13 nights out around Sardinia...

During my long experience living abroad I was often asked if there was anything that I was missing about Sardinia, my homeland. Of course, the list was long however I was also enjoying so much my life that what I was missing was obviously compensated by something else, often new and completely different that made everything else disappear.

Since we moved back to Sardinia, in March 2019, I started again enjoying some little things that I had somehow forgot, and slowly I realize that there was something that indeed was missing…travelling around the island, and sleeping outdoors in a tent camp!

One year of silence...what happened?

I can't believe I haven't written anything for more than 12 months! This really makes me understand how life run fast, so fast!

So what happened in between?!

If I think about it for a moment too many things pop-up in my mind.

Travelling, Working & Surfing in Tenerife...

Even though I am often complaining about my 9 to 6 office routine, I must admit that working for a large travel company it often gives the opportunity and the advantages to do things, which I would probably not be able to do instead.

One of this is obviously travelling.

Recently I was asked to fly to Tenerife to give a 5 days training session to our operations teams diluited in 2 working weeks and flying back and forth from Palma.

Sunshine, nenes y Pollo Amarillo...

A few days ago Ivan Guardia, an active mallorquin local climber, did a great job updating names and grades of  a sector called C´as Catalá, and sharing it on the facebook group Escalada en Mallorca.

Almost immediately a discussion about the notorious route Pollo Amarillo fired up.

Pollo Amarillo is relatively short route initially graded 6C+ that offers nice movements on ergonomic holes on its initial part, followed by a very hard session on painful small crimps that leads to the anchor.

I personally tried this line right before Xmas and I was badly kicked out. 

Climbing results in 2017: 21 routes from 7a to 7b+

2017 has just finished and it is impossible not to make a balance of this first year in Mallorca.

Taking into account the mere aspect of climbing, which as usual makes everything else look almost irrelevant, I would say that the most important trait of my climbing experience has been fired up by the idea of start taking note of each route I climbed.

I know this sounds a bit silly, however following the suggestion given by Sergi Flash, a local climber I often climbed with, I understood how important this routine is in terms of self-motivation.

Growing older, becoming wiser, climbing harder!

I can´t believe in less than one month I will be turning 40, yet I am so proud of it!

I am proud because so far I have been able to juggle with life without dropping the balls a single time, or if you prefer I have been climbing on sight a multi-pitch with no rests!

If I stop a second and I watch back I see my life full of great experience and most of them have been somehow connected with climbing.

Shortbreak in Sardinia, just amazing...

Since I moved to Mallorca and I started the new job I have the possibility to work from home two days a week Mondays and Tuesdays, which somehow gives me the opportunity to enjoy more time with my family and somehow have this feeling of having a prolonged weekend. 

In addition if there is the possibility to bridge these weekends with national holidays and perhaps take one or two days off  the possibility to undertake some long trips becomes really inviting.

As such, considering the recent festivities I took the advantage to fly back to Sardinia, my homeland!

Easter in Caimari surmounted by rock....

@Supranee on Via Morito, 6c

I must admit I have never been a good christian and for sure in the very last eight years spent in non-christian countries I couldn't even remember that magic atmosphere of knowing that from Holy Thursday until Monday of Easter in front of you there is only one mantra: Eat, Climb, Sleep...Repeat.

Since we moved to Mallorca we have been climbing almost every weekend, yet we were still missing what turned out to be the best climbing location so far, Caimari!

On the rock within 20 minutes from home...

All right guys, here we are! Time is passing by very fast and we are already in the middle of April right at the gate of Easter Holiday!

In the last weeks we managed to visit more climbing areas, all of them very nice and always with a great variety of lines both in terms of styles and climbing grades.

Family day in Tijuana...

A few weeks ago we went out climbing to Tijuana, an amazing sea cliff located in the area of Santanyí in the South-east coast of Mallorca, around 45 minutes driving from Palma.

The location is simply amazing and the access is absolutely super easy, just park the car and take a 10´ easy walk down the cliff.  

The crew was composed by 5 climbers sharing 2 ropes,  3 little cuties in infant age , Ettore,  Clare, Toni and the support of two fantastic and active grandpas, Miquel and Magadalena.

A new life in Palma, Spain...

As many of you already know, our little family has recently relocated to Palma de Mallorca, Spain and many things have already happened since then.

Considering we were moving for good and not for holidays, we extensively spent the first 2 weeks looking for a house, looking for a car, discovering the city and of course looking for other climbers to start exploring the climbing potential of this beautiful island.

Funny enough, even before having found a house and having purchased a car we had already bought the local climbing guide book and we could tick off two climbing trips on our agenda!

New Climbing Season in Chong Plee

After such a long and wet raining season, it seems now the weather has turned to be much better and I believe everybody would agree with me saying that the new climbing season has officially started again!

In order to celebrate the beginning of the new season we formally donated the money gathered so far through the Chong Plee Fundraising Project to Mike, a little treasure of 10,000THB, and I really hope we would be able to deliver new donations in the next months.

A growing climbing community...

It is quite easy to notice that in the very last few months Phuket Climbing scene has evolved at a rapid and constant speed.

If Rock Climbing in Phuket was initially confided within the limited possibilities offered by a few fellas sharing their house-walls with their friends, today many more people are joining this amazing activities.

Art-C House - Grand Opening Postponed

As many of you have surely seen on our Phuket Climbing FacebookPage, in the last weeks we shared several posts and pictures of a New Climbing Wall located in Phuket Town inside the Art-C House.

Art-C House Management organized several testing climbing session and Phuket Climbing was friendly helping to spread the word across the climbing community gathering very positive feedbacks and warm worlds of encouragement from anybody participating the events.

Yoga, Climbing & Meditation....

David is a professional yoga teacher based in Phuket who recently started doing rock climbing and we asked him to share with us his own personal perspective about climbing.

The idea was to gather some nice point of view from a beginner perspective, eventually his words turned to be very inspiring.

Take a deep breath and be ready to be hypnotize by his words....

Climbing in Chong Plee - History, Development and Fundraising...

Spirit Mountain is a little rocky hill located in Chong Plee, only 5 minutes driving from Ao Nang, in the province of Krabi, Thailand

This little climbing gem is currently gathering more and more visibility among the climbing community both because its super easy access, and also because the very nice mix of climbing styles and grades, which make this crag a perfect spot for beginners, a very inspiring habitat for intermediate climbers and a great playground for expert climbers.

Climbing in Chong Plee - Fundraising Project to bolt new routes!

A few days ago talking with a good friend of mine we kind of realized that nowadays many climbers have a very little knowledge of climbing ethics, climbing rules, history of climbing, bolting technics or mere financial costs behind the development of a new climbing area.

Despite what some people might think, equipped climbing spots are not gifts of an invisible god, and they do not grow up naturally, instead there is a lot of work, passion, research, and financial efforts often undertaken individually by a restricted number of independent climbing developers.

Bouldering in Phuket - Granite boulders ready to be cleaned up!

As everybody can easily realize, Phuket has a great abundance of hills mostly located around the area of Kathu and all across the west cost of the island.

In some of them many tourist companies are organizing elephant camps, others have been equipped with zip lines or other adventurous activities, however the majority of them are still partially unexplored both because of their steep profiles but also because of their inaccessible and lavish vegetation.

 A few weeks ago I had the occasion to join a famous zip line program, the experience was really amazing, but even more amazing was the fact that the entire area is immersed in the deep jungle and populated by a number of big granite boulders.

Climbing in Chiang Mai – First time at Crazy Horse Buttress

After almost 4 years living in Thailand I finally had the opportunity to take a few days off to visit the city of Chiang Mai, and of course to spend 3 full days of Climbing at Crazy Horse Buttress.

Crazy Horse Buttress is a popular climbing area predominately equipped and developed by CMRCA which is probably the most active climbing company in the whole Thailand.

Although the crag has many different spots, we only managed to climb at Crazy Horse which is the main area and offers the larger number of routes, we climbed at The Horse Shoe aka The Hoof and on our last day we eventually managed to climb at The Furnace which to me is probably the best wall of the entire area.

Climbing in Koh Yao Noi - Climbing is banned!

A few days ago I was approached by Phuket Gazette in regards of the recent appalling order of closure of all the climbing areas in Koh Yao Noi.

Some of my comments where later published in the last paper version of  Phuket Gazette and today I am happy to see that the article has been posted ONLINE.

Considering the innumerable issues covering the tourist scenario in the whole south of Thailand I really wonder what is the real reason behind this illogical restriction, which to me it makes no sense at all.