Pa' Raumer

Approach: # 30mins

If coming from Turin/Milan exit the autoroute at Pont-St-Martin, 40km before Aosta. Take direction Albard di Bard.
If coming from Aosta/Courmayeur exit at Verres Follow the national road past the crags of Machaby and through where the valley narrows at the Bard Fortress. Just as the valley opens out again you enter a village (Donnas) and just as you enter the village and opposite the first building on the right, there is a turn to the left, with a post with a set of blue signs 20m up the turning. The bottom of these signs is for Albard.
Follow the road and signposts, initially through vineyards, to its end (small tarmac carpark), some 3.5 kms up the hill, (though it seems much further). Follow the track on the right, leaving almost immediately for a path on the left (this is the descent path from the Dr Jimmy sector, red marks.) The path soon crosses a little bridge with iron railings and becomes single track. After about 10 minutes you arrive at a boulder with the words “Mono Tiri” painted on one side and “Settore Lawrence” on the side visible to those descending. This is a one pitch climbing area that can be seen over on the right. Continue upwards to a viewpoint at a flat slab with the words “Settori Nuovi” painted on it. Turn right here following the indications for this area. You pass a ruined building with an ancient cable lift. Shortly after this keep right and upwards, (ignoring the little, descending path on the left,) to reach the base of a cliff. Continue rightwards, (avoid going too high,) until the path crosses some slabs with a fixed rope. Two routes start at the two bolts at the end of the fixed rope, (names painted on the rock.) ”Pà Raumer E I Suoi Pargoli” is the right hand line of bolts. (“Marimba” is the left hand one.)

Route

P1 4b 35m 8 bolts Go up to the bolt belay, a little bulge at just over half way. P2 3b 45m 2 bolts (more pleasing to take the variant.)

Variant 1 : Better climbing is to be had by climbing the second pitch of “Marimba” 4c 40m 5 bolts. To get to this traverse easily leftwards for 15m to another bolt belay by a small dead tree, no bolts. From the belay, follow the line of bolts to the tree ledge.

P3 2 60m (100m for the variant) 0 bolts Walk rightwards until it is possible to descend a little chimney between rock and a tree and continue down and rightwards to the start of the next pitch at a large crack, behind a larger tree. P4 5a 30m 5 bolts Use the tree to overcome the initial part of the crack, then follow the flake crack to a bolt belay P5 5a 40m 6 bolts Continue up the flake crack and easier slabs to a large ledge. Belay on a tree. (This is not the ledge from where Captain Walker etc. start as indicated in the topo.) P5 bis 2 20m 0 bolts Go up through the trees and slightly left and then back, up a little corner to where it steepens. Belay on a single bolt. P6 4b 45m 2 bolts Climb the corner and then more easily up to a very large ledge with lots of trees and a path along the bottom of the next part of the cliff. (Level with the start of “Captain Walker” P7 4b 45/50m 5 bolts Climb up the slabs to a bolt belay. There is another bolt belay slightly higher up. Only from this one can you reach the final belay with a 50m rope. P8 4c 50m 10 bolts Climb up easily, then trend diaganolly rightwards to finish up a fine pillar.

Variant 2 : A more sustained finish can be had by doing “Captain Walker” instead of pitches 7 and 8. To get to this, walk 20/25m to the right of the start of pitch 7. The name of the route is painted on the rock. Three pitches of 5a. Follow the bolts, the second pitch trends to the right to a bolt belay in an open corner.

Descent

Abseil down the line of the Pa Raumer, two abseils, (the first diagonally rightwards looking down, 50m rope just reaches.) to regain the large ledge. It is also possible to regain this ledge by abseiling down Captain Walker, but be careful not to get the rope snagged on the second abseil.
From here it is possible to either: walk/scramble down. The path improves as do the indications, (cairns, red paint marks,) and finally brings you to the foot of the first pitch, or: continue abseiling down the route to the start of pitch 4, from where it is possible to join the descent path.