix providing a great challenge for the best Dolomites climbers.
As well as continuing his cutting-edge climbing activity at full speed, Adam is now head of the Catores, Val Gardena alpine guides, while Karl unfortunately died tragically in 2008 on the Nanga Parbat, and we regret he cannot be with us to talk about the emotions involved in this ascent. To him go our thoughts and admiration for the legacy he left behind.
Click here to open the technical report in pdf format
Access: starting from Passo Sella, reach the Carlo Valentini refuge, a short distance away.
From there, walk to the south-eastern edge of Punta Grohmann (on unsurfaced road, followed by a ridge trail), then go through the hills to Val Duron and across screes until you reach the bottom of the face. Get round an easy base wall from left to right, and you will find yourself under the whitish overhanging rocks where a peg marks the route start. 1.15h
Return: From the 5th pitch you can get back to the starting point with 3 long abseils (use quick draws to anchor the ropes to the rock!); alternatively, descend from the summit along the eastern face in the direction of Forcella del Dente (ridge → 1 abseil → across ledge → 2 other abseils) and return through the gully to reach the trail you originally went through.
