Jacopo’s question: “Do you think this is a route that the average mountaineer seeks out or avoids? All the ingredients are there: 1000 metres of approach for 6 pitches, easy difficulties, and a risk of death.” But let’s go in order… We all know that Saverio doesn’t like slabs, so we head to Val Masino to climb a route that is famously… a slab climb! Beautiful, very beautiful. We are only slightly unsettled by the third pitch, a grade six, too easy. Saverio makes it harder by accidentally taking a pitch from a nearby route by R. Libera, VII- obligatory, in a “if you fall you catch fire and die” style. At this point two shady-looking figures appear at the base of the wall: “Nice new Mammut backpack… there’s even a wallet inside. I think we could just go back, skip the route, and make a nice profit out of it.” So, since in the mountains there are never any strange coincidences, we find ourselves being chased by Jacopo and Daniele, who certainly didn’t expect to find Saverio on this route. Saverio is very focused and manages not to turn into purée. We finish the last pitches, a stuck rappel (luckily Jacopo and Daniele help us pull it down), and then we start what can only be described as an endless descent, during which a lively debate about the Club Alpino Italiano erupts, which I will not report so as not to cause too much hilarity…