OSSOLA ROCK

Sport and Trad climbing from Lake Maggiore to Simplon, from Mt. Rosa to Devero, Formazza, Vigezzo and Antigorio valleys

This is the fourth edition of the guidebook reviewing the crags and the walls of Ossola, covering the whole area of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and introducing the newest climbing spots, such as Nibbio, Onzo and Ponte Romano. The restyling allow us to adopt a more thorough approach; the descriptions are more accurate, to the benefit of the climbers coming from other areas. For the first time, we have published a fully translated German version, for the ever growing number of climbers coming from German-speaking areas and willing to test themselves on the wonderful rock of Ossola, be it the cracks of Cadarese, Balma and Yosesigo, the prsitine walls of Sempione and Devero or enjoy some of the most renowned gems such as Premia and Croveo.

Fabrizio Manoni (Manetta), in 1986, at the age of 23, is already in the Himalayas and opens a new path on Shivling, becoming a guide in the same year. The 8463 meters of the Makalu climbs in alpine style and bivouacs in the open and without oxygen near the summit of Everest. Solo climbing in the Andes also opening up new routes. On the Alps it is active everywhere, often alone, as on the north of the Matterhorn. His ideal is the “fluid speed” – like the Frendo on foot from Chamonix in 5 I have the Cassin to the Shovel in 2.40 h – a concept he loves to wear also in sport climbing.

Maurizio Pellizzon, member of CAAI, after only two years of climbing has already climbed some big-walls in Yosemite. Since then his passion has led him to go through the Alps on many difficult routes on rock and ice. An explorer and great climber, as well as an opener for itineraries on the Ossola walls and beyond, he made himself known thanks to his perfectly equipped and appreciated plaisir routes for intuition and beauty.

Paolo Stoppini, after becoming a mountain guide, begins a journey research into forms of exploratory mountaineering. In the mountains of the house the Direttissima at the Mittelrück, the New Millennium in the Red and the Scream of the Buzzard on the Pizzo Pioda rises in winter. Exploratory mountaineering will lead him to follow his intuition in new openings, as well as on numerous Ossola walls, some of which are still untouched, even on some of the world’s great mountains, from Turkey to Peru, to Mali.