Life is beautiful for Mauro Bubu Bole

Mauro Bubu Bole frees "La via è bella" M11, Valle di Landro, Dolomites

February 2004

After the fast repeat of "Fly in the wind" M10 in mid-January, Mauro Bubu Bole returned to the Valle di Landro, Dolomites, where he established his new "La via Ã¨ bella." The route takes a horizontal crackline past the occasional hanging drip through a 15m roof, and is tentatively graded M11.

The name is a play on words and can be interpreted as "the route is beautiful" or "life is beautiful". Bole refers not only to the fantastic moves way above the valley, but also to Benigni's oscar winning film.

He explains: "as time passes, I realise more and more that we climbers resemble the small boy who believes that all is a fairy tale. Almost as if there were a father "mountaineering" who makes us believe that the world revolves around a pice of rock or ice or, even worse, a certain grade. We become deaf and blind to all the tragedies that happen around us, perhaps even right in front of our own eyes. And, instead of being happy for doing what we like best, we end up hating each other for one additional bolt or, worse still, for a stupid grade!

After the bad experiences in the past, I've decided not to get involved in this useless gossiping, where no one realises that at the end of the day there are no winners or loosers, but only wasted energy.

I'm now dedicating myself to promoting mixed climbing so that, after the "boom" of the last couple of years, it won't get forgotton or, worse still, criticiesd. I'd like it to be an open door for youngsters to start mountaineering and, why not, make them dream? Yes, just like I've dreamt in the past and hope to continue dreaming in the future!"

Mauro Bubu Bole