Melloblocco... bouldering galore!

I swear, this time word's fail me. Too many images. Too many shots which, like in slow-motion, crowd my post-Mello mind. It's like trying to describe a film poised between dream and reality, a great film with colours mingling in my imagination without a fixed plot. No beginning and no end. Do you want me to tell you the story? Or rather, wish me luck in telling it! The only thing that comes to mind is: yes, I saw it. I only manage to utter yes, I was there, I lived the moment. And give a half-stupid smile... Yes, I feel a bit different, even if I still haven't understood why and what really happened. But hey, something surely must have happened!

What is this Melloblocco? Is it Val Masino which creates the magic? This sensation of feeling lost is almost sweet. It's a tender lack of understanding mixed with disbelief. I'd love a photo which includes everything. Which for example shows all the boulders in this enchanting valley. And shows all those Melloblockers as they've never been seen before. But this would be impossible. Is this true happiness? Perhaps the key to it all is the giddiness you feel looking at the thousandth boudler you fail to understand. Or it's that nth impossible glimpse through the enchanting forest which muddles with the immense sky and the music of rippling water. Here the atmosphere smacks of casual perfection. Which can even be heard in the rhythmic soundtrack of the incredible "rumourless" perennial waterfalls which hypnotize you, which seem so distant yet are so close by that you're overcome by the desire to reach out and touch them.

As I face the impossible task of reorganising my thoughts the day after, I chase the thousands of Melloblocco ideas. And the many faces. The countless gazes which caught each other, which tasted the same flavours and perhaps even felt the same emotions. They admired the same colours. I relive the boulders climbed, those dreamt of, those agonised and all those strange fantasies, grimaces, contortions, falls, swearwords and renewed attempts. And then I stroked fingers and skin consumed by thousands of rough caresses. And felt the sighs of relief. And those fleeting smiles of happiness . And eyes. So many eyes that they reached out like infinite hands to protect and make everyone's dream soar higher still. I'd almost like to say, ladies and gentlemen, here's a bit of magic. Here there's that touch of "nothing" which is so difficult to seize.

I'd like to say that the Mello is all of this and more. It's that Harry Potter (alias Adam Ondra) glance, the fifteen year old who is playing in a completely different dimension. Almost "illegal", to paraphrase one of the many expressions which echoed through the valley. It's Saturday's party and the slackline above the river which transformed into a diving competition. It's the tents littered everywhere. And it's a valley which remains clean, despite the silent and joyful bouldeirng assault. Cars remain firmly parked in the car parks and thousands walk on foot or they stuff into the miraculous shuttle buses driven by the equally “miracle" drivers.

Melloblocco is also a competition which doesn't exist. A competition which displayed the gestures of ace Adam, just like Mauro, Michele, Giulia, Luca, Jerome, Jenny, Barbara, Tomas, Patxi, Gabry, Cristian, Marzio, Sky... and the thousand other world... champions and not. Melloblocco is the verve of the irrepressible (and devastating) Enrico which adds to everyone else's. Mello is that search for Never-never land. It's that motley coloured world which like a spell gathers in Valle di Mello once a year to embrace and continue the story. That never ending story which by now has the (unique) taste of something legendary, of something Melloblocco.

Vinicio Stefanello

VIDEO MELLOBLOCCO 2008

Adam Ondra making the first repeat of Antropos (Val di Mello) by Nicola Noè.


STATISTICS 2008
OVER 4000 ESTIMATED PEOPLE IN THE VALLEY
OFFICIALLY REGISTERED 1424
Women: 311 (21,84%)
Men: 1113 (78,16%)

AGE
Post 2000: 8 (0,56%)
Post 1990: 77 (5,41%)
Post 1980: 636 (44,66%)
Post 1970: 526 (36,94%)
Post 1960: 152 (10,67%)
Post 1950: 23 (1,62%)
Post 1940: 2 (0,14%)


FOREIGNERS 265 (18,61%)
representing 33 different countries: France 42, Czech Republic 31, UK 31, Germany 28, Switzerland 21, Austria 19, Slovenia 14, Belgium 12, Lithuania 10, Holland 8, Slovakia 8, Argentina 3, Brazil 3, Portugal 3, Romania 3, Spain 3, Hungary 3, Denmark 2, Philippines 2, Finland 2, New Zealand 2, Russia 2, South Africa 2, Turkey 2, U.S.A. 2, Australia 1, Bosnia 1, Columbia 1, South Korea 1, Croatia 1, Libya 1, Mexico 1, Poland 1


PRIZE BOULDERS
Women:
6 problems: Barbara Zangerl (AUT)
5 problems: Giulia Giammarco (ITA)
4 problems: Jenny Lavarda (ITA)
3 problems: Anne Laure Chevier (FRA), Marlene Graf (GER), Paola Radice (ITA), Roberta Longo (ITA), Silvie Rajfova (CZE), Suzan Dudnik (NL)

Men:
6 problems: Adam Ondra (CZE)
5 problems: Mauro Calibani (ITA), Tomas Mrazek (CZE), Balint Kamvas (HUN), Gabriele Moroni (ITA), Guillaume Glairon Mondet (FRA), Michele Caminati (ITA)
4 problems: Andy Earl (UK), Enrico Polo (ITA), Martin Stranik (CZE), Rok Klancic (SLO)
3 problems: Patxi Usobiaga (ESP), Cristian Brenna (ITA), Bernardino Lagni (ITA), Gabriele Gorobey (ITA), Jerome Meyer (FRA), Luca Zardini (ITA), Martin Spilka (CZE), Valter Vighetti (ITA), Vilem Chejn (CZE), Zorbey Aktuyun (TUR)


FEMALE BOULDER PROBLEMS
LADY RED
Giulia Giammarco, Barbara Zangerl, Jenny Lavarda, Suzan Dudnik, Anne Laurie Chevrier,

DESTINAZIONE CRESIMA
Jenny Lavarda, Roberta Longo, Barbara Zangerl FLASH, Irene Bariani, Giulia Giammarco

OSCURITA' (BISEX)
Not climbed

MELLOBLOCCO
Not climbed

MUSCHIO ANTICO
Giovanna Pozzoli, Elena Chiappa FLASH, Marina Pauli, Paola Radice FLASH, Katrine Nielsen, Shane Amici, Suzan Dudink FLASH, Jessica Morandi, Jana Kuchejda, Muriel Sarkany, Silvie Rajfovà FLASH, Viviana Vitofrancesco, Roberta Longo, Giulia Giammarco, Jenny Lavarda, Claudia Battaglia, Flaminia Capezzuoli, Daniela Feroleto, Annelaure Chevrier, Natalia Paradiso, Zuzana Hruciarikova, Glenda Pelosi, Barbara Zangerl, Marlene Graf

RATATOUILLE
Barbara Zangerl, Paola Radice, Marlene Graf, Zuzan Dudink, Giulia Giammarco

FOXY LADY
Barbara Zangerl, Silvie Rajfovà

DIAVOLO
Elena Chiappa, Paola Radice, Giulia Giammarco, Silvie Rajfovà, Alexandra Balakireva, Barbara Zangerl, Giovanna Pozzoli, Muriel Sarkany, Zuzana Hrnciarikovà, Roberta Longo, Suzan Dudink, Jenny Lavarda, Claudia Battaglia, Anne Laure Chevrier, Stefania De Grandi, Marina Pauli, Flaminia Capezzuoli, Marlene Graf

MALE BOULDER PROBLEMS
IL RE DEI LEMURI
Adam Ondra FLASH, Tomas Mrazek, Guillaume Glairon Mondet, Martin Stranik, Jerome Meyer, Gabriele Moroni, Michele Caminati, Mauro Calibani, Balint Kamvas

GRANDALBERO
Andy Earl ON-SIGHT, Michele Caminati FLASH, Martin Smith, Stefano Alippi, Diego Sirtori, Andrei Chrastina, Vilem Chejn, Martin Spilka, Adam Ondra FLASH, Rici Nyeki, Tomas Mrazek, Rok Klancnik, Nejc Cujes, Cristian Brenna, Gabriele Moroni, Zorbey Aktuyun, Gregor Seliga, Guillaume Glairon Mondet FLASH, Giovanni Pezzullo, Andrea Latini, Mauro Calibani FLASH, Gianluca Bosetti, Tiziano Buccello, Manuel Coretti, Luca Zardini, Martin Stranik, Neno Tavola, Luca Passini, Dino Lagni FLASH, Riccardo Scarian, Silvio Raffo, Walter Vighetti, Davide Zavagnin, Mathieu Semiomd, Marco Zanni, David Morresi, Alessandro Gandolfo, Matteo Bresciani, Gianluigi Tonoli, Balint Kamvas, Arnaud Levet, Johannes Goegele, Gabriele Gorobey, Sebastian Bush, Enrico Polo, Pavel Peskin FLASH, Matteo Sera

INTO THE WILD
Not climbed

OSCURITA' (BISEX)
Diego Sirtori, Stefano Alippi, Michele Caminati, Martin Smith, Andy Earl FLASH, Adam Ondra FLASH, Tomas Mrazek FLASH, Zorbey Aktuyun, Cristian Brenna, Enrico Baistrocchi, Marco Gualtieri, Gabriele Moroni, Guillaume Glairon Mondet, Gianluca Bosetti, Andrej Chrastina FLASH, Martin Spilka FLASH, Vilem Chejn, Gregor Seliga, Sebastien Boussogne FLASH, Rok Klanenik FLASH, Bastien Glairon Mondet, Matteo Gambaro, Arnaud Levet, Luca Passini, Andrea Latini, Nejc Cujes, Balint Kamvas, Oscar Amici, Mauro Calibani FLASH, Luca Zardini, Giovanni Pezzullo, Rici Nyeki, Martin Stranik, Jiri Dlabola, Valter Vighetti, Riccardo Scarian FLASH, Alessandro Catalano, Dino Lagni FLASH, Silvio Reffo, Alessandro Gandolfo FLASH, Enrico Polo, Mawem Bassa, Stefano Ghidini FLASH, Gabriele Gorobey, Rosta Stefanek, Matteo Bresciani, Alessandro Fiori, Pietro Tonoli FLASH, Gianluigi Tonoli FLASH, Neno Tavola, Pavel Peskin FLASH, Manuel Coretti, Jiri Latner, Patxi Usobiaga, Urban Gros, Sebastien Bush

LITTLE KARMA
Adam Ondra, Tomas Mrazek, Andy Earl, Guillaume Glairon Mondet, Michele Caminati, Gabriele Moroni, Rok Klancnik FLASH, Cristian Brenna, Enrico Baistrocchi, Mauro Calibani, Marco Gualtieri, Zorbey Aktuyun, Martin Stranir, Dino Lagni, Balint Kamvas, Francesco Spadea, Enrico Polo, Lucas Preti, Luca Zardini, Patxi Usobiaga, Mawem Bassa, Tony Lamiche, Jerome Meyer

ANTROPOS
Adam Ondra

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Tomas Mrazek, Adam Ondra, Mauro Calibani FLASH, Guillaume Glairon Mondet, Gabriele Moroni, Tony Lamiche, Gerome Meyer, Rosta Stefanek, Vilem Cheon, Andrej Chrastina, Balint Kamvas, Martin Spilka, Michele Caminati, Rok Klancnik, Patxi Usobiaga, Andrew Earl, Enrico Polo, Valter Vighetti, Gabriele Gorobey

ENERGIE RINNOVABILI
Not climbed