Jacopo Larcher repeats Lapoterapia at Osso

Lapoterapia is a route I’m happy to talk about for various reasons. Firstly because it’s one of those gems that for many reasons, often due to chance, has stayed out of the limelight and steered clear of the "easy" marketing circuit. The history of this climb is normal, but the names of those it’s connected to are bearers of quality and silent toils, often locked in a veil of obscurity. Bolted during an easily identifiable historic period by Maurizio Pellizzon, it was first ascended by another silent hero, Alessandro Manini. Unknown to most, Manini is an extremely talented local Ossola climber, reserved and humble, who freed the pitch with great satisfaction in 2012, aged 45 and during one of his work breaks.

Manini has been a leading light for more than twenty years and has established numerous important routes and freed just as many. His climbs, the grades and the years when they were done always commanded respect from those who repeated them (such as Profondo Rosso and A denti stretti at Balmanolesca, to name but two). In 2013 Lapoterapia was repeated for the first time by climbing ace Gabriele Moroni, who confirmed the route's grade. A repeat carried out in decidedly extreme conditions, seeing how hot it was at the time.

At the end of November another formidable climber, Jacopo Larcher, escaped the bad weather in Bludenz in Austria (where he currently lives) and visited me to try something interesting, difficult and not to be taken for granted. And after two days of attempts he came up trumps, checking in with the route's third ascent. But the wheel keeps on turning, Ossola is a land of history but also at the forefront of climbing evolution and, at times, conflict! Please forgive the play of words, but in these valleys trad climbing has matched itself against tradition, resulting in new reference crags such as Cadarese and Yosesigo. And Lapoterapia, according to Larcher, seems as if it might go free without the bolts.

Osso is a winter crag close to Croveo (circa 2 hours north of Milan), famous for being particularly sunny and warm and ideal therefore in winter, early spring and late autumn. The routes on excellent gneiss are sustained, very technical and graded predominantly between 6c and 7c. Bolted by Maurizio Pellizzon, Luigi Turchetto and Fabrizio Fratagnoli.

by Riky Felderer