Apuan Alps, Monte Nona, "Ninth Symphony

NINTH SYMPHONY

HISTORY
It was 1998 and at the time I was still running the Forte dei Marmi refuge. One September afternoon, during a work break, I decided to start a new route on Monte Nona. That day I was accompanied by Marco Cardelli from Viareggio who, curious to see my methods of opening from below, volunteered to belay me.
The first impact was not the best because ...

... of the not-quite solid rock and the already high difficulties, but in a couple of hours of battle I arrived, after 35 metres, at the foot step that marked the first belay. The next day I climbed up the fixed rope and consolidated with resin some holds that had held the opening but would surely break later. Hoping to find better rock on the next pitches, I returned the following year with my wife Grazia. The only possibility the wall gave me was a traverse to the left of about 12 metres where the rock was more articulated but with the usual problem of the precarious solidity of some holds. Here too after several broken holds and an equal number of flights I finally reached a flared dihedral of finally exceptional rock. From the end of the traverse I climbed for five metres and attached to a cliff while retrieving the drill my battery fell!!! End of the day, back down climbing to the last bolt and home with my ears down.
Sometimes certain signs of fate should be heeded, but it has always been in my character not to leave things halfway and in this case I was not even a third of the way up the wall. So another two years passed and my fixed rope on the first pitch had meanwhile become a 'pole' from how much sun it had taken. Finally Piero Gianfranceschi, moved to pity by my requests, volunteered to belay me because I promised him that if the rock did not improve we would descend immediately and I would abandon the project. Unfortunately for him, the rock after the traverse turned out to be magnificent and so he accompanied me on the next two opening days marked by four of my flights of more than 10 metres, one of which was upside down. I still had the final face but Piero's coronaries would not have withstood the stress of other flights (mine) so Edo Bendinelli volunteered to accompany me for the last assault. Fortunately, the last two pitches went quite smoothly, and Edo also experienced the thrill of opening from below with the drill, climbing the last pitch as lead climber.

THE END
It's finally over!. But the Rotpunkt because of the very rainy autumn I have to postpone it until spring 2003.
12 June 2003, after a reconnaissance carried out a few days earlier, with Paolo Pucci I managed to climb RP all the way up the route, but on the penultimate pitch of 7b I had to do it twice because the breakage of a handhold a few metres from the belay thwarted my first attempt, causing me to make a 15-metre flight, fortunately without consequences.
What can I say! This route really cost me a lot of effort and of all those that I have opened it is the one that committed me the most psychologically. The bolts are never too close except in a few sections where the rock is not very solid and did not allow me to do more. On the first two pitches I consolidated the crumbly holds necessary for progression with resin and the rest is good to excellent rock. If someone is going to do it, 12 quickdraws and a 70m single or two 50m half ropes are useful. The abseils are equipped on the route except for the first (see report) and can also be carried out with the single, taking care that on some you really get there with the leaders in hand (knots recommended) and obviously clipping some bolts on the descent.
A big thank you goes to everyone who helped me open this route and to the patience of Paolo who accompanied me on the day of the RP.
the name 'NONA SINFONIA'.

TECH
1st ascent Roberto Vigiani with Marco Cardelli, Grazia Maggiani, Piero Gianfranceschi, Edo Bendinelli
RP day ascent on 12 June 2003 by Roberto Vigiani
Difficulty max 8a
Obligatory difficulty 7b/7b+
Exposure S 3
L1,35mt-L2,35mt-L3,30mt-L4,35mt-L5,35mt-L6,40mt-L7,35mt
Total development 245 m.