Maurizio Zanolla

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I clipped the rope, reached out on nothing and everything seemed to capsize once again. I couldn't take it any more, I wanted to slip and alleviate the pain from my arms, from my head. I delegated all the responsibility to my feet, my shoes, the rubber. I didn't want anything to do with it anymore, slip, just let them slip. But there was still a spark of anger left within me, I loaded and sprung up, far away to the edge of those 11 minutes, 38 seconds and 60 moves of my life. Exactly 19 years after having thought it was impossible... [1]

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/2009/09/maurizio_manolo_zanolla_climbs_f9a_slab-49162

[2] https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/manolo-tops-vertical-slab-climbing-with-eternit-at-baule.html

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CZWMi1vtxWz/

The year was 1983, the climbers were Heinz Mariacher, Luisa Iovane, Roberto Bassi and Maurizio Zanolla, alias Manolo, attempting the first repeat of what is, and will always be, one of the historic climbs in the Dolomites. Not merely a reference route in terms of difficulty, but also one of the most beautiful of all. What happened next is common knowledge: while threatening clouds darkened the sky, Manolo set off to tackle one of the most difficult and sketchy sections of the route. Protecting himself proved impossible, apart from a single, dubious peg. Yet Manolo continued, upwards, ever upwards, further and further away from that "safety" point. Until darkness set in. "It’s a very strange situation" is what he seems to have uttered… He attempted to place an improbable peg, but the hammer slipped from his grasp and disappeared into the immense void. He couldn't see a single thing, neither hand nor footholds. He was utterly alone. Wrapped in the pitch-black, infinite abyss. The situation, more than "strange", seemed past the point of no return. Until, after un undefined amount of time that seemed like eternity, Manolo reappeared at the belay. He’d used a small cliff-hook to abseil back down to his partners… an absolutely extreme solution, not be imitated! The scene was illuminated by the light of a small candle… and this gave way to the long series of abseils that put an end to this adventure. [1]

References

[1] https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/climbing/manolo-weg-durch-den-fisch-climbing-the-marmolada-fish-route-thirty-years-later.html