Dolomitas (Italy), 7 summits continues preparations for Antarctica

After returning a month ago from climbing the highest peaks of Morocco and the North of Africa, the Sevillans Juan Antonio Huisa and Pedro López leave next Monday, the 14th, for their second phase of preparation for the Andalucía-Antarctica Expedition 2004.

On this occasion the Sevillans go towards the Dolomitas, located in the North of Italy in the Trentino between Trento and Bolzano, there is a hostile and wild mountain chain, of vertical walls and considered by mountaineers like Reinhold Messner as the prettiest mountains of the world.

These mountains are the kingdom of European climbing, and something very characteristic in this zone are the vias ferratas; these are climbing routes equipped with steel cables and steps in some parts, which one day were used by troops of soldiers, because this region was violently shaken for many years by war conflicts between the Austro-Hungarian empire and the kingdom of Italy.

The objective of the mountaineers of the 7 summits is to reach the highest summits on this chain and some of the most known vias ferratas, so they will try to climb Marmolada peak, the highest altitude of the Dolomitas at 3,342 m., Civeta peak (3,200 m.) by the via ferrata Degli Alleghesi, and the impressive rock bastion of Mount Pelmo (3,168 m.)

If they achieve these proposed objectives, they would have made an important step on their preparation for Antarctica, and will be useful for the planned next activities in this year.  Along 2004, it is planned to have a preparation without precedents in Andalucian climbing, to have the best possible level, for one of the most important and complex challenges for Andalucian climbers.

Besides the previous activities of Atlas (Morocco) and Dolomitas (Italy), they plan to go to Mont Blanc (Alps, France) and Cordillera Blanca (Peru).  A preparation in three different continents, to finally attack the frozen continent in December.

Javier Blázquez

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

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