Yesterday must have been the sixth time I’ve climbed the Cassin Route on the Piccolissima in the Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The first time, many years ago, was a backup plan because the weather wouldn’t have allowed us to climb the real “Cassin” route on Cima Ovest.The East Face of the Piccolissima, seen from the gravel road passing by Rifugio…
The other day, while approaching the start of the normal route on Cima Piccola di Lavaredo, I once again looked up at that yellow shield of rock split diagonally by a crack. A subtle line on an overhanging wall—likely not the most solid—where several modern high-difficulty routes (with or without bolts) have emerged in recent years. The classic line, powerful and…
The Grand Combin is one of the 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps. To be precise, three of its summits are on the official list: Combin de Valsorey, Combin de Grafeneire, and Combin de Tsessette. This mountain has Arctic-like dimensions and features, undoubtedly making it one of the wildest major peaks in the Alps. During ski-mountaineering season, its north side is most…
It’s November, and this year the season is once again gifting us beautiful days for climbing—more so in the lower valley than near home. Last weekend, I headed down to Arco with a couple of friends to climb Monte Colodri yet again. It never loses its charm; from the pool parking lot, it always commands respect and inspires awe, just…
I met Laura last year through her dear friend Maurizio – we’ve been skiing together for years. An avid hiker exploring the Alps’ 4000m peaks, we’d planned our first outing in the Monte Rosa group. But the weather, as sometimes happens, wasn’t cooperating out West. Laura, unwilling to miss a mountain adventure, had a little Dolomite wishlist ready and pitched…
A very important guidebook was published in 1970, it was a selection of the 100 most significant extreme climbs in the Alps. Lorenzo Trento, a dear friend, gave me his copy a few years ago, which I jealously keep safely in my bookshelf and occasionally pick up and read and browse. The north ridge of Agner is among the selected…
Lo Sciliar (Schlern) is one of South Tyrol’s most iconic mountains. Beloved by hikers of all ages, it has long attracted a niche community of traditional climbers, primarily German-speaking. Hans Steger and Paula Wiesinger —pioneers of the Dolomites’ vertical scene in the 1920s-30s— fell so deeply for this mountain and its alpine pastures that they moved here to open one…
Climbing in the Sassolungo group always has a taste of adventure, regardless of the difficulty grade. I think of the Pichl and the Spigolo del Pollice, which, despite their low difficulty, are satisfying climbs. The Comici on Salame was one of the great routes I did with Gio Pilli in the summer of 2021; signing the climbing logbook at Rifugio…
Summer 2022 has been so amazing! Definitely very hot, but with an incredible series of beautiful days that I almost lost count of all the climbs I’ve done in the mountains together with @GioPilli (follow him on Instagram!) and others. Among our adventures some deserve to be remembered with a few words and images. Pizzo Badile and the Cassin route…
It’s been more than 10 years since I started guiding groups on the Selvaggio Blue (the “Wild Blue trek”), known as the most challenging trek in Italy. I’ve always offered the version that Marcello Cominetti calls “Vista Mare”, he showed me the way on my very first trip, just as I learned from him the idea that Selvaggio Blu must…
Becco di Mezzodì is one of the most popular peaks in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The 360-degree panorama from the summit is something special. The ascent via the normal route is frequented by everyone who loves solitary places and is mostly willing to hike. It’s fairly short technically but not without difficulties. The Barbaria Chimney, the key section of the normal route,…