Josep E. Castellnou

A Valley first timer gets a rude awakening on the particular brand of greasy holdless granite that eats the unaccustomed for lunch.

The author was just 16 and a rookie climber when he was invited by a climbing legend to partner with him for a big north-face ascent in the Dolomites. "I'm the luckiest boy in the world," thought the author. He'd soon regret those words.