Category — Italy

The highlight of my rock climbing trip to Arco was a climb up the Piccolo Dain which towers over the Sarca valley some kilometres north of Arco. Gavin chose the route ‘Orrizonti Dolomitici’ for us. This route was relatively new and even Gavin had not climbed it yet. The mighty wall is quite impressive and it was definitely the highest wall in my young rock climbing career. The route goes over 11 pitches, is well protected (bolts) and is rated IV, max V (UIIA).

It was quite a windy day in the morning and relatively cold albeit the sun was soon beginning to warm up the rocks. Soon I started sweating as Gavin had ordered me to carry all our stuff. As I was climbing most of the pitches at the safe end of the rope this division of labor seemed quite fair to me.

The rock was covered with quite a lot of sand and was somewhat loose which made both of us climbing carefully and evaluating all holds before trusting them.

Gavin gave me the honor to lead the last, relatively easy pitch. Arriving easy and safe ground after climbing 11 pitches was really a relief for me.

Topo of the route

Our next goal in Arco was the Baone crag. Situated right at the fringes of Arco it allowed for a phenomenal view over the old village of Arco itself and towards the northern part of the Lake Garda. The crag itself was a giant moderately steep slab which provided a good training in friction climbing. Climbing difficulties were between 4b and 5c. A perfect training environment for the beginner and moderate intermediate climber. All routes are protected with bolts and all belays are equipped. The length of the routes vary between 2-5 pitches.

The environment of the crag gives an almost mediterranean feeling. Not only the lake itself contributes to this feeling but the olive and citrus trees in the teraces around the crag make this place somewhat unique.

After our climbing the two of us enjoyed the late afternoon in the village of Arco wandering through the narrow streets flanked by old buildings. The village is full of climbing and mountain biking folk which gives some sens of ‘belonging’ to the tribe. Of course we did not forget to do some window-shopping staring at the manifold inventions of the climbing gear industry. I wrote earlier in a post that Chamonix was the best location for buying mountaineering gear. I still think this holds true in most cases but if you are searching for good deals specifically concerning sport climbing gear Arco is the best place to go.

Our first goal in the area around Arco was the Placce Zebrate. A huge limestone wall over the Sarca Valley a few kilometres north of Arco, the Placce Zebrate are facing south and thus offer year long climbing in perfect limestone. The wall is up to several hundred metres high and most routes (length between 5 to well over 10 pitches) are in mid-difficulty range. The base of the wall is about 15 minutes of hiking away from the street (good parking possibilities). All routes are well protected (fixed gear, mainly bolts) making this huge wall one of the most attractive ‘crags’ for beginners and early intermediates in the whole Arco area.

We chose the Via Trento (5a), a short slab climbing over 5 pitches on the left side of the wall. Gavin, who is a well experienced climber in the best english tradition, was leading all pitches giving me the comfortable position of just follow his footsteps. The climbing was fun with incredible views down to valley. The northerly Foehn had cleared the sky and the November sun was still warm here at the Southern side of the Alps.