UKC

A new guidebook to the Valle Dell'Orco in northwest Italy has prompted something of a revival in trad climbing amongst normally conservative Italian climbers. Luca Signorelli takes a look at the book and its impact on the scene, where a debate very familiar to UK climbers is currently raging.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=3195

In reply to UKC Gear: Inspiring review - thanks Luca. Something for my Xmas list I think!

In reply to UKC Gear: Thanks Luca, yet another area to add to the list of places to vist

And good to see Mike Kosterlizt getting a mention, I suspect he's better known in Italy than the UK today.

Great review Luca, looks like my Euro roadtrip of next year is becoming a Northern Italy roadtrip, where will volume 2 cover?

In reply to Doug:

I don't know precisely how Kosterlitz is considered today in UK, but in NW Italy he's a absolute legend by all means. One of the reasons I want to see an outline of the "Nuovo Mattino" history (the "new wave" of Italian climbing) being published somewhere, is that not only that was a complicate story of death, drugs, madness and climbing, but was also one of the few instances of the collaboration between UK and some continental climbers triggering something completely new in the climbing scene... and then the whole story, no matter how interesting, being forgotten....

In reply to Sheffield Sam:

"Volume 2": not sure when will be published - may take a long time - will cover everything in Orco above the valley floor. Looking forward to it, as I feel the "upper Orco" (the lateral valleys, like Noaschetta or Piantonetto) are the places that put Orco on the same level as Mount Blanc (at least as far as rock climbing goes)

In reply to Luca Signorelli:
>... same level as Mount Blanc

MOUNT Blanc, Luca?

In reply to jon:
For pete sake's Jon - give me some slack - I'm on the other side of the fence!!

In reply to Luca Signorelli:

Oh OK then. But all the same, Mount... arrrgh! Makes you sound American!

In reply to jon:


American? Right now I'm listening to few different cover version of Bauhaus's "Bela Lugosi's dead"...

In reply to Luca Signorelli:

This is what happens when you're in hurry to reply to three different threads in three different forums in three different languages while listening to three different version of the same Bauhaus song, it's late and you want to go to sleep...

The right reply was supposed to be "American? I just a English spelling challenged Italian..." but I got mixed up with a bit of cut and paste. I bet what I wrote above should have sound somehow confusing for Jon!

A note on "Valle Dell'Orco" successor (let's call it "Rock Paradise II") - I think Maurizio is working on it, but it's not due for publishing anytime soon...

In reply to Luca Signorelli:


Huh, we all know your English is far better than most English UKC users. Anyway, I was just teasing!

But all the same... Mount - it's the thin end of the wedge, you know!

In reply to jon:

... Err, I meant English speaking, obviously.

In reply to jon:

I'm seriously thinking about calling Mt. Blanc "Mont Mallet" again (that was the original local name) and I agree that "Mount Mallet" would sound weird!

BTW - if anyone is in Turin next Wednesday there's Maurizio giving a public presentation of the guidebook - anyone mail me for the details if interested.

In reply to Luca Signorelli:

Just ignore them Luca - perhaps UKC members would like to try and practice their continental language skills and see if we can understand a word they are saying.
(Sometimes it's hard to understand even what they try to say in English.)

The new guide looks great (I thumbed through it yesterday). I have been "meaning" to go to Orco for about 20 years and this might be just the extra incentive to do it (before I get too old). You do get tired of limestone, after a while ...

In reply to Gavin Taylor:

Jus out of interest, you do know where jon is based don't you?

In reply to AJM:

Ooops - well it's still very cheeky to pick up on errors when a foreigner is writing in your mother tongue. Especially when so many are about as bad in their own language (P.S. "jus" is normally written with a t on the end).

In reply to Gavin Taylor:

When people type responses out on a touchscreen spelling isn't perfect. You'll just have to get used to it.

It certainly struck me as a lighthearted bit of banter between two people (who probably know each other), hence jumping into it to criticise seems frankly very weird, like interrupting a conversation that happened to be occurring in a public place...

In reply to AJM:

Copy your post cited above, paste, and send it back to yourself .
And just to avoid any misunderstanding, this IS a public place, but it's not a private conversation, it's a chat forum and it is not restricted to nuns and vicars (although the same are more than welcome to take part - all due respect).

In reply to Gavin Taylor:

But you and I don't know each other, and the fact you didn't know where Jon was based suggests you don't know him either. It may well have been banter between you and Luca, but in picking out a third party for criticism you make it a very different premise.

Were you being ironic by the way in correcting my spelling earlier without knowing my first language, or hypocritical? It's rather hard to tell online...

In reply to Luca Signorelli:

Now you're talking! It's high time climbing got less boring.

Mick

In reply to AJM:


Yes, and I was being ironic and I was only lightheartedly defending Luca and making fun of average Brit. foreign language skills (I was one once, too, as bad as any). I don't think almost anyone was taking anything very seriously ...

In reply to UKC Gear:

vimeo.com/16961270

The official video/slideshow of the September meeting - nice pictures, nice faces, great music, and Lindsay Griffin somewhere in between.

In reply to Luca Signorelli:

... and some good music for a change. Excellent, I want to see more.