Marmolata, Bugaboos. New Route on South Face. Gilbert Fryklund and I left Boulder Camp early on August 10 with the intention of repeating John Turner’s route (1959) on the south face of Marmolata. (See A.A.J., 1960, 12:1, p. 135.) After looking at the buttress close up, we decided that such a climb would prove to be more difficult and grueling than we would enjoy. Our thought then was to repeat John Brett’s route (1959) on this same face, but, upon casual examination, another possibility became evident. About 500 feet to the left (west) of Turner’s route, a steep rib rises from the glacier toward the true summit. Gil and I proceeded to alternate the lead up the crest of the rib. For the first five pitches, the problems were only moderately difficult (grade IV) and the climbing was delightful. The next pitch, a strenuous inside corner requiring three protection pitons (grade V), was overcome by a nice bit of leading on Gil’s part. Above, the difficulty lessened except for a few short stretches of grade V. The climb terminated on the summit platform about two rope-lengths west of the summit cairn. Altogether, six pitons were used for protection in the ten pitches. It appears from an examination of the features of the face and correlation with published descriptions that this route crosses the Brett route about halfway up the face. It took us about 2½ hours to reach the foot of the climb from Boulder Camp, while the rock work lasted about 2½ hours more. We descended by the normal western route. This climb, with its variety of problems, may prove of interest to Bugaboo climbers of modest ambitions.

Robert Kruszyna