Massi della Luna, bouldering in Alta Valle Gesso

People - above all to those who love to travel - often don't believe that beautiful climbing places can be located just half an hour from home. But, if even not on a par with world class area such as Albarracin or Fontainebleau, the Massi della Luna area is a great weekend getaway for those who live in the Cuneo region of Northern Italy. This chaotic mass of boulders is located in the Upper Valle Gesso, on the path that leads from Pian della Casa towards Rifugio Pian Remondino, and therefore well known by backcountry skiers, those who love long ,multi-pitch routes and walkers in both spring and autumn. This area boasts one of the largest chamois population in the entire Alps, and they can easily be seen from the bouldering area. Chances are you'll also encounter some ibex, while marmots come out of their hiding places as low down as the parking lot at Pian della Casa.

Bearing this in mind, it's clear that the climbing here is set in a truly unique alpine environment, far removed from heavy traffic, and a day here automatically turns into something somewhat different than a normal bouldering day. Grades become secondary and what is important here are the natural lines, the excellent rock quality and the pristine environment. Protecting the environment is obviously our task, too: leaving no trace is crucial. Don't forget that the boulders are located within the Maritime Alps Nature Park, meaning that the following simple rules must be adhered to: no dogs (not even on a leash), do not pick flowers, do not disturb the wildlife and not to photograph or get close to the burrows. We suggest you visit their website: www.parcoalpimarittime.it

In the '80's Marco Torielli from Cuneo began to boulder in the Refuge Remondino area while searching for a new, pristine environment and he established some lines that have become classics such as L’uomo Aquilone or L’Arquetipo. He climbed problems all the way up to the area now defined as "l'area alta" (the high area, marked as B in the guidebook). In addition, Alessandro Penna cleaned many boulders and also some futuristic lines here, some of have been freed only recently.

After Marco Torielli climbers only visited the Massi della Luna area very sporadically, both because of the 45-minute walk from the parking lot to the first problems, and also because many of the problems aren't easy to understand at first glance... we too have walked straight past boulders unaware of the fact that they actually contain some great problems. As of 2011 we started by repeating the problems put up by Marco Torielli and which alone are worth the visit (eg Tempo di castagne, C’era Una volta and Teschiosauro), while in more recent times Alessandro Penna has freed some old projects such as The Mushroom, one of the most beautiful problems in the area, as well as The Hells Bells and Ki-mono to name but a few.

In autumn 2013 we began to find and clean completely new lines such as La tv non è realtà on the Fungo boulder, L’Impossibile, Controtendenza, Menti Dinamiche and many others, resulting in more than 100 problems in the low area, many of which fairly difficult. At present we're exploring the high area and investing time on some beautiful projects we hope to free soon.

At present you can download a topo of the area for free from www.remondinoboulder.webnode.it. This website contains updates, links to photos and videos and more.

by Claudia Colonia and Alessandro Penna