Melloblocco 2012 - The Bouldering Community returns to Val Masino

Choose Melloblocco, discover the Bouldering Community! This ninth edition of the biggest international bouldering meeting in the world promises to be rich with the usual expectations and enthusiasm. Beginning with the registered climbers: the meeting in Val di Mello and Val Masino  (Valtellina, Sondrio) is twenty days away and more than 1700 boulderers have already said "I'll be there". And this number is destined to rise considerably. But more than this record quantity, it is the quality of being together that has always been central to Melloblocco. Perhaps this explains why "Mello" became, right from the very beginning, a fixed date in everyone's climbing diaries.

It comes as no surprise therefore that there is a real and tangible Melloblocco "Bouldering Community" which, year in year out, meets up and savours Val di Mello, the valley of wonders. To climb, hang out together, have fun and also delve into the "culture of climbing" and to celebrate Val di Mello's great nature and its Nature Reserve. Once again Melloblocco will provide clearly marked parking areas (even bigger this year) and it will also increase the number of shuttle buses to reduce traffic and guarantee a minimum impact on the valley.

It will all begin on Thursday 3 May when the "Melloblockers" travel from all over Italy and the rest of the world to reach the valley. They will be met, as usual, by the local Val Masino volunteers and the valley itself which has, in all effects, married the Melloblocco event. And of course there will be a thousand and one boulders and problems (many of which completely new and set specifically for this occasion) on which the boulderers will unleash their art and love for climbing.

Just like every year there will be great champions as well as those who have transformed their love for climbing into a way of living. And there will also be teenagers, youngsters and complete beginners who'll climb alongside experienced boulderers. And there'll be events, evening films, travelling musicians, "competitions" and "counter-competitions", exhibitions, concerts, parties and those truly special slack-line sessions.

Four intense days await which, up to Sunday 6 May, will witness Val Masino fill up with climbers who transform into the real protagonists of the event. Taking part is easy, all you need to do is click to register on www.melloblocco.it. Then you'll need a pair of climbing shoes and, above all, an overwhelming desire to spend time with others, to climb freely and respect nature and the great Melloblocco Bouldering Community.

The date is set from 3 - 6 May in Val Masino, for the ninth edition of Melloblocco.

Melloblocco is open to all: info, programme, registration on the official website www.melloblocco.it

PROGRAM
The events will take place at the Melloblocco® Village, at the Centro Polifunzionale della Montagna.
Thursday, May 3rd – Melloblocco® Open Ceremony!
5 p.m. Starting of registration to Melloblocco® 2012
8.30 p.m. Presentation of Melloblocco® 2012
9 p.m. Painters Nicola Magrin and Gabriella Piardi presents their exhibitions.
9.30 p.m. Presentation of the new bouldering guide “Melloboulder” by Versante Sud with the video: “S. Pedeferri, G. Maspes, G. Notari, E. Fanchi, R. Colli, G. Miotti and R. Colombo tell the author A. Pavan about the boulder areas”.

Friday, May 4th – Melloblocco®, Start!
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Bouldering time
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Mellobaby- Melloblocco® by for children and school classes; Arrampicabile … bouldering for the handicapped in collaboration with ANFFAS and CONI Sondrio.
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Judges at the most difficult money-awarding boulders
7-9 p.m. Melloblocco® movies: videos and movies about climbing, mountaineering and outdoor sports.
9-10:30 p.m. ADMO presents “Climb for Life”. La Sportiva presents the new shoes Futura and the No-Edge technology. Vibram presents “The Shoe Resoling Technique”. Grivel presents: Angelika Rainer.
10:30 p.m. Live music. DJ-set follows.

Saturday, May 5th – Melloblocco® Peace, Boulder and Party
9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Bouldering time
10:30 a.m. Bouldering Clinics for all with La Sportiva athletes. Meeting at La Sportiva gazebo in Val di Mello.
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Judges at the most difficult money-awarding boulders
7 p.m. Al-Berto concert, the Swiss group composing The Wizard´s Apprentice soundtrack, at Montura tepee
8-9 p.m. Melloblocco® movies: videos and movies about climbing, mountaineering and outdoor sports.
9-10:30 p.m. Movie on Adam Ondra “The Wizard´s Apprentice” by Petr Pavlícek, Bernartwood/Montura Editing coproduction. La Sportiva presents: the new bouldering video “The Network” by Chuck Fryberger
10:30 p.m. La Sportiva Party at Melloblocco® Village. Live music. DJ-set follows.

Sunday, May 6th – Melloblocco®Top!
9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Bouldering time
10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Judges at the most difficult money-awarding boulders
3 p.m. Al-Berto concert, the Swiss group composing The Wizard´s Apprentice soundtrack, at Montura tepee
4 p.m. Closing of the event at Centro Polifunzionale della Montagna. Money-prize awarding to the climbers who have sent the most difficult boulders and drawing of the gear-prizes for the lucky ones.


Melloblocco® and the Val di Mello Natural Park
The large broad-leaf and conifer forests of Valmasino and Val di Mello join the event! In respect of the whole Valmasino and of the Val di Mello Natural Park we suggest reaching the boulder areas either on foot or by bus-shuttles.

Melloblocco® Bouldering and Communities
This year too, hundreds of new problems will be cleaned and set for Melloblocco® 2012 in full respect of the environment. Follow and contribute to the event in real time on Melloblocco® social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Youtube.

Melloblocco® All Around
Melloblocco® is climbing but also parties, presentations, exhibitions, field-tests, meetings, aperitifs and more events on surprise. Do not miss the traditional La Sportiva Saturday-night Party. At sunset, Montura offers the boulder people musicians and drummers and dancers. Two painting exhibitions by Nicola Magrin and Gabriella Piardi. Photografic show on alpine pasture activities by Regione Lombardia DG Agricolture – ERSAF. Moreover, Melloblocco® movies: videos and movies about climbing, mountaineering and outdoor sports.

Melloblocco® Lab
Great stuff in 2012. Try the new Futura shoes by La Sportiva and discover the No-Edge technology. Garmin puts on the Melloblocco® GPS bouldering map with GPS devices on free-trial during the event days. Vibram offers the “Resole Service” with live demonstrations with Xsgrip2, Xsedge, etc. soles. Melloblocco® joins the high altitudes and ice-lovers thanks to Grivel: free-of-charge ice screw sharpening during the event. Furthermore, slack-line sessions with profesional slack-liners.

Melloblocco® Instructions for Use
The event kit given to all participants contains the event T-shirt and the map showing all the problems in the areas, including the difficult money-awarding ones. Special prizes in climbing equipment will also be drawn among participants.

MELLOBLOCCO 2012
- Grip, magic and boulders galore at the start of Melloblocco 2012
- Melloblocco day one and the sea of new boulder problems
- Melloblocco 2012, a record start!
- Melloblocco 2012 instructions for use
- Melloblocco 2012 - The Bouldering Community returns to Val Masino