Aguja de la Silla - West face


3. Bonapace attempts

Some very good routes are likely to come out of this impressive face. While Desmochada has become the darling the last few years, the west face of De la Silla sits and waits almost unnoticed.

Austria Tommy Bonapace made a series of attempts in this face. Several in 1995 with Toni Ponholzer and one in 2000 with Christian Zenz. The line they attempted approaches the col between Silla and Desmochada via an obvious line of weakness that involves three hundred meters of easy scrambling leading to a steep grey pillar (6 pitches to 6a) followed by easier terrain (7 pitches, to 5) and a gully. Just shy of the Silla-Desmo col they climbed left, up steep cracks onto the west face itself.

On one occassion Bonapace and Ponholzer spent one week on the wall using a sit-ledge, a home-made version of a tiny portaledge, climbing 23 pitches to reach a point 450 meters from the top. In 2000, with Zenz they spent 6 days on the wall, climbing to a point 300 meters from the top. All attempts were done alpine style.

Bibliography. Gipfelstürmer, Innsbruck - Austria 1996 p. 21.

Photos (click to enlarge)

Aguja de la Silla southwest face

Aguja de la Silla southeast face