Matteo Della Bordella: Free Climbing in India

Italian climber Matteo Della Bordella returns to the Cutting Edge to talk about the first ascent of the west face of Bhagirathi IV. This is a very steep 800-meter wall, entirely above 5,000 meters, in northern India. After several earlier attempts, both in 2015 and in 2019, Matteo and two friends climbed the wall in a bold, lightweight style, reaching the summit in one long day. Remarkably, they did it mostly free, with sustained 5.11 rock climbing. Chris Kalman spoke with Matteo about the climb in mid-May. The Cutting Edge podcast is presented by Hilleberg the Tentmaker and produced by the American Alpine Club.