Remembering Roberto Bassi

28 September marks the 10th anniversary of Roberto Bassi's death. To remember the Italian climber but also share his masterpieces with those climbers who do not know about him, the Italian Alpin Club Sezione CAI SAT di Mattarello (TN) and Bassi's friends have organised an evening at the hall at S. Vigilio di Mattarello.

Vinicio Stefanello

October 2004

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28 September marks the 10th anniversary of Roberto Bassi's death. In order to remember the Italian climber and also to share his masterpieces with those climbers who do not know him, the Italian Alpin Club Sezione CAI SAT di Mattarello (TN) and Bassi's friends have organised an evening at the hall at S. Vigilio di Mattarello.

But who was Roberto Bassi? For those climbers who know nothing about him – we hope and imagine there are only very few – it is worth remembering that in the early '80s Bassi, along with a select few, was the climber who discovered – better still, was one of the earliest explorers – of the immense potential held by the galaxy of rock around Arco. Furthermore, he was one of the leading interpreters of a new way of understanding rock climbing. In those early years the young Bassi, together with Heinz Mariacher, Maurizio "Manolo" Zanolla, Luisa Iovane and Bruno Pederiva formed part of a select group (visionary and non conventional) that became one of the driving forces behind the evolution of sport climbing at crags and on the larger rock faces. In doing so they, along with a handful of other climbers, revolutionised all the conceptions, preconceptions and beliefs that had prevailed until then among climbers. Their base was the valley around Arco, their aim a totalising dream. So much so that climbing became a way of life: while Bassi devoted himself with boundless enthusiam to this adventure, the crags around Arco became his home, the lines on the rock his way of expressing himself. Routes like Honky Tonky at the crag Spiaggia delle Lucertole, or Zanzara on Monte Colodri are tiny examples of that style and his love for climbing. Bassi achieved plenty and was always a leading player in terms of climbing difficulties on rock, and also in competitions (he won the first two Italian climbing championships in 1985 and 1986). What certainly will not be forgotten, and what should not be forgotten, is the style and the passion he invested in his climbing. A passion that may even seem excessive to those who did not experience the wind of change that blew during those years, shaping the "new" game of climbing: these were the days of dreams that, while vagabonding around the cliffs at Arco and half-way around the world, searched for a freedom and a life that was both "other" and "different" from the routine. It was a dream, an adventure and a hope, sought for almost unconsciously, sometimes rebelliously, always against conventions, always with the desire to risk anew. A mere 10 years have passed since the road accident halted Bassi's life, more than 20 since that magic period of "discovery" at Arco. Many things have changed since then. Climbers have changed, as have the people themselves, perhaps even their dreams... One thing is certain: time never stands still, it never looks back. But stopping for a second to think about Roberto Bassi, back to those years, can certainly help understand our roots and also fuel the dreams of future projects. It might be useful in order to comtemplate other years, those still to come, so that they become intense and unique. Just like those Bassi experienced on the rocks and in his lifetime..