Forcella Antelao: mission accomplished!

Well yes, a year after the terrible misadventure here I am again in front of the place where I was pardoned.
For those who don't know the story yet, in 2023 I was pardoned while descending from the Antelao pass and I was rescued by the CNSAS Veneto helicopter rescue. For those who want to learn more, you can read the article on Kepown “The voice of Antelao” and enjoy the video of the day: Forcella Antelao – CNSAS recovery intervention
A year later I'm still here, ready to overcome my fears and bring home the complete ring. This time the attempt is the opposite: from Val d'Oten, through the Giou de Ciauderona, Forcella Antelao and back through the Piani dell'Antelao, the Porte dell'Antelao, skirting the Festinati group until rejoining the Bar alla Pineta.
In today's adventure I am accompanied by the inseparable Diego and the legendary Edoardo, an Alpine guide from Cortina d'Ampezzo.
We enter the off-road vehicle halfway through Val d'Oten, park and prepare for the climb. In front of us, on the other side of the stony and dry riverbed of the Torrente Oten, the legendary Forcella Antealo. High up there, an isolated window surrounded by rocky pinnacles. The only road to reach it is the Giou de Ciauderona: a gravelly gully that winds through recent landslides of immense magnitude.
We cross the Oten torrent, also through a bunch of funny baranci (unmissable!), and we begin the nice and fun advance on the scree. The rocks alternate between large boulders of a dull gray, up to screes of an immaculate pure white. Bad sign. It means that the landslides are recent, the place is not very safe.
We proceed quickly, grinding out meters of altitude with a panorama that closes more and more between the rocky walls to the left of the Festinati and to the right of the Ciauderona. Behind us the spectacle of the illuminated Marmarole. The wedge in the watershed also protects us from the scorching sun and we manage to advance heated but not harassed by the powerful solar rays.
At an altitude of 1700 meters we begin to see the longed-for laste: rocky formations, almost completely smoothed by the erosion of the water. Smooth, slippery, typical of the Antelao group. We manage to advance a few dozen meters until we reach the key point at 1740 meters: a 4-5 meter boulder blocks the way, resting firmly on the sloping slabs.
Here is the chasm I saw last year... at the end of the slabs I had no vision of anything, the void
We begin to evaluate the situation and find the possible way up. Also note a layer of humidity together with moss that further worsen the situation. The only solution seems to be to go around the boulder by moving, to the right, on the slippery slabs and with practically no holds. With experience, courage and resourcefulness Edoardo manages, belayed by Diego and two friends placed on the damp rock at the base, to climb the boulder by going around it on the unpredictable rocks. He arrives above and belays us so we can follow him tied up. I proceed, performing a really difficult climb for my experience. As a grade it is a III+ but the tension, the fear of slipping (even if tied) make me consume a lot of resources. In a couple of minutes I overcome the obstacle, followed closely by the "spider" Diego.
I will not dwell on describing the emotions and the difficulty felt because I leave this task to the video at the bottom of the page. In this video, unlike the others, I wanted to keep the progression, the dialogues, the noises and above all the silences as integral as possible to immerse the viewer in the emotions actually felt.

• Mountain

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  Gruppo Antelao

• Address

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  Calalzo di Cadore, Veneto, Italy

• Altitude

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  2175.00 m

• Refuges

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  Bar alla Pineta

• Information

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  Bar alla Pineta

We are on a rocky "clearing" and just above us the place of my fall is clearly visible, as is the rock fall that saved me from a disastrous slide up to where we are. To my great surprise, there is no stream of water. The rock is almost dry, wet only in a few thin spots. This reassures us and we can continue climbing on the rocky slabs that now settle in correspondence with the vertical wall of the Festinati.
Having arrived at an altitude of 1785, right in correspondence with the rock basin that welcomed me in 2023, here is the mental block. I cannot proceed calmly to reach Diego and Edoardo in the clearing just below where I fell. The same clearing that I had identified on the way down as a safe point to proceed, before falling disastrously. I am blocked, I see no alternatives and I ask for help with the rope. Edoardo and Diego recover me as if they had an automatic roller winch! In a few seconds I am there with them. I remain tied to overcome even the last obstacle, treacherous due to the presence of moss (the same one that didn't let me go back and where my boots didn't have any grip). Last step on the slab and... here I am, back in the same spot as a year ago, the same view, the same environment: completely different emotions! I feel relieved, we continue to climb on the last smooth but easy to climb slabs.
Another block...
I haven't managed to overcome it yet on a psychological level, it's obvious. I don't feel safe on sections that are much easier than those just overcome. I ask for help again, I'm not ashamed. I know I can do it and in fact I don't even touch the rope that Edoardo once again provides me. I overcome the passage with agility. I'm calm again, I've overcome my fear!
The slabs are finished, we return to the pure scree with rocks of different sizes. We advance even against the steep slope that continues to grow in the final section of the Giou de Ciauderona. The last meters of tiring but fun ravanage and here we are: Forcella Antelao!!!
We are on the sharp saddle that divides Ciauderona from Festinati. It is possible to literally sit astride with one leg in the Giou di Ciuderona and with the other towards Prati dell'Antelao. In front of us the Crode di San Piero, the Croda Mandrin and below the green meadows that await us. A refreshing break is a must and my thoughts go to the achievement of this fantastic goal: 2 times on this saddle in the space of a year! I am sure that only a chamois has managed to surpass me!
Before descending we proceed towards Festinati discovering that in reality the saddle is divided into three openings, the highest (2175 meters) is the grassy stretch that we reached exiting Giou de Ciuderona.
We descend onto a very steep meadow with treacherous rocks covered with green slag. We walk almost all the way through it until we reach a landslide-prone watershed where, surprisingly, we notice two cairns. In my previous adventure I had not found any sign or cairn on this side. We follow the trail which is also quite evident until we reach the sheer walls of the Festinati. Here too, the danger of landslides is decidedly accentuated.
We continue downhill, never banal, between unstable rocks and small jumps to be overcome with extreme caution. This time I did not proceed inside the pines, except for a small final stretch that allowed us to rejoin the end of the debris channel and reach the legendary Piani dell'Antelao with the fantastic view of the King of the Dolomites.
Only silence and tranquility await us, no blond horse blocking my access like last year.
We continue on the now marked path, the CAI 258, which in just over an hour allows us to first reach the Porte dell'Antelao, the Velusere and finally the return to the Bar alla Pineta. The indomitable Diego, with the last energy he had available, ran this last stretch to be able to reach the car left in Val d'Oten and thus complete the ring.
This fantastic adventure ends in front of a couple of cold beers. A daring itinerary, extremely difficult and delicate for 3-4 specific points where cold blood, preparation and mountaineering equipment are essential. An enormous satisfaction to have completed the complete ascent, thus overcoming the block that had gripped me for over a year. No company would have been more appropriate for this exploration! A dutiful thanks therefore to Diego and Edoardo!
For those who want to learn more about the adventure, you can't miss Diego's fantastic article here: Crossing of Forcella Antelao for Giou de Ciauderona
I highly recommend you also enjoy the YouTube video below to fully relive the emotions, sighs, thoughts and silences of this magical excursion!