We’d set out for Croatia unsure how long the autumn weather would be fit for climbing – banking on a couple of weeks, but daring to hope for more. Almost five weeks later, having spent much of the intervening period scratching around for shade and whinging about the heat, we finally hit a dodgy spell. A return to ideal sunny but cooler weather was on the horizon (indeed the locals reckoned December and January are peak season) but we’d need to be heading home by then. Rather than cut our trip short we started the multi-dimensional conundrum of working out the best spot for a stopover on the way back. Weather forecasts, crag locations, journey times, campsite availability and toll information (all digital of course – how did we ever manage before smart phones?) were all crunched into the RockAroundTheWorld algorithm, which duly spat out the one word answer: “FINALE”.
Regular blog followers and Italy aficionados will know that there are two extensive climbing areas in Liguria: Finale, the old-school favourite by the seaside and the area covered in the Oltre Finale guide, the new kid on the block, with cragging set in a couple of tight, wooded valleys, a little further west and inland. Our base for our 5-day mini-break was the excellent Freeride Outdoor Village, in Finalborgo, heart of the ‘original’ Finale scene, and now very much a mountain biking as well as a climbing Mecca. Heads up to all our MTB friends – it’s wall-to-wall black runs and full-suss around here, and the campsite even features a bike wash and maintenance area.
Much of the climbing in Finale is west facing, and with a cool start we set off to explore one of the exceptions – Caprazoppa sits directly above Finale Ligure on the coast road, looking out over the sparkling sea. Parking is a bit of a nightmare (there are a couple of cinquecento-sized spots at the spot indicated in the guide but otherwise you’re scouring for options on the narrow, steep approach road. Definitely one for folding your wing mirrors!
There’s a nice sign indicating the sectors, though it’s quite out of date regarding the number of routes…
You follow a big path towards the cave for about 100m then zag back leftwards at a sign marked “climbing”,
then head up another 100m or so to branch off right to the crag. They’ve gone out of their way to clearly mark the path.
Il Cimitero is the handiest sector, with around 20 routes between 4b and 7b, mostly 6s. Stunning views down to the sea.
The routes either side of the tufa cave are real sandbags. Psicologica, 6a (my arse!) and Bambino
Much more enjoyable and amenable was Tostau, 5c
We set off to explore one of the other sectors, Parsifal, a bit of a bushwack round to the left of Il Cimitero then get your machete out as you head up and rightwards. Worth having a navigation app and Open Street Maps or similar. It wasn’t just us who found the navigation tricky; we ended up rescuing a team of lost Italians. I’d have put in a trail pic but we weren’t hugely impressed by what we found so I wouldn’t want to encourage you,
Overcast the next day, so we headed to Sector Terminal in Val Pennavaire / Oltre Finale, which from previous experience gets whatever sun is going! We’ve been a few times before so there’s good coverage elsewhere on the blog
Just worth adding that there’s a brand new (2022) guide to Val Pennavaire including a bunch of new stuff here, including some great long 6s up the big stratified wall right of centre. We did Gri Irrespetabile, 6b+, and Have a Drink on Me, 6a. Both excellent, if still a bit gravelly.
I had a good workout, trying but not quite managing three 7as: Cristoforo Colombo and Maraquaia (both outstanding but just a tad too tough) and Pablo Picasso (a bit of a disjointed one-move wonder).
Helen had more success on Barajas, 6a
Regardless of the superb climbing, the highlight of the day was a return to our favourite bar. Sitting in Bar Neva, the “Climbers’ Bar” in Cisano sul Neva, enjoying a well-earned pint (OK 400ml) and some excellent antipasti, we were trying to think of a better “Climbers’ Bar” anywhere outside the UK. We were stumped, so I reached out to the UKC Hive Mind, which resulted in the following exchanges…
https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/destinations/best_climbers_bar_outside_uk-754175
Rocca di Perti called us the following morning (we could almost have walked from the campsite). We started on Placca Piotti which gets the sun reasonably early.
Fab 3D climbing on the unlikely looking Danza Saracena, 5c
Aspitta e Spera, 7a, proved to be just as tricky as it looked and Pilier de Concentrazione, 6b, was properly old-school, so we headed down a level to Ombre Blu. There’s a bunch of brand new routes to the right of the sector and we ran into a couple of locals who had a one-page topo. A dozen routes mostly 6a to 6b+.
We did Petite Gueule d’Amour, a 6a (3rd from the right). The rock was incredibly sharp and grippy and you can just imagine how different some of the most classic routes must have felt 30 or 40 years ago!
Over on the main Ombre Blu, Helen did Ratafia, 6a:
For our final day we headed back to Oltre Finale to the crags around the Toraino show cave – a handy place to park your van when you’re in transit. This turned out to be a more or less “groundhog day” experience to the last day of our very first visit to the area in 2015.
… so just a few pics from this re-visit.
… and with that we set off for our 1,000 miles journey home via the tunnel. Heading over the Alps, and on a tight schedule, we’d completely resigned ourselves to that being the end of any climbing activities. However, on popping out of the Frejus tunnel the following morning, it was cracking the flags. Okay, the thermometer said 1C, but the sun is a wonderful thing.
Rocher des Amoureux in the Maurienne Valley is the perfect YECTOYD stop. Literally roadside and just 5mins from the autoroute. One route, Tailleurs de Pierre, a 3* 5c, was quite sufficient in the circumstances. A Grand Finale indeed!
RockAroundTheWorld 