Transart, the festival of contemporary culture celebrates the 150th anniversary of the first ascent of the Sassolungo with an interdisciplinary artistic project by the artist Hubert Kostner in collaboration with the composer Eduard Demetz and the dancer and choreographer, Anastasia Kostner.
The first conquest of the Sassolungo took place on August 13th 1869, and it was an absolutely sensational event. The Austrian mountaineer Paul Grohmann accompanied by two Val Gardena guides managed to reach the peak which up until that point was considered unconquerable due to the length of the incline and hazard of falling rocks. The 150th anniversary of this milestone in mountaineering will be celebrated at the end of July with a performance that mixes contemporary art, music and dance, an event organized by Transart, the festival that in September will put the spotlight on contemporaneity.
A stone of modest proportions which stands alone above the hiking trail is transformed by the artist Hubert Kostner, wrapping it entirely with about 8000 meters of climbing rope, covering the bare and hard surface of a second skin which is even softer, the Sasmujel. So this solitary rocky spur be transformed into a work of art, and become the only point of colour visible in the Sassolungo glacial circle throughout the winter, that will then return to its original appearance.
At the foot of this unique installation, on July 27 at 1.00 pm, the composer Eduard Demetz will place twenty wind instrumentalists who will acoustically explore the unfathomable width of the alpine landscape, while the choreographer Anastasia Kostner will add the energy of movement with the help of local climbers and performers.
The transformations and reversals of the traditional meaning of materials and objects play a fundamental role in the creative processes of the Val Gardena artist Hubert Kostner, who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and who resides in Castelrotto.
Eduard Demetz and Anastasia Kostner are also from Val Gardena but are active internationally, the former as a composer and conductor and the latter, residing in Amsterdam, as a dancer and performer.
In the middle of the evocative rocky amphitheatre between the Vallone and the Vicenza Refuge, at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level, musicians, mountaineers, performers and dancers will meet for a unique event, orchestrated by Transart as a prelude to the festival. An event that will take place with the utmost respect for the territory and the fragile alpine ecosystem, abandoning any form of stage scenery, seating, current or amplification.
It is advisable to wear appropriate clothing and footwear. In case of bad weather, the event will be moved to 28.07 or 03.08.
SASMUJEL
EDUARD DEMETZ – music
HUBERT KOSTNER – installation
ANASTASIA KOSTNER – dance and choreography.
ENSEMBLE WINDKRAFT
KASPER DE ROO – direction.
To reach the site it is possible to take the historic chairlift from the Passo Sella parking lot to the Vallone del Sassolungo, where a 30-45 minute ascent begins on a gravel and rubble path. Or by foot walking up from the Sella car park along path 525 bis to the Vallone – which takes about an hour. Another option is to take the bus from the Alpe di Siusi (gondola station), and reach Saltria where you can reach the Williams hut with the Florian chairlift. From here walk along the path 527 towards Murmeltierhütte (Baita delle Marmotte) to the Vicenza hut, from where you can go up to the Vallone with an easy walk for about two hours.
INFO: SASMUJEL
Val Gardena
The first ascent of the Sassolungo by Paul Grohmann
The epic first ascent by pioneer Paul Grohmann to the Sassolungo’s summit on 13 August 1869 Paul Grohmann was born in Vienna on 12 June 1838 and is considered one of the most important mountaineers of the 1860s and 70s. Born into a wealthy Viennese family, he first visited the Dolomites in 1862. Previously he had been to Switzerland, northern Italy, the most important German cities, as well as Salzburg, Upper Austria, Steiermark, Tirol and Vorarlberg. Despite the fact these countries are also well known for their mountains, he only became interested in the rocky formations in 1853 upon visiting Carinthia. From 1856 onwards, he regularly visited mountains and ascended countless summits.
He turned to the Dolomites in 1862. He took it upon himself to record the massifs’ altitudes and, truth be told, most of his records aren’t too far off from our modern figures. Over 200 altitudes were measured between 1863 and 1869, with Grohmann always carrying a barometer on his person for this purpose. And so, on 13 August 1869, he headed from Ortisei (he lodged at the “Hotel Posta”) with two mountain guides, Franz Innerkofler and Peter Salcher, towards Selva Val Gardena.
The Sassolungo was considered impregnable at the time due to the dangerous rock slides and the lengthy time required for the ascent. This didn’t stop Grohmann: the risky expedition was a success and, together with Innerkofler and Salcher, he made it to the top of the summit against all odds. A sensational and trailblazing conquest if there ever was one: Paul Grohmann had made a valuable contribution to mountaineering history. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a camera with him on the historic day, so he made up for it by thrusting a flag into the top of the summit: the flag has been swaying in the wind ever since to remind everyone of the important first ascent.
In 1875, Grohmann published a detailed map of the Dolomites (Karte der Dolomitalpen), followed two years later by “Wanderung in den Dolomiten”, a travel book. The latter today is considered the first important Dolomite guide and at the same time his life’s work, which among others also include reports on his first ascents in the Dolomites. Together with the best mountain guides of the time, he carried out other first ascents: Tofana di Mezzo (1,863), Piz Boè in the Sella Group, Marmolata di Penia (both 1,864), Tofana di Fuori, Monte Cristallo (both 1,865), Punta dei Tre Scarperi and Tre Cime di Lavaredo (all 1,869). But the Dolomites weren’t his only playing ground when it came to first ascents. Grohmann, besides being an excellent mountaineer and author, was also an outstanding planner. And thus, together with contemporaries Edmund von Mojsisovics and Guido von Sommaruga, he founded the Austrian Alpine Association in Vienna in 1862.
Grohmann was honoured while still alive. The Sasso di Levante (3,126), part of the Sassolungo Group and a summit which still hadn’t been ascended yet, was renamed in 1875 to ‘Grohmann Summit’. This was done in recognition of the first ascent of the Sassolungo carried out by the mountaineer. Moreover, Paul Grohmann was still around when, on 8 September 1898, Vienna Academic Unit from the German and Austrian Alpine Association unveiled a commemorative boulder in his honour in Ortisei, which can be viewed to this very day. On 29 July 1908, Paul Grohmann died in Vienna. His name and his conquest still live on today, and are an important part of the mountaineering history in the Alpine region.
Source: Hans-Günter Richardi – Die Erschließung der Dolomiten, Publisher: Athesia 2008.
INFO: Val Gardena
One of the most famous bicycle race in the world is back at the feet of the Palagroup, in Trentino (Italy).
After 10 years San Martino di Castrozza will host a stage of the Giro d’Italia for its 4th time. On the 31st May cyclists running for the “maglia rosa” will arrive in San Martino di Castrozza after having left from the city of Treviso (151 Km), reaching the well-known holiday destination surrounded by imposing peaks.
The following day (1st June) participants of the 102° edition of the Giro d’Italia will pass through the territory surrounded by the majestic Pale di San Martino, part of the Dolomites and World Heritage Site, again. During the so-called “tappone dolomitico” (a colossal stage through the Dolomites) cyclists will leave from Feltre, reach and face the ascents of the Rolle Pass and go through San Martino di Castrozza and Primiero Valley in order to reach Croce D’Aune – Monte Avena. Because of the difficulty of this route, that presents different ascents, the 1st June will be particularly important for cyclists, who could have the chance to fight for the final victory.
Don’t miss the pink “carovana” in the amazing scenery of the Pale di San Martino, discover more at this link.
INFO: San Martino di Castrozza
