Climber Stuck Hanging From Dolomites Spire After Rappel
A 53-year-old climber from Burano was left dangling for 90 minutes on the Campanile di Val Montanaia after a navigation mistake during descent, prompting a
Paolo Molin, a 53-year-old climber from the island of Burano in the Venice lagoon, spent roughly an hour and a half hanging from the 2,173m Campanile di Val Montanaia after a rappel error on the 300m rock needle. The incident occurred on the afternoon of August 19 in the Friulian Dolomites of northeastern Italy. Molin and his partner Silvia Furlanetto, also from Burano, had summited without difficulty before beginning their descent.
As they descended via double rope from the broad ledge known as the grande ballatoio, they took the wrong line and drifted too far west. Molin went first. After 50m, he found no ledge or anchor to stand on, leaving him suspended in free space while Furlanetto remained on the balcony above, unable to reach him.
The rope length used was normal for a standard rappel stage on the correct route, typically 40-60m to the next ledge or anchor. However, due to their westward drift onto the west face, no intermediate anchors or ledges existed at that distance. When the rope ran out after 50m, Molin was left hanging with no way to continue down or climb back up.
At around 7 pm, walkers at the base of the spire spotted the pair and hiked to the nearest refuge to raise the alarm. Official rescue reports indicated a real medical risk: prolonged immobility in a use can cause suspension trauma, which cuts off circulation. Fog, failing light, and rockfall danger prevented a straightforward helicopter winch attempt. One such attempt even sent stones cascading down the face due to rotor wash.
Rescuers eventually flew three technicians onto the east ledge of the tower with 200m of rope. After nightfall, they traversed to the balcony and secured Furlanetto. One rescuer rappelled down to Molin, clipped him in, cut the jammed ropes, and lowered him the rest of the way. Both climbers reached the base around 1:30 am on Thursday, August 20, conscious and essentially unhurt after a dramatic five-hour rescue operation.
The source references a prior incident involving Japanese climber Takeyasu Minamiura, who was suspended overnight on the Nameless Tower in the Karakoram in 1990 after a failed paraglider jump from the summit, though no details of that rescue are included in this report.
