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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