Frasassi Climbing Festival - La Sportiva meets the Italian team athletes

A unique event in the outdoor world, which offers the La Sportiva team athletes the opportunity to share true emotions, in contact with nature, while feeling part of a big family. La Sportiva ambassadors of the past, such as Rolando Larcher, Angelika Rainer, Marzio Nardi, Sara Avoscan, and Silvo Reffo found themselves climbing in the Marche together with younger athletes, such as Alessandro Zeni, who has just returned from an expedition to Siula Grande, in Peru and Rolando Larcher's son, Alessandro, who is studying medicine.

"This is my first athletes’ meeting, and I must say that it seems like a truly stimulating initiative: an opportunity to exchange views on routes, upcoming projects and opinions on equipment. In addition, we share good times together, both among athletes and alongside fans, who offer different and interesting perspectives. The talk by mountaineer Pietro Picco was also interesting, a way to get in touch with another world, equally fascinating. It is also the first time that I’ve climbed in this area and I have discovered a beautiful reality. With La Sportiva I feel part of a united group, with common values, there is a deep bond that unites us all. I feel that someone is willing to listen to me and I appreciate the sincere relationship with the company”, said Alessandro Larcher.

A good example for the new generation of climbers who gathered for the Frasassi Climbing Festival, an event that aims to become one of the most important climbing events on the Italian scene and beyond. Here, in fact, Australian, Scottish, English, Czechoslovakian and Irish climbers meet ... Over the years the public has become increasingly international, and the target of the event is very inclusive: the goal, in fact, is to introduce as many people as possible not only to the world of climbing but also other activities that revolve around this world too, such as yoga and slackline, and to discover the cultural aspects of the area, such as the extraordinary baroque church of Santa Lucia. The Festival began in 2012, from an idea of Massimo Mosca, as a way to bring together the Gola della Rossa and Frasassi Regional Natural Park, finding the support of La Sportiva since the first edition.

The event sprang from the passion of the inhabitants of this surprising region, who for years have put their heart and soul into serving the community of climbers beyond work and family commitments, in line with the vision of La Sportiva, which for generations has handed down the enthusiasm for climbing and for an authentic and genuine life in the open air.

"Although it is a highly structured company that exports to over one hundred countries, La Sportiva has always tried to maintain a human, direct and informal relationship, both among employees and with athletes. The company places itself on the same level as outdoor enthusiasts, trying to understand their needs and desires", says Fabio Parisi, Athletes & Sponsorship Specialist of the company from Ziano di Fiemme. A philosophy carried out with dedication and a sense of responsibility: for La Sportiva, in fact, meeting its athletes has always represented a precious exchange opportunity, and which this year for the first time has been divided into three events dedicated the local teams in Germany, France and Italy before meeting at the International Climbing Team Meeting to be held in Ziano di Fiemme next October.

Local events are organized within events already supported by the brand, such as the Frasassi Climbing Festival, an expedient that allows the Trentino brand to place itself in a receptive context that offers services, information, activities, and also allows to create added value, bringing together dozens of world-class athletes. A very functional give-and-take for everyone. “It's nice that more generations are confronted: for example, climbing with Rolando Larcher - a real history manual - always allows me to learn something new. - observed Sara Avoscan, a young athlete of the La Sportiva team - Furthermore, organizing this meeting within the context of the Frasassi Climbing Festival is an intelligent way to enhance the Italian crags: we are often looking for exotic trips abroad, while there are many beautiful places here in our country. "

On the occasion of the Festival, a recovery intervention was also carried out on the historic crag of Ponte Chiara d'Ovo, one of the oldest in the area of the Frasassi Caves, abandoned for years: a part of it was re-bolted by Rolando Larcher, in addition he also bolted three new very aesthetic lines, positioned on a ledge overlooking the valley, and on which the athletes measured themselves during the days of the event. "I liked putting myself to the test on the new pitches that have been bolted: one route is a bit more overhanging, develops on dihedrals, with notches and slopers.  It is more physical with a fun finish, and I managed to climb it on sight. I think the grade is around 8a / 8a +. The other route is more vertical, on small holes and elusive holds, more difficult from a technical point of view, with very random movements: in this case a first attempt was essential to fully understand the movements, the holds and how to move along the lines. I managed to close it on the second attempt, I think it is around 8a +. Two beautiful, complex routes”, said Alessandro Larcher.

The idea was to offer a new breath of life to this crag thanks to harder pitches, and to invite enthusiasts to come to this place and get involved on completely virgin rock to free the pitches. The crag is on the side of the road, therefore easy to access pitches for everyone, from 5b up to over 8a. "We athletes know each other a little bit but we often live in distant places, and it is nice to be able to meet each other to climb and exchange information on cliffs and routes where we have been, creates a new motivation. - said Angelika Rainer, athlete of the La Sportiva team and three times world champion in ice climbing - I have been with La Sportiva for eighteen years and I can say that I have always felt part of a big family. Both the company and the team of athletes have grown a lot in recent years, and for this reason I think it is even more important that there are meetings like this, to communicate directly - both with the athletes and with the company representatives – encouraging an exchange of ideas in a perfectly, relaxed atmosphere "

Author: Marta Manzoni

Photos: Klaus Dell'Orto