Climbing in Sicily

The region of Sicily is mainly mountainous, characterized by Mount Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano, which with its 3300 metres overlooks all the other peaks and mountainous groups on the island. As well as Etna the main reliefs are spread out along the mountain ridge which runs along the island’s northern coastline. This chain defined by the following mountain groups, listed from east to west: Peloritani, Nebrodi, Madonie, Monti del Palermitano and Monti del Trapanese. The peaks of these groups almost reach 2000 metres, and alternate mountainous areas of thick woods with other areas which are harsh and barren. Not all these groups offer attractive rock faces, the most interesting mountains in climbing terms are no doubt the ones found in the western section between Palermo and Trapani, apart from the beautiful and isolated Rocche del Crasto which rise up over the Nebrodi, which are further east. Another interesting area of Sicily climbing-wise is made up of the Monti Iblei plateau situated on the south east side of the island. Many canyons, up to 200 metres deep, offer great potential for climbing with dozens of beautiful well bolted crags. Imposing and majestic, Mt Etna does not present any particular rock faces for climbing, except for the small sectors described in this guide book, which nonetheless are interesting. From the morphology of Sicilian reliefs and their rocky structures, one can deduce that the areas suitable for climbing are situated along the island’s eastern and northern coastline. This is where most of the climbing centres are found, in terms of the already bolted crags or other rock faces for multi pitch routes. Even if inferior in size other areas present rocky outcrops which are equipped for climbing, but they represent isolated sectors compared to the areas mentioned above. Over the last few years there has been a marked increase in the number of climbing routes all over the island, thanks to the work of many bolters, both local and foreign, who with passion have never stopped discovering and equipping new areas, or re-bolting and renewing historical sectors. In addition publications, meetings, festivals and, last but not least, this current guide book help make climbing in Sicily increasingly widespread. Climbing schools, mountain guides with their clients or simply groups of friends who choose to come climbing in Sicily are definitely on the increase.

TRAVELLING IN SICILY A trip to Sicily, no matter how fanatical a climber may be, cannot stop you plunging into the Sicilian reality, the proverbial hospitality of its people, the thousand tastes and flavours of its food, the enchanting glimpses of its old town centres and the beauty of its sea. An invitation also to visit its numerous inland villages, still experiencing a rural lifestyle of long ago, but if you don’t love the bucolic country life, don’t miss the chance then of the city night life. Extremely beautiful historic centres in Palermo, Catania, Syracuse and Ragusa have lots of night clubs open until dawn attracting lively crowds. Don’t be afraid to stay out late at night in the cities and remember to use your common sense in every situation. In many crags you can camp at the base of the walls, but some of these are on private land, so if you meet the owners or any local people it is a good idea to ask their permission and exchange a few words so that you can be accepted as friends rather than invaders and nobody will bother you. In Sicily much of the water sources are dependent on rainfall so are dry for most of the year, remember this when you are planning to camp away from a campsite and need water. Anyway it is easy to replenish this precious asset in the little mountain villages, where there are usually fountains. Remember that in many protected areas, or in the reforested areas managed by the Forestry Corps, it is forbidden to light fires, a small camp fire out of control can burn vast areas and represent a danger for you as well as for many others. Limit

your fire, where it is allowed, to cooking and don’t leave it unattended. Always be careful, especially in hot weather, of the very annoying ticks, present in almost all the crags and which can also cause serious health problems. Always check the place where you stop, where you leave your clothes, and periodically during the day check over your body. The removal of a tick requires a minimum of accuracy and it is worth reading up on what action has to be taken. If you have a fever or feel unwell after being bitten it is advisable to go to the nearest hospital for the appropriate treatment. Like every situation with different aspects, both good and bad, even in Sicily you might have to turn up your nose at some things, wild cementification, abandoned rubbish and devastating fires in areas of valuable naturalistic interest, but this too is part of the contradictions of this world.

LOGISTIC NOTES Sicily is the largest region in Italy, and surely for the majority of Italian climbers it is the farthest away. If the long distance discourages people from weekend climbing it encourages instead those who want to combine climbing with a trip to a land that has a lot to offer. Sicily means a culture of thousands of years of civilization, historical monuments and archaeological remains amongst the most beautiful in Italy, popular traditions made of parties and folklore, delicious cooking specialities, but also the warmth and hospitality of a population which is always willing to help tourists and foreigners. And if this is not enough for the most fanatical of climbers, then consider the fact that you climb in shorts and t-shirt on beautiful crags overlooking the sea, even during the cold winter months. A visit to the most beautiful crags of the island requires at least a week. If you only have a few days available, we recommend you visit only one area among the most developed, for example Palermo (where you can reach the crags even by public transport), San Vito Lo Capo, and the crags in the provinces of Syracuse and Ragusa. If you plan a long period, you will be able to visit the most interesting places and plan a tour of the island. For an itinerant trip we recommend you have a car; apart from Palermo, the majority of the climbing sites are not near any towns and are too difficult to reach by public transport. Keep in mind that moving from one end of the island to the other you need to cover many hundreds of kilometres, for example from Ragusa to San Vito Lo Capo there are roughly 350 km! To plan a tour of the crags you can think of travelling along the coastal road, starting off from Trapani ending up in Ragusa or viceversa. TRANSPORTATION Sicily is easily reached by all means of transport. The airports of Palermo and Catania are excellently connected with national and international flights, and during many periods of the year airline companies offer convenient fares, making it a fast and cheap flight. Arriving via sea, the ports of Palermo, Messina, and Catania are connected to the major Italian ports and some foreign ports. On internet you will find all the up to date information on ferry services and the various routes to take. For moving internally the viability is guaranteed by roads and motorways (most of them are toll free) that connect most of the main centres. An efficient transportation network amongst the main cities of the province by means of comfortable and fast buses guarantees easy travelling internally, while the train is difficult to use due to the long time taken to cover distances between the various sections.

CLIMATE Sicily is the hottest region of Italy, and has the least rainfall, during winter the temperatures are mild along the coast and harsh in the interior, summer is hot and windy along the coast, while torrid heat characterises the interior of the island. The majority of the rainfall is concentrated during late autumn and between winter and the start of spring. Sicily is the ideal place for those who want to continue climbing throughout winter and feel like touching sun kissed rock, as only one can do in summer. During the winter, even if in some areas it is bitter cold, especially in the internal mountainous parts, it is normal to find long periods of good weather, when it is possible to climb in t shirt and shorts. During the opposite season, summer, it is instead advisable not to climb in July and August when temperatures and humidity reach levels which

are far too high to climb in. Nevertheless even during summer, depending on the exposure or the time of day, it is possible to climb a couple of pitches. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, because of mild temperatures and many hours of daylight, you can even have a swim in the sea after a day spent climbing on the walls. CARTOGRAPHY The “Sicily” Touring Club map, scale 1:200.000 is detailed and up to date enough to easily reach all the areas mentioned in this guide. For those who need more detailed maps the I.G.M (military geographical institute) maps with a scale of 1:25.000, cover the whole Italian territory, but often they do not have recent updates. Some maps of 1:50.000 scale edited by other institutes, show the territory of parks and protected areas in great detail but they do not cover the climbing areas.

USEFUL ADDRESSES A few useful websites and Facebook pages which give you updated information as well as helping you find the contacts of Sicilian climbers.

Web grupporocciasiracusa.it ymcaclimbingsanvito.it sanvitoclimbingfestival.it scalart.it scuolaestremosud.it scuolabonomo.altervista.org verticalclimbingcentersiracusa.it

Facebook Arrampikatipassa Bobo’s Extream Team Climbers Siciliani Climbing House San Vito lo Capo Gruppo Roccia Siracusa San Vito Climbing Festival Scalart Palermo Scinni I dduocu Taormina Vertical Club DWS Sicily Vertical Frame INDOOR CLIMBING GYMS IN SICILY Siracusa Vertical Climbing Center, Via Padova 26, Siracusa - 340 7308976 Catania Etna Climbing Ragalna - Istituto G. Marconi, Via Paternò – Ragalna (CT) - 3358270301 Cus Catania, Viale Andrea Doria 6, Catania - 095 336186 Servolare - Nicolosi Catania Ragusa Red Rock Ragusa, Via Forlanini 36, Ragusa 351 8608118 Palermo Scalart, via Sampolo 8 – Palermo – 3281054472 Free Climbing Palermo – via Cirrincione 63 – Palermo – 328 484 1629 Trapani ASD Bosco Scorace - Fulgatore (TP) MOUNTAIN RESCUE A few of the crags listed in this guide book are situated in wild areas and with long and arduous access. For this reason and any eventual request for assistance must bear in mind that the main operative centres are based in the city of Palermo for western Sicily and the stations of Etna for eastern Sicily, two areas well covered, and where any rescue operation in the nearby areas can be tackled in a short time. Most of the rescue operations are undertaken by helicopter, but bear in mind that if your request comes from areas far from the rescue centre mentioned above, especially if at night or during bad weather, which prevents the use of the helicopter, the operation will take longer. The reference number for emergency calls is the same as the rest of Italy: 112, but we recommend to specify the exact type of accident, specifically requesting the intervention of the mountain rescue teams present both in western and eastern Sicily. This will avoid other organizations connected with mountain rescue getting involved. Other useful numbers for mountain rescue: For the central-western part of Sicily 334-9510149 this is the direct number for Palermo’s rescue team, active 24/7; For the central-eastern part of Sicily 095-7916069 Soccorso Alpino Guardia di Finanza Nicolosi-Etna, works 24 hours.

REGIONAL PARKS AND PROTECTED AREAS Many of the climbing areas are inside parks, natural reserves and protected areas of which there are many in Sicily. We will limit ourselves to provide the main addresses, while other useful information can be found visiting the following web site: www.parks.it/regione/sicila/ Riserva naturale di Monte Pellegrino: V.le Diana snc Palermo tel. 091/6716066. Parco dell’Etna: Vie Etnea 107/a Nicolosi (CT) tel. 095/821111. Parco dei Nebrodi: Via U. Foscolo 1, Alcara Li Fusi (ME) tel. 0941/793904-5 Parco delle Madonie: Corso P. Agliata 16, Petraia Sottana (PA) tel. 0921/684011. CAMPSITES AND HOSTELS Apart from a few isolated areas where you can sleep in your tent, the remainder of the crags are all close to large inhabited areas where you can find a number of solutions for overnight stays. Campsites, hostels, hotels and bed and breakfasts for any kind of budget can be easily contacted even through internet, so there is no use listing them all as they will soon be out of date. Anyway, in each chapter under “back up points” you will find some useful suggestions. BACK UP POINTS We have given a few recommendations and indications in the chapters which describe the climbing areas. GEAR NEEDED All the routes present in the Sicilian crags are bolted sports routes. Bolts, resin bolts etc in steel are used for anchor points including the ones to abseil down, which are always used connecting the two points. For years a “plaisir” style has been consolidated in the Sicilian crags and rarely you will have to deal with long run outs from one bolt to another. Therefore it is enough to have normal climbing gear with you: shoes, harness, chalk one single rope, at least 60 metres long, in a few cases it is best to use 70 or 80 metres, a set of quickdraws, up to15 quickdraws for longer routes, a self belaying device, a sling and a couple of locking carabiners for setting up an anchor point when abseiling down. The use of a helmet is always recommended. During winter the temperatures can be surprisingly cold therefore bring warm clothing. But at the same time do not forget a good supply of water when it is sunny. CRITERIA FOR CHOOSING THE SELECTED CRAGS In selecting areas and routes, we have taken into account the following criteria: natural beauty of an area, how well the route is bolted, how easy it is to access the area and problems related to prohibition or restriction of access to an area. Tiny climbing sites scattered around have not been included due to their limited interest, due to the scarce amount of routes and the worn out bolts. The few multipitch routes described in this guide book are an exception since they have been included in the single pitch sectors such as Valdesi in Palermo and Cattedrale nel deserto at san Vito lo Capo. They have been totally bolted using modern sports climbing criteria and they do not require the use of any other gear except for quickdraws, carabiners a few Kevlar threads and slings and belaying device. WARNING ON CLIMBING IN CRAGS CLOSE TO THE SEA Warning on climbing on crags close to the sea The problems caused to stainless steel equipment in marine environments is well known by now. After accidents caused due to the sudden breaking of stainless steel anchors, which in appearance seemed to be in good condition, the problem has now been put under the magnifying glass. This is why international committees have been established, undertaking technical studies, conferences and debates on the sector. The companies, the first to be singled out, have already given the first response to the market, producing anchor points in stainless steel dedicated specifically to equipping rock in marine environments (marine steel 316L). But to this day, titanium seems to be the best product for bolting in this specific environment. The concern remains for all those routes bolted years ago, when the problem was unknown and it was believed that normal stainless steel would be sufficient. In Sicily a few crags, as well as multi pitch routes, are affected by the problem mentioned above. Generally the areas which are damaged