The history of single pitch routes in the Sarca Valley and its surroundings by Antonella Cicogna
The single pitch crags in Valle del Sarca and the nearby areas are something that youngsters have always known. A fact. However, it all had a beginning, An instant which moved from its origin of what today is among the most popular climbing parks in Europe and the world. And this instant can be translated into a change of perspective from alpinism. 1972 and 1982 The turning point: Colodri east face and Specchio delle mie brame In 1972, exactly on the 1st October of that year, something happens. The alpinists Ugo and Mauro Ischia, Giuliano Emanuelli and Fabio Calzà from Arco realize the potential of Monte Colodri, the local mountain, and open Umberta Bertamini, the first route on the east face. The route up the east face of Colodri in the vertical panorama is a first, it is a turning point for the future development of single pitches in Valle del Sarca. From here onwards the east face will in fact be covered by new beautiful lines; through time it will collect the intuitions of many other climbers among these Giuliano Stenghel, Luigi Giacomelli, Franco Zenatti, Giovanni Groaz, Roberto Bassi, Heinz Mariacher, Manolo Maurizio Zanolla, Renzo Vettori, Giorgio Vaccari... The difficulties will increase, routes such as Tyszkyewicz (1976), Renata Rossi (1979), White Crack (1979) will appear... And in 1982, always on Colodri, a new turning point: the first sports climbing route opened from above in the Sarca Valley. Its name is Specchio delle mie brame, a variant of Renata Rossi. The authors are Roberto Bassi and Heinz Mariacher. The two climbers place an expansion bolt to open the route. Early eighties Single pitches in the vertical vocabulary. Honky Tonky, full on bolting Between 1982 and 1984, as well as the continuous development of multi pitch routes at Monte Casale, Cima alle Coste, in Mandrea, Colodri on Parete Zebrata with increasingly sustained difficulties, another change of scene occurs. The terrain on which these challenges are tackled lower down on “sea level”, the difficulties are concentrated along a few dozen metres. Single pitch routes become the new word in the vocabulary of climbing. A close-knit group of climbers contribute to this development, they already climb on Colodri: Mariacher, Bassi. With them Luisa Iovane, Manolo, Aldo Leviti.... Entirely bolted the new route Honky Tonky at Spiaggia delle Lucertole is born, equipped by Bassi and Mauro De Gasperi. New modern crags in a modern sense are born: Nuovi Orizzonti, San Paolo, Swing Area, Spiaggia delle Lucertole. On lines which still to this day are true masterpieces of 7a, 7b and 7c, rocky jewels for those who have perfect footwork and confidence climbing on slabs, the first rules of sports climbing thus develop. Routes will be graded following the grading scale used in France, where sports climbing has already begun to flourish. Climbing ethics will have a new type of flavour: you can only climb from the ground up without resting, and if you fall you have to start all over again. New smeary climbing shoes, step after step, will follow the progress of climbing in the Valley. Chalk, sit har- nesses and leggings begin to appear.
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