Valsugana e Canal del Brenta

Year: 2011 Format: 15x21 Pages: 224 Photos: col Valsugana is the long and famous valley that connects the Venetian plain to the Trento basin. An important communication route, in the southernmost sector, between Grigno and Valstagna, it appears as a narrow furrow (Brenta Canal) surmounted on both sides by imposing limestone rock walls. The low altitudes, the ease of access and the magnificent rock in many parts have allowed the development of climbing since the early 1960s (even if the first approaches had already taken place in the 1930s) . Numerous itineraries have been traced, sometimes of different rope lengths, almost always challenging, to the point of certainly stating that some of them do not fear comparison with renowned Dolomite routes. An example of this is "Valsugana Away" opened in 1981 by the late Lorenzo Massarotto and Leopoldo Roman on Sasso Rosso. As well as "Tovaric" at the Pilastro dei Barbari by the Casarotto brothers, Sergio Boato and Carla Berto in 1987 and "Nuovo Millennio" at the Pilastro di Serafini by Giuseppe Tararan, Francesco Leardi and R. Citton at the end of the 90s. The adventure mountaineering of the early years, all with pitons and natural means, later saw a sporting evolution which led to the re-equipment of some very repeated itineraries such as those at the Covolo del Butistone, the Arsiè Wall and the Primolano Wall . Routes characterized by medium-high difficulty and above all by magnificent rock, so much so that not even the disturbance of the state road, sometimes directly below on the vertical, prevented frequenting them. Here climbing has evocative and mythical names: "Return from the underworld", "Diedro dei Carofani", "E mi e ti e Toni". But also "Roberta Dalle Feste", "Sergio Lovadina", "Paolo De Tuoni", three routes that Umberto Marampon, true guardian of the valley, wanted to dedicate to three friends who tragically passed away. Thanks to the work of this ever-young climber, the valley offers many opportunities for artificial climbing with roofs and overhangs looming directly over the valley floor. Ermes Bergamaschi therefore, through this work, intends to enhance and relaunch, with the description of 101 itineraries, the mountaineering potential of an area where indissoluble bonds have been intertwined and memorable pages have been written but above all where the terrain of adventure and discovery has not yet exhausted itself.