The Cassin Route on the North-East face of the Pizzo Badile is one of the 6 routes on the Rébuffat list of Alpine classics. A bold line up the middle of an impressive granite wall visible from the valley, the quality of the climbing is matched by epic stories from early ascents. The first ascent saw 2 teams joining forces in a storm and battling atrocious conditions which claimed the lives of 2 of them. Herman Buhl made the first solo having cycled from Austria! The crux pitches are graded 6a, so it's worth remembering that Buhl was soloing British HVS in 1957 - no wonder he was so tired he fell off his bike on the return journey.
Today the approach dries out by mid summer so you can reach the route in trainers. Bolt belays have been added too...but early on the route makes a 5c+ traverse which would be very hard to reverse, and the harder climbing is high up on the route. It's the stand-out sandbag route in the "Plaisir" guidebook, and not to be underestimated!
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