Besagno - north west but not the best

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Sometimes you find yourself from a crag that looks good on paper but in reality it turns out to be something else. Besagno was such an experience for us.

Besagno is located behind Mori on 420 meters and facing north west. Approach is short and easy and crag has total of 31 routes making it promising enough for a visit. And on top of that guidebook tells that it is recently bolted and not too often visited and now we know why.

Crag has nice set of  long routes from 5 to 7b and most of them are in the range of 6. But then the downside. More than stiff grading and partially polished rock makes this crag hard for medium level climbers. Several routes were graded too easy on the crag and even the upgraded grades in the guidbook were optimistic.

Hard climbing with polished rock on the easier starts is not my kind of climbing. Crag may turn out ok for better climbers. So if you are solid 7a climber then you can try but if grade 6 is your beef then pick another crag for the day.

Crag grade: 2+/5
Rock quality: 2+/5
Bolting: 3/5
Surroundings: 3/5
Approach: 5/5

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Besagno, Mori, 9.7.2015

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Little big Serrada

South face for a hot day rock climbing doesn't sound too attractive but Serrada's crag nearby Rovereto is a worthwhile to visit even during the hot season. At least partially shady crag at the woods on 1250 meters sounds promising.

Serrada is not the closest crag from Arco. Car drive to there takes about an hour but then the access from the parking is only 10 minutes. To the first routes the total approach time is still reasonable.


Serrada has almost 80 routes which makes it huge in number of routes. At the same time routes are packed closely in a pleasant environment makes it enjoyable environment. So it is a perfect setup for families or climbers who don't want to take too long walks before getting to the wall.

Routes have a varying length from 10 meters up to 30 meters so there is good set of different alternatives to choose from. Difficulty of the routes starts from 4 and ends up to 7b but best offering is between 6a to 6c. Stil there is enough for beginners and few 7 graded routes for better climbers.

Rock quality varied from slightly polished to little less polished and well climbable. If you are looking for untouched limestone then Serrada is not your crag. But most of the routes are in good enough condition for climbing. And as usual the style of the climbing route dictates how much that bothers. I would say that I enjoyed most of the time and pre-clipped only one route because of polished holds at the start.

Nice place, not a gem but plenty of different routes with an easy access and a pleasant environment. Worthwhile to check out if all the fresh rock walls are already climbed and you are not afraid of long legged spiders ;)

Crag grade: 4-/5
Rock quality: 3/5
Bolting: 4+/5
Surroundings: 4+/5
Approach: 5/5

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Serrada, Rovereto, 8.7.2015

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Looking for a shade from Valli Giudicarie and Comano

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Rumors tells that we are enjoying the hottest summer in Italy in 136 years. Our car shows +43 Celcius degrees, crazy. Now our challenge is to find a reasonable place where to climb without dehydration and sunburns.

Valli Giudicarie has pastures, woods and wild beauty and pure nature and silence. North west facing
crag is located nearby the relaxed small village Comano at the high altitude of 850 meters. Access is easy and quick. Even thou it takes about 40 minutes from Arco by car but then after parking only few minutes by feet.

Once we got there the temperature was showing only +30 Celcius degrees so the drop from 43 degrees was significant.

Comano has total of 29 routes around 15 to 20 meters high. Difficulty of the routes is wide starting from 4 and going up to the 8a majority of the routes being in the range of 6c to 7c. So this crag has plenty to offer from a bit better climbers. Still as a hot day visit crag has enough routes to try for a low to medium level athletes too. There is total of 3 routes below 6 and total of 6 6a-6b routes to be climbed.

Rock quality varies between routes and the bolting is good standard. Some of the routes might be just slightly polished but nothing that prevents climbing. Just be careful with the grades showing on the crag that not always showing the right difficulty. Latest 2015 edition of the Versante Sud Arco Rock had the corrected difficulties that were much more precise.

Comano is a nice crag to visit during hot days or if you are looking for new challenges. Not a classic but offers good climbing on partially overhanging walls with a wide level of difficulties. Good alternative for hot afternoons.


Crag grade: 3+/5
Rock quality: 3+/5
Bolting: 4/5
Surroundings: 5/5
Approach: 5/5

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Comano, Valli Giudicarie, 7.7.2015

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Breathtaking views from Sentiero Gustavo Vidi

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Looking for a breathtaking day trek at the Brenta Dolomites? Well we have an excellent proposal or you. Go to Madonna di Campiglio and take the two-stage gondola up to Rifugio Stoppani and head towards Sentiero Gustavo Vidi.

Sentiero Gustavo Vidi can be counted as a very easy via ferrata but in real life it is more of a mountain walk with some protected sections. But don't let that fool you. Sentiero has a lot to offer on great heights at 2660 meters.

What makes this route quick is the fast gondola access directly from Madonna di Campiglio up to the Passo del Groste. It is a good idea to prepare schedules so that you are heading up before the siesta between 12-14 and be back at the middle gondola station before 17:00 when they close the line.

Route starts at 200 meters north-east from the Rifugio Stoppani where is a clear sign pointing towards the beginning of the trail. Trail ascents about 250 meters and descents down to the Groste middle station about 500 meters in about 3-4 hours.  During the walk there is about 500 meters of ferrata cables.

Route itself offers a good way to get used to the heights at mountains and trekking on the ridges. On some parts the route is narrow with steep walls on the sides and thus requires careful walking.

Sentiero Gustavo Vidi is a perfect way to get an overview of the spectacular Dolomite mountains even for ferrata beginners. For experienced ferrata trekkers or climbers the route is very easy but just the spectacular surroundings justify to complete the route. During the early summer few parts of the route might go cross snowy or icy sections and it is a good idea to check the status of the route if you are heading there during the early summer. And as usual at the the mountains weather conditions should be good before attempting this one. Recommended, one of the best experiences you can have during a day visit at the Brenta Dolomites.

Ferrata grade: 5/5
Route quality: 5/5
Security: 3/5
Surroundings/views: 5/5
Approach: 5/5
Exit: 5/5

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Sentiero Gustavo Vidi, Madonna di Campiglio, 5.7.2015

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East but used - Giardino di Nato

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East facing walls have been our passion during this summer. The endless research of potential cool summer crags lead us this time to the Giardino di Nato that is only 12 kilometers from Arco just next to the Pietramurata at 440 meters above sea level. 

Crag has developed by the Sisyphos Group and Giardino di Nato is similar in the style with other Sisyphos walls when it comes to bolting, grades and lines. So overall 1st hand impression is good. And the location of the crag is perfect, east face in the middle of the woods so the temperature is pleasing even during the hottest summer days.

Crag has total of 25 routes from 5c to 7b on the yellow and partially overhanging walls. Length of the routes is usually around 20 meters but there are couple of 2nd pitches which are shorter. Specification looks perfect on paper.

But then the downside. Good walls attract climbers and somehow yellow limestone has a tendency to get polished easily. That was the biggest issue at Giardino di Nato. It is not the most polished wall like Massone but still some of the more technical lines were really hard to climb due the polished rock. At the same time few of the more adventurous lines such as Il Giardino Di Nato was completely climbable due the style of the climbing. But the good news is that based on the amount of spider's web it looks like a that it hasn't been climbed in this decade.

Interesting and good looking lines but more technical ones have become hard to climb just because of the polished rock. Mixed feeling, I would like to climb in a place like this but with fresh rock.

Crag grade: 3/5
Rock quality: 3/5
Bolting: 4/5
Surroundings: 4/5
Approach: 4/5

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Giordino di Nato, 1.7.2015

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Dolomitic limestone at Molveno

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Our journey to find shady crags good quality rock to climb carries on. So far we have been lucky with our picks and most of the carefully selected crags have been enjoyable. Today's pick was Molveno S. Antonio nearby the Brenta Dolomites a crag that is dedicated to the memory of local alpinist Luca Sartori.

Molveno is an east facing crag taking 50 minutes from Arco by car. It is located at a high altitude of a
900 meters above sea level so it is well climbable during hot summer days. It is one of the alpinist style of crags like Coltura and Croz de la Niere. You can almost taste the golden age of alpinism at Molveno where Brenta Dolomites are dominating the skyline.

When it comes to the climbing Molveno the limestone is more compact and Dolomite's style here. Crag looks good on paper. Total of 47 lines starting from 4 and going up to 7c and most of the lines are more than 20 meters long.

Rock face looks actually good and the styles of the line have definitely some character. But then the downside. It looks like that all the local climbers and growing young alpinists have been training a lot here. Many lines were polished from the beginning thou there were also better quality lines. And at the same time bolting was distant in most of the lines. Distant bolting on a slippery rock makes the 1st few clips hard on some of the routes.

Not an easy crag due the distant bolting and polished rock. Sad because crag has great potential to be interesting challenge. It is not a must place to visit but if you happen to be nearby or just want to get a shady crag then you may want to check it out.

Crag grade: 3/5
Rock quality: 3/5
Bolting: 3/5
Surroundings: 5/5
Approach: 4/5

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Molveno S. Antonio, 28.6.2015

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Trekking at Brenta Dolomites

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Sometimes when the weather gets just too hot in Arco and it is better to head up to the breathtaking Dolomites and enjoy one of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world. Today we had such a day with a perfect bright blue sky to have a visit in one of the rare natural heritage locations.

Madonna di Campiglio and Brenta Dolomites are only 70 kilomiters and 1,5 hours away from Arco so driving there takes time but is reasonable for a day trip.

To speed up our schedules and to maximize the time at the top we took the ski lift from Madonna di Campiglio to the top Rifugio Stoppani. Our goal was to have a half a day trekking at paths leaving from the rifugio. At the same time we had excellent opportunity to scout the snow conditions between the the Pietra Grande and Cima del Groste peaks and find the entry points of the nearby via ferratas.

There are numerous excellent ferratas at the Brenta area and two of them can be easily accessed from and to Rifugio Stoppani. The first one of them is easy but breathtaking ferrata Sentiero Gustavo e Natale Vidi. It can be completed from the Rifugio Stoppani to the Rifugio Groste and then to the middle lift station in about 3 hours. During the time of our visit ferrata was completely accessible without snow gear.

Sentiero Alfredo Benini is 2nd alternative for a one day session from Rifugio Stoppani to Rif. Tuckett and then back to Rif. Stoppani that can be completed in about 6 hours. Sentiero Alfredo Benini is more demanding but still relatively easy ferrata. During the time of our visit it was partially covered by snow and crampons are usually recommended for the route.

What can I say, we had an excellent half a day trekking session in a breathtaking scenery! Definitely recommended and just remember to have a camera with you when visiting the region!

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Brenta Dolomites, 26.6.2015

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Via Ferrata Monte Albano is open again

Via Ferratas offers a quick and nice way to enjoy great views and heights without too much of a hassle. Instead of a multipitch climbing we decided to take a break from the normal routines and head to the Via Ferrata Monte Albano - Ottorini Marangoni. 

Monte Albano's ferrata has a respectable reputation but it has been closed since 2011. Luckily the
long maintenance project has been finally completed and route has been re-opened recently. We have been actually waiting several years to get there and now finally we got the long waited opportunity in our hands.

Route has been told to be the hardest outside higher Dolomite mountains by offering lots of open air. Route's grade is the hardest even it is only 350 meters long. Highest altitude at the end of the route is around 600 meters and the estimated time to complete the route is 4-5 hours including ascent and exit.

It seems that the route has been improved a lot during the maintenance and some of the old route
descriptions are not valid anymore. At the same time the surroundings have been improved too and there is an excellent boulder park with picnic tables and a public toilet just a few hundred meters before the ferrata.

For me it looked like that the beginning the route has been secured better than before as well are the airy traverses. Overall safety of the route is now in an good level. That may have turn the route slightly easier than before but we are not speaking about a Sunday walk here!

Route has splendid and exposed traverses what it has been known for. Lots and lots of open air around while traversing over the city of Mori makes this legend worthwhile to be experienced. And this route is not for a first timers. Having a good head for exposed rock walls and heights and some stamina is required.

We completed the route in about four hours and it could be completed even faster if you don't spend too much time for taking photos like we did. Recommended definitely!

Ferrata grade: 5/5
Route quality: 5/5
Security: 4/5
Surroundings/views: 5/5
Approach: 5/5
Exit: 5/5


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Monte Albano - Ottorini Marangoni, 25.6.2015

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Great Pian del Levro at Rovereto

Fresh rock expedition goes on. This time our journey headed towards Rovereto and Pian del Levro which is also suitable for family picnics. It takes about 45 minutes from Arco to the parking so we are not speaking about a very distant location. 

Pian del Levro is at 700 meters above the sea level and the bottom of the crag is nicely in shadow so
it is perfect choice for hot summer days. Approach from the parking takes about 5 minutes and 40 meters uphill on an easy trekking path. Excellent!

Crag is facing south-west and it has total of 31 routes graded from 3 up to 7c. Majority of the routes are in the range of 6 but there is respectable eight routes in the range of 7. More demanding routes are on the yellow limestone and that part of the wall is not completely in shadow so be aware during hot days.

Most of the routes are long, more than 20 meters on a grey and yellow limestone. Longest routes requires 70 meters rope so we are speaking about respectable lengths. Rock quality is almost perfect and overall condition of the routes is good. Bolting is in standard distance and secure. Small detail is that the bolt distance on easy routes may be too far for the small kids or inexperienced climbers.

Route styles varies from slabs, vertical walls to overhangs and dihedrals. Enough of variance for a one day climbing session. During the day we found a definite gem among the routes. Try the route "Pit stop" which is graded 6a+ and is 28 meters long. A nice warm-up for better climbers or a nice challenge for medium level climbers.

Surroundings are good and secure on a partially steep forest. And if you have very young climbers then the nearby water pools might be interesting to visit.

Again we found a crag that is worthwhile to visit and offers great challenges for a one or two day sessions. Recommended if you prefer good quality rock and want to climb during hot summer days.

Crag grade: 5/5
Rock quality: 5/5
Bolting: 4/5
Surroundings: 4/5
Approach: 4/5

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Pian del Levro, Rovereto, 24.6.2015

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