How many times have I found myself looking up at this small forepart, Corno del Fus, just opposite Rifugio Trivena in Val Breguzzo, amazed that no climbing route had yet been opened on the wall.
I decide to go up for an inspection with Bak, my faithful Cocker Spaniel. The wall looks interesting, and I walk along its entire base from left to right, while Bak — I am not sure how happy he was about the adventure — seems at times a little intimidated by the more exposed passages. To be honest, perhaps I was more worried about him than he was, so much so that in several sections I pick him up and carry him, moving with difficulty through the thick rhododendron vegetation.
By then, the decision is made. I call my friend Nicola and we return to the place with all the gear needed to get things started. With careful cleaning and route preparation, we manage to open a beautiful line with a distinctly mountaineering character, both in the type of progression and in its exploratory spirit. The route is well protected with bolts and pitons, but in some sections it still needs to be supplemented with trad gear.
The rock is granular, often poor in clear handholds and footholds, crossed by rather undefined cracks that run vertically. I do a little research and discover that it is contact marble, formed millions of years ago by the high temperatures and strong pressures exerted by magma on the surrounding sedimentary limestone rocks.
Several traces of the old quarry can still be found on site: a cableway wheel, metal artefacts, holes in the rock and other signs of the past connected to the extraction of Breguzzo Marble, a material used mainly for ornamental purposes.
The particular texture of the rock partly inspired the name of the route, which refers to sugar. Except that, on the second day, when we returned to finish the final cleaning work, the weather was terrible: a dark, rainy day in total contrast with the forecast. By the end of the work, there was nothing — gear, clothes, hands, face — that was not black like coffee.
For any activity in the area, you can rely on Rifugio Trivena, open for much of the year: from June to October and from December to April. Rustic and welcoming, the hut is perfectly integrated into the territory and is an essential stop for a good meal, a beer and a chat, welcomed by the Antolini family, who continue with enthusiasm and care the tradition started by their grandfather.
