Climbing
Nearby climbing areas
Single-pitch
| Car + approach time [min] | Crag | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 15 + 10 | Sasso Ballaro (Santa Caterina) | Best crag for intermediate-level climbing after work. SO oriented and perfect for sunny winter days. Offers around 80 routes ranging from grade 4 to 7b+, with the majority in the 6th grade |
| 20 + 0 | Picuz (Sangiano) | Best crag for entry-level climbing after work. Climbable year-round, even on summer afternoons. Offers around 70 routes ranging from 3 to 7c, with many routes in the 4th and 5th grades. |
| 45 + 5 | Valganna | Crag for intermediate/advanced climbers near Varese (6a to 7c+) |
| 50 + 5 | Campo dei Fiori | Historic crag atop Campo dei Fiori featuring over 100 routes, including both sport and traditional climbs. Very good for summer (1000m, North-oriented). The crag offers numerous alpine-style routes, perfect for practicing trad climbing and preparing for more ambitious alpine adventures. |
| 50 + 0 | Il Cinzanino (Macagno) | Nice crag overlooking Lake Maggiore, ideal for beginners and families. It features a bar, a picnic area, and the opportunity to take a refreshing dip after climbing. |
| 50 + 20 | Falesia Monte Ganna | Summer crag at the San Michele Pass, north-facing and situated above 1000 meters, offering 23 routes in the 5th and 6th grade range. |
| 50 + 0 | Il cannone (Ornavasso) | Nice crag for summer afternoons with routes predominantly in the 5th and 6th grade. Ideal for families thanks to the short approach and the large grassy meadow at the base, perfect for picnics |
| 50 + 10 | Panoramica (Nibio) | Crag for sunny winter days, with many routes suitable to beginners and nice views of the Ossola valley. |
| 65 + 10-20 | Mottarone | The upper part of Mottarone features several climbing sectors set in the renowned pink granite of Baveno. Most sectors are accessed from the summit, where you’ll find parking, a restaurant, and amazing views over Lakes Maggiore and Orta. The best-known single-pitch sectors—such as Balena and Sella—offer superb slab climbing, with routes ranging from grade 4 to grade 6. |
| 85 + 0 | Montestrutto (Quincinetto) | Big crag at the gateway of the Aosta valley with more than 100 routes spanning grades from 3 to 7c. Perfect for beginners and families, including a large grassy meadow, a restaurant, picnic and camping areas. |
Multi-pitch
| Car + approach time [min] | Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | Campo dei Fiori | Historic crag atop Campo dei Fiori featuring over 100 routes, including both sport and trad climbs. Very good for summer (1000m, North-oriented). The crag has some alpine-style multi-pitch routes (2-3 pitches) perfect for practicing trad climbing and preparing for more challenging alpine adventures. |
| 65 | Mottarone | Starting from the top of the Mottarone, several sectors with granite multi-pitch routes are available(Cime delle Guide, Pera e Cascata sectors, La Rossa, Il Nano), some of them with long runnouts that require the use of removable protections. |
| 90 | Locarno | Entry-level multi-pitch routes in the Northern side of the Lago Maggiore (Placche di Tegna, Speroni di Ponte Brolla and Monte Garzo). These areas offer adherence climbing on gneiss, featuring 'plaisir' routes ideal for beginners |
| 90 | Bassa Aosta | The area around Forte di Bard offers a wide range of multi-pitch routes for beginners (Placche di Oriana, Albard) and advanced climbers (Paretone Machaby, Pilastro Lomasti). The paradise of adherence climbing on gneiss. |
| 90 | Biellese Alps | Area with numerous multi-pitch routes in alpine conditions suitable for both beginners and advanced climbers. The most renowned spots include Monte Mucrone, Monte Mars, and Monte Camino (accessible from Santuario di Oropa), as well as Argimonia (starting from Bielmonte). |
| 90 | Lecco | One of the most iconic climbing areas in the Alps, this region invites you to follow in the footsteps of legendary alpinists like Cassin and Bonatti. Climb the very routes they pioneered on iconic peaks such as Resegone (starting from Piani d’Erna), the Grigne massif (from Piani dei Resinelli), and the Campelli range (from Piani di Bobbio). Climbing on dolomia requiring frequently the use of friends and nuts. |
Planning platforms
| Platform | Description |
|---|---|
| the Crag | Largest collaborative rock climbing platform worldwide, offering topos for sport climbing, multipitch and boulder. |
| falesia | Collaborative rock climbing platform in Italy, mostly offering topos for sport climbing. |
| montagnabiellese | Website developed by Gianni Lanza and Dafne Munnareto offering a detailed description of the wide range of alpinism and climbing routes available in the Biellese Mountains: multi-pitch and sport climbing. |
| vielunghevalledaosta | Created by the same team behind Montagna Biellese, this platform focuses on the multi-pitch routes of the Aosta Valley. |
| vielunghefinale | Created by the same team behind Montagna Biellese, this platform focuses on the multi-pitch routes of Finale Ligure. |
| Paolo-Sonja | Website offering topos and comprehensive descriptions of the sport climbing crags in the Lario region. |
| Gulliver | Italy’s largest collaborative platform for outdoor sports. While not specifically dedicated to climbing, it offers valuable information on approach routes and up-to-date user comments on crag conditions. |
Rock climbing grades
The predominant climbing difficulty scale across Europe and Italy is the French scale. In Italy, the UIAA scale is also used for trad routes. Alpine italian routes can further incorporate three distinct classification systems:
Risk (R1-R6): Categorizes routes by inherent danger, directly related to the availability and quality of placements for removable protection (cams and nuts).
Bolting or “spittatura” (S1-S6): Quantifies the spacing of fixed protection (bolts) on a route.
Aid Climbing (A0-A5): Delineates the technical difficulty of artificial climbing sections.
| Level | French | UIAA | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novizio ↓ | 1 | I | 5 |
| 2 | II | 5.1/5.2 | |
| 3 | III | 5.3/5.4 | |
| Principiante ↓ | 4a | IV | 5.5 |
| 4b | IV+ | 5.6 | |
| 4c | V | 5.7 | |
| Intermedio ↓ | 5a | V+ | 5.8 |
| 5b | VI- | 5.9 | |
| 5c | VI | 5.10a | |
| 6a | VI+ | 5.10b | |
| 6a+ | VII- | 5.10c | |
| 6b | VII | 5.10d | |
| Avanzato ↓ | 6b+ | VII+ | 5.11a |
| 6c | VIII- | 5.11b | |
| 6c+ | VIII | 5.11c | |
| 7a | VIII+ | 5.11d | |
| 7a+ | IX- | 5.12a | |
| Esperto ↓ | 7b | IX- IX | 5.12b |
| 7b+ | IX | 5.12c | |
| 7c | IX IX+ | 5.12d | |
| 7c+ | IX+ | 5.13a | |
| Super Esperto ↓ | 8a | IX+ X- | 5.13b |
| 8a+ | X- | 5.13c | |
| Elite ↓ | 8b | X | 5.13d |
| 8b+ | X+ | 5.14a | |
| 8c | X+ XI- | 5.14b | |
| 8c+ | XI- | 5.14c | |
| Super Elite ↓ | 9a | XI | 5.14d |
| 9a+ | XI+ | 5.15a | |
| 9b | XII- | 5.15b | |
| 9b+ | XII | 5.15c | |
| Alieno! | 9c | XII+ | 5.15d |