Despite the many attempts to climb the west face of Bhagirathi IV (6,193m), it was lack of good information that fueled my curiosity. In 2015, Luca Schiera, Matteo De Zaiacomo, and I made an attempt at the first ascent. It was a debacle. We quickly understood that a west face at 5,500m means -10°C until noon, and when the blood finally returned to our hands and feet, we were subjected to the intense whistle of stonefall. We were beaten after only two and a half pitches.

On our second attempt that year we tried a line 50m further right. This time we were allowed three full days of climbing, bivouacking in a portaledge for two, before encountering the final 200m schist band. We had underestimated both the danger and difficulty of this section. Exhausted from fatigue and altitude, we bailed. However, during the descent we discovered a line that might just permit us to climb this wall: a long leftward traverse that would allow us to cross the schist band where it was much shorter. The weather then deteriorated, allowing no further attempts (AAJ 2016).

We decided to return in 2019. I wanted to see whether as alpinists we had made progress in the intervening years, or if our abilities had simply remained unchanged.

Our acclimatization consisted of bringing all our climbing equipment and the portaledge to the foot of the wall at 5,400m, then climbing Bhagirathi II (6,512m) via the standard route from the east. On September 3 we had moved up to advanced base camp at 5,000m, preparing for the climb. It was a hot day. We could not explain how four years earlier we had been so cold in this same spot. Suddenly a cry: "Look!" I rushed from the tent to see car-size blocks crashing down the line we proposed to start climbing the next day. Ten minutes later the show was repeated. With the lowest of moral, we returned to base camp.

Eleven days passed, during which we made a three-day attempt on a more direct, sheltered line, only to be brought to a halt by a totally blank corner. We carried down all our gear and declared the expedition over. Then an idea, possibly insane, crept into my mind. I asked the guys whether we could try a speed ascent, in one day, with only the basic gear. If we moved fast and chose a cold day, the rockfall risk would be minimized. It seemed impossible, but we decided to give it a try.

Leaving advanced base at midnight, we started up our 2015 line at 3 a.m. on the 14th, in temperatures of -10°C, with Luca in the lead. After six long pitches it was my turn. The climbing sucked: The beautiful, vertical to overhanging, 6c to 7a cracks were covered with dust and debris from the rockfall. After 10 pitches we left our old line and made the 60m leftward traverse (with a pendulum) that we had spotted in 2015. This took us outside the rockfall area into clean granite. Matteo followed fast with our one heavy sack, sacrificing himself for the team effort.

A few pitches above, I handed the lead to Luca for the icing on the cake: the last section of good granite before two pitches of friable schist. It was already dark as he climbed the second of these pitches. Then came the final snow slope, about 200m high. We had only carried one lightweight pair of crampons, so, in the lead, I made solid anchors so my friends could jumar. At 11 p.m. we reached the summit, so euphoric that we no longer felt tired. We rested a few hours in our sleeping bags before descending the east face.

We named our route Cavalli Bardati (800m, 7b A0). We aided past a 7b pitch that Luca had freed back in 2015 but otherwise used only two points of aid. No bolts were placed.

– Matteo Della Bordella, Italy