Marathon & Baby Block
Grange della Valle (To), 16 and 17 July 2005
New edition of the bouldering meeting in Piedmont, born from the initiative of Maurizio Puato and organized with the collaboration of Marco Pozzi and Tiziana Di Martino, hut keepers of the Levi-Molinari Hut of Grange della Valle (TO). This year’s event has been proposed with a new competition formula, in which teams of friends compete against each other on new boulder problems, just created for the occasion.
Giacomo “Gek” Negro of Bside team tells us how it was.
Oscar Durbiano

Fifth outdoor bouldering meeting
Also this year has taken place the by now traditional summer meeting near Levi. This year it has been proposed with a formula for “big and small”, with the Baby Block day on Saturday, to let the aspiring future boulderers have fun, and the Marathon Block for teams on Sunday. A totally new formula that has been very well received, with long established teams fighting against each other… It has been clear from the beginning that the cheerful and relaxed spirit that usually characterizes all these meetings would have let place to the strongest competition, to beat the rival teams!
And so, on Sunday morning, somebody earlier, somebody later, we are all in front of the Levi Hut, ready to register; the teams are formed…unisex, bisexual, not clearly defined, they are all ready, the competition package with all accessories has been collected (if somebody has lost it in the same moment he has got it, these are things that happen…), the planned strategies, and then the starting signal, let’s go! The day is great, a burning sun, may be just a little bit too hot, but is ok like that.
The army of little people with their protection shell (read Crash Pads, ndr), begins to move in all directions: a few decide to warm up on the easier boulders around the hut, others start from above and move down, others make the contrary, a few decide to lay in the sun on the meadows, everybody does what he likes to, anyway “sooner or later we meet under that boulder and we see who succeeds on it…!
All of a sudden all boulders are besieged, everybody fights at his own level, keeps an eye on the actual rivals, and the values on the field begin to become clear. As the name rightly means, in a Marathon Block also endurance is important, and to dole out your energy is a winning factor (of course if you haven’t chosen the wrong partner, because in this case the challenge is lost already at the beginning, isn’t it true, Marce/Smokin???). Venerdì 13, il Contrabbandiere, Rododendro, Bee Bop Alula, la Carogna sulle spalle, these are the names of a few of the problems often climbed by the disrespectful boulderers, on which the success has been decided, with pinches, dynos, crimps. All day long people climb and fight, until the last try of the Tartaruga, to earn a few more points at the end for a better final ranking.
And when you reach the end you can give back the list of the boulders and let the better climbers try the big roof in front of the hut, well protected to avoid bad falls. “Did anybody already climb it? Just one more move… Let’s go, brave men and women (Anita and Stella)!”. Many tries, exhaustion, but among the spectators there is a certain Christian Core, who has supported his sweet half all day long, and hasn’t climbed, due to tiredness. But once he sees the roof, he doesn’t understand anything more, his eyes shine, he runs to the board to quickly warm up and in two tries he fires the problem, and he dominates it, with a huge cheer from the crowd. What a show!
This highlight of Core marked the end of the event, and then the start of the price giving ceremony and final buffet. For the file, the final success went to Giulia Giammarco and Stella Marchisio, with 700 points, much better than strong men teams, second place for Mattia Capriuolo – Cataboulder and third CataStecca - Lele Mannini. And then the mythical lottery with umbrellas and calculators (almost) for everybody and then to the cars and home. End of the game also this year, with the last indefatigable ones who continued to try the Doganiere, although without making it, until 21.30 in the night, remaining without skin on the fingertips.
A lot of thanks to the sponsors of the event, to the organization (Mauri is never tired) and to all of you who have enjoyed this great day! Giacomo Negro