Taroc - Scaladri (6b+)

 Miriam and I had had marked that weekend at the end of February for a while, with the plan to mount the van for the first trip in 2022. Fortunately, the unusually good weather (it has been the driest and mildest winter in Ticino since they keep records!) did not fail us, but temperatures were still modest (0-10 degrees) so that good tour picking/planning was required.
As for the choice: Taroc ticks the boxes of southern latitude, and low altitude, but it's west-exposure means that the sun will appear only later during the day (Feb 27th: 11:00am). This required unusual tactics, i.e. sleeping in, relaxed breakfast, strolling in the sun, some warm-up exercises...or to put it differently, killing the time until the sun got into the face. Given that we usually leave rather sooner than later, this approach felt a bit awkward, but it gave us a faint idea what it must be like to wait for a window of good conditions in much harsher alpine environments (think Patagonia).
Moreover, there was a clear trade-off: we could not leave arbitrarily late, as the route still checks in at a decent length of 15 pitches/350 m. From previous trips, we knew that the sun window closes again around 5pm (Feb 27th: 16:45pm).

Let's go while the sun is up! At the base of the Scaladri face.

Besides these considerations about conditions, we knew that the route had been meticulously renovated, and cleaned only last year (2021), and that its protection was advertised as super (topo by renovators here or here). Another noteworthy aspect is the practically absent approach (~5min from the spacious parking lot at Grotto al Bosco), and the convenient descent via the hiking trail.

Note (early 2022): The approach trail is partially blocked by wood work, look out for cairns.

The base of Taroc is found at an obvious, right-facing corner. The route has been marked with green color, which is faintly visible several meters into the route, before the first bolt. To the right of Taroc starts another line called Fantasia.

The grades in parentheses refer to our perception, as compared to the grades suggested by the renovators. The stars (one to five) try to give a rating of the beauty of each pitch, which again, is also in the eye of the beholder. Length statements are approximate.

L1 5a (5c) 30m ****
After you gain a first little step, a very nice, and sustained slab sprinkled with edges of all sizes leads all the way straight to the belay at the big step. The protection is indeed very tight, at least compared to the previous number of two bolts...

Enjoying the variety of edges in L1.

L2 6b (6a+) 20m ****
Interesting boulder out of the belay to negotiate the big step. Not particularly difficult with the appropriate technique (never mind the little crimp...), but your behind might get intimately close to your belayer's face...alternatively, a convenient tree stub offers aid. The subsequent slab moves seemed harder, while the remaining steps are relatively moderate. You reach a very uncomfortable belay, which is better skipped, in particular as the next belay is one the spacious grass ledge. In this case, better reuse a few quick-draws.

Ominous boulder start of L2.

L3 6a (6a+) 20m ****
Beautiful low-angle slab with some remarkable finger-crack features. Quite technical pitch with non-trivial smearing and jamming. Felt harder than the previous pitch, at least closer to the friction limit. Moreover, at one point the bolt spacing felt a bit more mandatory (in relation to the otherwise tight bolting). The belay made of chains on a tree, is reached keeping left at the end.

Looking back at the low angle slab of L3.

L4 5c (6a) 35m ***
Starting from the grassy ledge, you simply follow the label 'Taroc', left to the little cross. The route takes on a heavily cleaned arete, which is likely easier than staying exclusively in the face to the right. Afterwards, you cross a little gully towards the step to the left. It is here where the crux waits, essentially a one-pull-event which could be aided easily with bolts at a distance of 50cm. A few more face moves get you to the belay, which is the middle one of three neighbouring belays (glue-in bolts to the right).

Tightly protected step at the end of L4.

L5 6a+ (6a+) 50m ****
Impressive 'negative' slab: a blank, and even surface which has all its structure imprinted (nothing sticks out). It's relatively steep & sustained, with one funky rock-over move (given you choose to do that...). Afterwards the slab leans back and becomes more moderate, but the path-finding becomes confusing: bolts everywhere, no clear separation...in hindsight: just keep going straight up until you reach the belay of La Stadera (marked yellow + green arrow for Taroc). From here, walk a few meters to the left to reach the belay of Taroc (Austrialpin hangers). This pitch really stretches your rope, and rack of draws. With 14 draws and reusing, I still had two draws too few (not particularly relevant, as the upper part is relatively easy).

The negative slab at the start of L5.

L6 5c+ (5c) 30m ****
A textbook plaisir pitch: sustained, juggy face climbing, perfect flow! Just straight up, no questions about the line. Funnily enough, as nice as this pitch was, it does not really have any 'character' that would persist in memory...but that's more a philosophical remark.

The plaisir pitch L6.

L7 6b+ (6b+) 25m ****
The puzzle pitch - if you think this looks steep, wait for the next pitch, buddy...and negotiate the slab mantle out of the belay first :) The subsequent face has two more 'puzzling' sections. While the first resolves moderately with sharp eyes, and a bit of reach, the second one requires a bit more tinkering - and a bit of countenance for the crux clip. In return, the final slab to the belay rewards you with a brilliant two-finger pocket - just before you would start to sweat, otherwise.

The puzzle pitch L7.

L8 6b+ (6c/+) 20m ****
The beef pitch: now we are talking steep. A sizeable, and noticeably overhanging step of 5-6m blocks further progress. At first sight, it looks quite structured, and the holds would be totally ok -  if the face was vertical. In essence, it's about two burly/dynamic moves on good, but not that good holds. Those who didn't skip pull-up day are likely to have an edge on these moves...even as a follower you need to milk the draws quite a bit...

The beef pitch L8.

L9 6a+ (6a+) 35m ****
The Handegg pitch: visually similar to the low-angle slabs in the Haslital, just not as hard (for the grade). Nevertheless, excellent friction climbing with just the necessary texture to enable careful tip-toe progress. This pitch concludes with a far, but moderate traverse to the right (belay at step).

Moderate traverse at the end of the handeggesque pitch L9.

L10 6b+ (6c) 20m ****
The deja-vu beef pitch: Yet another sledgehammer step, just a bit shorter, and with less distant holds. Nevertheless, likely to be underestimated! The upper part uses a nice layback flake, and concludes with a mantle onto the neatly cleaned belay ledge. Recommend to link the next, easy pitch.

Deja-vu beef boulder at the start of L10.

L11 5b (5b) 20m ***
Moderate, but still good quality transition pitch. Nevertheless, protection is kept at a very comfortable level. Lastly, a labeled left-turn to the belay.

Meticulously cleaned mantle at the end of L10.

L12 5c (5c) 20m ***
Again, relatively moderate, but varied climbing on flakes, cracks, and corners. Quite tediously cleaned, wow! After a short traverse to the right you reach the perfect belay ledge.

Flakes and cracks in L12.

L13 6a (6b+) 20m ****
The comp-slab: intimidatingly blank section which leads into a corner without using it...the crux involves a wild mantle onto a sloper rail - phew, friction at its finest! The remaining bulge to the right is relatively relaxed as it involves positive features again...

The comp slab at the start of L13.

L14 6b (6a?) or 6b+ (6c) 20m ****
The agony of choice: The neatly cleaned crack-corner vs. the sustained steep slab - probably an obvious choice for many :) In the end we chose the latter, because we figured it was probably the original line (before the corner was elaborately cleaned), and because it will probably be the line of choice if the corner was to become overgrown again. However, if you suffer from FOMO (fear of missing the onsight), you might want to reconsider the crack which appeared considerably easier...in any case, the slab is sustainedly unsecure, with plenty of awkward and precarious positions - terrific!

The agony of choice in L14.

L15 5c (5c+) 30m ***
The crack: While the first part attacks stepped terrain (which is less trivial than it looks btw), a memorable crack sequence concludes the journey: a perfect splitter in a featureless bulge will put your crack proficiency to a (short) test. Big hands get away with hand-jams deep inside the crack, otherwise it is likely fists. For once, more comfortable shoes would be an advantage, as the foot jams are quite uncomfortable with tight face shoes. Lastly, you top out on a great plateau where it's probably more comfortable to belay from a tree (but clip the anchor to keep your rope from dragging through the dirt).

Two meters of Yosemite splitter glory in L15.

We had taken 5:30 hours, just perfectly within the sun window between 11:00 and 16:45 at the end of February.

We love when a plan comes together! Perfectly timed top-out :)

To descend, simply follow the red marks to the right (south). The steep grass, and slabs might be tricky in wet conditions (no fixed ropes), but most of the time you are not very exposed. Lastly, an elaborate swath leads the trail to the hiking path where you can switch to autopilot. At a rather comfortable pace expect 45min back to the parking lot, but if you are in a hurry it can be done much faster, too.

Rolling through the traffic jam before Gotthard, we formulated our conclusion: Taroc is a superb climb, absolutely on par with its famous neighbor Alhambra. It offers varied climbing with the characteristic slabs, but sprinkled with unusually steep sections as well. During winter, the Scaladri face is just a bit underprivileged in terms of sun exposure (comes later, leaves earlier), but in summer that turns into an advantage. While the protection is sometimes even wastefully tight, the grading tends to be on the solid side. On an other positive note, the belays have been chosen very comfortably, just the height of the anchors happens to be too low at times. In any case, snatch the opportunity to enjoy this route - the renovators really put in a great deal of work, thanks so much!

Gear: 50m single rope and 14 draws (if retreat is not an option).

Up-to-date homemade topo.