Davide Picco ticks Beginning (9a+) at Arco, Italy

Beginning at Eremo di San Paolo is a route that drained a lot of my energy. Due to the power endurance it requires, I ended up in a "tunnel"; no matter how good I felt, I kept falling off the same move.

In November, however, something changed. I wasn't expecting it, after a very complicated year mainly due to family reasons, along with wedding planning and a 10-day trip to the Maldives (where all my skin disappeared).

Incredibly, when I got back on Beginning, I felt great right from the start. Stronger... after a few attempts to get into fighting mode, I was back to falling off that famous tunnel move, but this time things felt different. From then on, I did another 5 or 6 sessions, until on the 23rd of December I managed to reach the chains. I was overjoyed to end the year on such a high, and excited for my climbing holiday, but the surprises weren't over yet: on the 24th, I was admitted to hospital for an inguinal hernia and had surgery on the 26th.

Needless to say, I spent my Christmas holiday in the hospital. I'm feeling better now, and I've even started climbing again, but I can safely say I sent the route just in time!

- Davide Picco, Rovereto