Val Daone: three all-round bouldering areas in the heart of Trentino

For decades, Val Daone has attracted climbing enthusiasts in all its forms and disciplines, who gather here to take part in important competitions such as Ice Master, Speed Rock and, since 2015, the Gramitico bouldering meeting. Thanks to the passion of local climbers (but also bouldering enthusiasts from gyms in Brescia and Veneto) and, more recently, to the tourist development project ValDaone Experience, all outdoor sports have experienced a strong boost in recent years, contributing to the popularity of this valley even beyond its borders.

Bouldering and environmental impact in Val Daone

The commitment of the administrations to create more and more welcoming areas, suitable also for families and for those who are new to this sport, has sometimes led to some controversy, both for the way in which it has sometimes been forced on the natural environment, and for the environmental impact caused by a large influx of "careless" climbers.

The development of La Plana, where the BoulderPark has been created, has allowed us to discuss the issues of sustainability and environmental impact, and to continue the debate on the importance of finding a balance between the exploitation of new areas and respect for nature as a collective heritage.

In order to raise awareness among climbers about climbing in balance with the environment and leaving as few traces as possible, many events have been organised over the years, such as the Scurla Ploc and the Clean For Climb, two international meetings that have welcomed many climbers from Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany and Spain in a festive atmosphere, sharing a common passion but also environmental awareness.

But now we come to the life of bouldering in Val Daone.

The perfect shapes of Val Daone boulders

guLeaving Lake Idro behind, the Val di Daone embraces, in its highest section, the Val di Fumo, a section of the Adamello Brenta Natural Park. The road that winds its way through the valley and climbs up to the Rifugio Nudole and then continues to the car park of Malga Bissina in Val di Fumo, will take you through forests of fir and chestnut trees, where there will be no signal for your mobile phone and you will have no choice but to immerse yourself in a wonderful natural environment dotted with granite boulders of absolute beauty. 

Val Daone climbing– when to go

The Val Daone is very popular in summer, both with local climbers from Trentino and boulderers from neighbouring regions, as well as with many tourists looking for grip and good conditions. Although it is not possible to camp in the Adamello Brenta Natural Park, the car park at Malga Nudole, with its always clean and working toilets for campers, is an excellent solution for spending a few nights at altitude.

During spring and autumn you will be able to find "performance conditions": according to the temperatures and wind, you will perhaps find yourself choosing more sun-faced boulders or more shaded ones. 

In winter the situation is definitely more challenging, especially depending on the amount of snow that covers both the road (which is usually closed from October to May) and the boulders. By consulting local mountaineers, you can be updated "month by month" on the accessibility of different areas. For all other logistical information, we recommend the Daone Boulder guidebook by Versante Sud.

One of the king lines you can find in Val Daone

cleVal Daone: a lot of sectors, many different surroundings

Each sector of the Val Daone presented in the Versante Sud guidebook contains a huge number of boulders and lines developed by the author, as well as many other boulders from the surrounding areas cleaned over the years. It is therefore difficult to summarise some of these areas in a few lines (because they can have different accesses, types of landings and even seasonality) or to select them for their "beauty". We have therefore thought of proposing three areas that represent great classics, appreciated also for their logistic simplicity and short accesses, without having the pretension of describing in detail all the climbing in the Val Daone in a single article.

Nudole

Arriving at the Malga Nudole, the road that climbs through dense wooded vegetation opens up, giving us an open view of the Piana della Malga. At a height of 1550mt, the air is often chillier than in the low valley, especially if you arrive here early in the morning. A large parking lot, also equipped with clean toilets and drinking water, welcomes campers and vans of climbers who spend here a few days of vacation and many summer weekends. The first boulders, like Virgola - a super classic of 6b+, can be seen already from the parking lot, while other boulders with geometrically perfect shapes are reached by the path leading to the Malga Nudole, in the plain that borders the lake and the Malga itself. The guidebook lists about fifty boulders with different lines, most of which are accessible by a pleasant walk on flat ground.

Its proximity to the large parking lot, the beauty of the landscape and the lines that follow the natural shapes of granite make this area an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the total relaxation of this environment and take their first steps on the magic granite of Val Daone.

Here are many classic and emblematic passages of the Valley: Spigolo dell'anguria, a beautiful 7b+  border ((which becomes Bue Arrow starting from the small crimps in the dihedron, equally interesting), with an intense sit start; Thor The King, the famous resistance 8a line and the technical slab of Insetto Stecco, a very tall 7a that can be appreciated by climbers with strong nerves and iron fingers!

A rock that looks almost perfect for shape and texture.

La Plana Boulderpark

This is the sector where the Gramitico Boulder event is held every year, and perhaps for this reason it is one of the most popular in the valley. The flat landings and the quantity of new cleaned boulders have made an area full of possibilities and styles accessible to all, where climbers with different experience and needs can meet to overcome their own limits.

International climbers such as Stefano Ghisolfi and Adam Ondra have brought the charm of high difficulty between these boulders, with aesthetic and demanding passages such as Magic Line, 8a (opened by the Ghisolfi/ Ondra) and the adjacent Mad Line, 7c. Marco Esparmer, one of the most active locals, has also contributed to the development of this sector with the opening of The L'ombelico del mondo, 8a, and of Clean for Climb 7c+/8a. Also worth mentioning in this area are the Sika Suka line, opened by Marco Esparmer, and the beautiful Cocoo, a 7c on notches opened by Valdo Chilese.

The highest sector of the La Plana area is called Eye of the Cyclops and represents the wildest side of the area. In fact, here the boulders are more immersed in the vegetation, with landings often to be protected with a little more caution than what is not necessary to do in the heart of La Plana. In total, between the Boulder Park and Eye of the Cyclops, almost a hundred boulders have been presented in the new guide.

Val Daone: perfect summer destination in the heart of Trentino

Dos Dei Aser and The Fish-Man

Huge area that develops near La Casa degli Alpini, definitely frequented even in summer days. The vegetation surrounding the boulders makes even the hottest days pleasant and the approach - practically nonexistent - to the first group of boulders is also appreciated by families with little boulderers.

In this area, where even those who climb on medium/ easy difficulties can find an infinity of passages to measure themselves with, you will find the most difficult lines of the whole valley. An important contribution by the super local Valdo Chilese has given anyone who can try high difficulty passes lines such as Orkaloka, an 8a that combines the physicality of roof climbing with the technical side of a beautiful final slab, Piccolo ma caratteristico, always 8a with slopers and microcrimps and Lime, a nice physical 7c starting on two undercling and endindg with a nice slab.

In addition to the lines liberated by Valdo Chilese (including Fuori Tempo, 8b), in recent years other amazing lines have definitively consecrated this area of the Val Daone among the "places to be" at international level, attracting the strongest boulders looking for passages to the limit. L'avenir nous reserve rien de bon is an 8b (sit start, 8a stand) released by Lorenzo Puri on an incredible and strongly overhanging panel, where a series of bad crimps traverses the most central part of the boulder. On the same boulder there is also Big Illusion, an 8c freed by Stefan Scarperi that follows the whole right edge to then cross left and exit at the top of the opposite edge.

All images are by Oliunìd!