BURSTSouth Tyrolean mountain guide Simon Gietl has made a two-day winter solo ascent of the 17-pitch 550-metre Das Phantom der Zinne on the north face of Cima Grande di Lavaredo, part of the iconic Tre Cime di Lavaredo. “Not only one of the most difficult routes in this area, but also one of the most beautiful,” said Gietl
It was established by legendary climbers Kurt Astner and Christoph Hainz in the summer of 1995, and includes pitches up to XI+ (5.13a, with 5.12 obligatory) and has long been revered as both one of the most committing and most beautiful climbs in the Dolomites.
Gietl began his winter ascent at 10 a.m. on March 5, spending the night on a ledge far up the wall. He reached the summit at 4 p.m. on March 6. The 41-year-old had attempted Phantom before. In 2010 he and Marc Artesi reached half-way in winter before bailing. And then in 2015, he tried a solo but bailed before topping out.
Gietl is no stranger to the Tre Cime massif. His achievements include the solo winter traverse in 2020, the winter trilogy with Vittorio Messini in 2017, and first winter ascents of ISO 2000 and Pressknödel.
Despite some fragile rock and widely spaced protection, Das Phantom der Zinne quickly gained legendary status. Over the years, few have repeated it. Tre Cime guidebook author Erik Svab recalled: “One of the legendary routes I kept thinking about was Phantom, which until the summer of 2004 had only been repeated two or three times. The ascent is steeped in mystery, technically difficult, and extremely committing… Falling is simply not an option.”
This is the second bold solo ascent of a big line in Europe this month, just last week we reported about Charles Dubouloz soloing the 600-metre northwest face of the 2,884-metre Pic d’Ossau in France. Read about it here.
Hainz and Astner are two of the Dolomites’ most accomplished alpinists. Hainz, a South Tyrolean mountain guide and instructor, has climbed extensively in the Dolomites, Greenland, and the Himalayas, and is known for his fast solo ascent of Fitz Roy in Patagonia. Astner, a former Italian National Ice Climbing Champion, is celebrated for his bold sends. Together, they established and freed some of the most demanding climbs, including Das Phantom der Zinne (IX+), Alpenliebe (IX) on Cima Ovest, Ötzi trifft Yeti (VIII+) on Cima Piccola, and the mixed line New Look New Hook on Rauhe Gaisl. In 1999, they made the first winter ascent of the notoriously difficult Via Barbier on the north face of Cima Grande.
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