Palinuro, climbing above the sea and the climBrave Festival

PALINURO... FROM THE BEACH TO THE FESTVAL

It was love at first sight! Palinuro, the beach, even when there weren't that many routes, it simply left me speechless! You get there via dirt track, this turns into a narrow path with sweeping views onto the sea... only right at the very end does the cliff spring into view. Palinuro is certainly destined to become one of the major climbing areas in Campania, at least for those who wish to combine a beach holiday with climbing.

A 300m beach, a beautiful sea... and a gorgeous limestone cliff with more than 40 pitches from 4a to 8b. Combining a beach holiday and climbing is a must here, simply leave your beers in the cool shady caves at the base of the cliff, lay your towel on the sand, check out the numerous (sensational!) routes... and alternate climbing with swimming in a truly unique environment.

After the great efforts undertaken by Oreste Bottiglieri (the man behind all the new routing in Campania) and Amedeo Polito (the driving force behind the local climbing club), in April the crag celebrated the first ClimBrave festival. A climbing competition, spectacles, company stands and night climbing... these were just a few of the many things happening during this magnificent event which will be repeated in 2014, from 25 to 27 April... don't miss it!

Currently the climbing development is far from over. There's another crag just a few kilometers from the coast called the Vauzo di S. Maria and this north-facing cliff is a great alternative when it gets hot.

It's worth noting the great lengths to which the local tourist office and clubs went to to promote climbing. If you plan to visit somewhere new, Palinuro is the place to go!

Further information:
www.x3mmountainguides.com
www.climbinghouse.it
www.palinuroclimbing.it
www.esoespalinuro.org

A particular thanks to the technical sponsors Berner, Climbing Technology, E9, Ferrino, Petzl, Salewa, Versante Sud, and to Biagio “Palinuro A 360 gradi” for the fantastic photos.