Marcello Bombardi frees A pugni chiusi (9a) in Valle dell'Orco

An open project in the Orco Valley that I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time on, composed of a tricky initial slab, a fairly comfortable ledge halfway up to rest for a moment, and a continuous climb on granite using small holds.

During the first sessions on the route last year, I couldn’t solve some of the moves. This spring, with renewed energy, the key sequence felt easier and finally climbable, but the last two micro-crimps on the final overhang still resisted me.

Those few final moves aren’t that hard individually, but some fatigue in the arms, softer skin from the previous holds, and a slightly tired core made these last moves extremely demanding on the link.

In autumn, things changed. Lower temperatures and harder skin made the difference, allowing me to fill the small gap and finally climb the route.

As usual, I was hesitant for a long time about which grade to propose. The route felt hard and demanding to me, as do many routes in the Orco Valley. Future repeaters will have their say.

The route is called A pugni chiusi, With clenched fists. Like the fists you make to hold those tiny holds on the route. Like the symbolic gesture of protest, fists clenched and raised to the sky, by Tommie Smith and John Carlos during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. In memory of those events and in honor of those who spoke up and acted for ideals of peace, democracy, and equality, in a world and society that today, unfortunately, seem to be regressing from those values.

- Marcello Bombardi, Pont-Saint-Martin

P.S. It’s better attempted with tough skin.