It’s much too early. I awake with Claudio and Chiapati (Milena’s cats) lying over my feet in an artistic pattern... Comatosed and desiring a strong coffee, I cross sleepy Belluno. Of course! All is closed at 6:30 in the morning in this dolomitic city. So I meet Marco 15 minutes later. My first words of the day: “A coffee…” his reply: “Yes, yes ...later.”

At 7:30 we park outside San Felice church with not a bar in sight. “Brrr!... He’s going to pay for this!” 800 metres vertical walk await us for1 ½ hours wrapped in a humid fog before arriving at the start of our climbing route, hidden in the dusk. It’s 9:00 when the fog draws back revealing for only moments the Val Scura summit with its elegant 400 metres wall, just there in front of us, surround by a surreal atmosphere. Again we are swallowed by thick fog, isolating us for the rest of the day in a white and wet universe.

One piton for the A1 move along the first pitch. Then Vº or more with frozen fingers, Brrr!... 50 metres of the first pitch become a …a spectacular climbing experience. I ask myself quietly if we are on the right route…

Marco leads the second pitch confidently, so it seems we are on the right track, even though the IVº difficulty is more like Vº. Maybe it’s lack of sleep, maybe the cold, or maybe having our heads in the clouds that make us doubt.

Something goes wrong during the 4th pitch, or maybe not, because fortunately the 5th belay is in the right place for the traverse. “Ha, ha! The traverse of Vº… it's just there, I dare you to try it!” Only 4 pitons for the 20 endless horizontal metres …fun, but not easy.

Now comes the VIIº- pitch, “… lets try to make the minus become a plus!” The last two of the far-spaced 5 pitons decorating the wall to sustain the quickdrawers. “At least the rock is good and will not break …buff, buff, buff!” One foot in pure adherence enables the redpoint of this hard, hard section! Then it’s easy straight up from the next belay to the summit.

Up there, we are greeted by a jumping performance of fat chamois and a soggy vegetable sandwich gives us the last strength needed to reach the car, illuminated by the last sun rays of a splendid day, surrounded by the precious Monte del Sole dolomites.

Thanks to Manolo and Diego for their creation; Beautiful, Interesting, Secret, Pure and Very Hard... We shall be back!