Alpia Apuane, Torri di Monzone, 'TerraRossa'.

TOWERS OF MONZONE: TERRAROSSA

Dear fellow climbers, those who know me well know that I don't like crowded places, that the routes I open are never overcrowded and that the crags I equip I always keep as private as possible, but in recent years (maybe I'm getting old?) I have opened a few routes of medium-low difficulty that are really well equipped and safe...

The Tale

... Tramontana at Muzzerone, Lovable and Art and Manner at Monte Cavallo, Vianello House at the Cathedral of Monzone are an example of routes opened from below with spaced pegs but later made safer by the addition of numerous pegs to facilitate repetitions.

Several times I have been reproached for opening routes without thinking about others but, as I have said on other occasions, I do not do 'Social Work' and the routes I open I do just for pure personal enjoyment without paying particular attention to what others think of them. I don't deny that when people repeat one of my routes and congratulate me, I am pleased, but the most intriguing thing for me is to see how far I can push my skills when opening while remaining within a reasonably calculated risk.

The most difficult routes that I have opened are my own personal psychophysical performances and I would hate for them to be modified by adding pitons to facilitate repetitions, but in the above cases of 'easy' routes there is no performance and so I think it is only fair that they should be available to those who still want to rise above the fateful single pitch of the crag.

The latest in this generation is 'Terrarossa' in the left sector of the Torri di Monzone near the two typical black streaks that characterise this wall sector.

A route already existed on the wall Rats (Maxi 2 I think!) which follows an obvious arched dihedral and then a series of overhanging, grassy cracks, but honestly, to look at it, it doesn't look like much of a beauty.

Relazone

Terrarossa left of Maxi 2It crosses it on the first pitch and climbs straight up an open wall with excellent quality rock.

First Ascent : Luisa Siliani- Roberto Vigiani ; May 2005

Development : 160mt

Maximum difficulty: 6c+

Obligatory difficulty:6b/6b+

Material required :quickdraws and 70m single rope.

Notes: beautiful route almost all cleared (the first pitch is still missing, which is feasible anyway) ) and well bolted with bolts spaced about 3/4 metres apart.

Abseil down the route by returning a few bolts on the final two pitches, which are slightly diagonal and overhanging (also possible with a 70 m rope, taking care to tie knots at the rope ends).

Access: climb up to the base of Jungland and skirt the wall to the left until you come to a fixed rope that goes over a rocky prominence and through steep woods leads to the start of the route.

At the start, a rope makes it easier to reach the first piton.