Love to see mountain athletes enjoying the sweet satisfaction of achieving longtime objectives. Alexis Righetti had been eyeing up this line in the French Pyrenees for 5 years before conditions lined up perfectly and he was able to safely send it. Patience and persistence were the name of the game. Tag along on this super steep adventure into the mountains that separate the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of Europe:
“I’ve been watching this line since 2016 and I’ve already tried it twice… And I failed twice because it’s very rarely in good condition! From a distance, it looks like a classic couloir, but in reality, it’s more a sort of overhanging dihedral perfectly oriented to receive the north wind. Basically, either this couloir is avalanche-laden, or the snow has been swept out and is nearly dry or icy. The last snowfalls opened this line, but I nee to hurry because the temperatures went up. So I went there quickly and alone. And there was indeed good powder everywhere… except in the face, which was reinforced concrete because of the wind. I couldn’t make a mistake but at least the snow was reliable because no surprises. The only imponderable, then, is you. A very good exercise of control!”
