Norsketinde and Other Peaks, Staunings Alper, East Greenland. Our expedition was organized both for science and for mountaineering as required by the government. The scientific program was carried out by Professors Luciano Luria, Giuseppe Alasonatti and Gian Luigi Vaccari. The other members were

Eugenio Ferrero, Sergio Martini, Franco Ribetti, Mario Salero and I as leader. We were flown by helicopter to our Base Camp at 4000 feet, east of Alpefjord, at the junction of the glaciers, Vikingebrae and Frihedsbrae. I was unable to take much part because of a back strain on the first day. On July 30 Martini and Ribetti ascended the Vikingebrae toward Helvedes Pass and turned up the second tributary glacier on the left to a couloir that led up to the rocky southeast ridge of P 2410 (7907 feet), which led to the top. The peak is southwest of Frihedstinde. P 1950 (6898 feet) is east of Base Camp between the first and second tributary glaciers on the left on the way to Helvedes Pass. On July 31 Alasonatti and Solero climbed moraine up the first tributary glacier to bypass an icefall and then climbed the west snow slope and the west rock ridge to the summit. “Norsketinde Dome” and “Norsketinde Teeth,” north of Norsketinde, were climbed on August 1 by Martini and Ribetti in a 16-hour day. From Base Camp they crossed the Vikingebrae to the beginning of the northeast ridge that descends from Norsketinde. They climbed a steep couloir to a snow saddle and climbed a snow dome (2010 meters, 6595 feet). They continued south along the sharp rock ridge and climbed the two spires (2250 meters, 7382 feet) from the col that separates them. “Italytinde” was climbed on August 3 by Martini and Ribetti in 16½ hours. It lies north of Dansketinde. They ascended the second glacier on the right on the way to Helvedes Pass. They climbed the west face via an ice couloir. Where it forked they took the right fork to a notch and followed the ridge to the summit (2710 meters, 8891 feet). P 2200 (7218 feet) lies at the head of the first tributary glacier on the left of the Frihedsbrae, northeast of Mythotinde. It was climbed on August 6 by Alasonatti, Ferrero, Martini, Ribetti and Solero by its northeast side and southwest ridge. Martini and Ribetti on August 9 and 10 ascended the first tributary glacier on the right on the way to Helvedes Pass and from the west ascended an ice couloir that led to a col between the “Norsketinde Teeth” on the north and the “Norsketinde Spire” on the south. The 2500-foot couloir was difficult, especially the exit from it. They then traversed the east face and climbed the south ridge from the col to the summit of “Norsketinde Spire” (2400 meters, 7874 feet). They descended to the col between this peak and Norsketinde. They continued past rock gendarmes and up the north ridge of Norsketinde (2680 meters, 9383 feet), a new route. From there they descended the east ridge over various ice and rock towers to a wide col. They then climbed an ice slope to the top of P 2450 (8038 feet), east of Norsketinde. They descended the east ridge to a col at the head of the tributary glacier east of “Italytinde,” which they reached via a rather dangerous couloir overhung by séracs and back to Base Camp. The difficulty was comparable to the Peuterey Ridge on Mont Blanc. The entire climb took 35 hours. All the climbs were first ascents except that of Norsketinde. In our final five days we were hampered by bad weather.

Giuseppe Dionisi. Club Alpino Accademico Italiano