New boulder area in the Dolomites

113 boulder problems from Fb 3 to Fb 8a at Passo Sella, Northern Italy

Björn Pohl

18

July 2000

Three young Swedish climbers have just returned from a whirlwind trip of some of the best bouldering areas in Sweden, Germany, Austria and Italy. In between some hard repeats up to Fb 8a+, Björn Pohl, Stefan Pettersson and Tomas Gustavsson found enough time to set up an extensive new bouldering area at Città dei Sassi, Northern Italy.

"The development of the area was done at an amazing rate. In five and a half climbing days we opened 113 new problems between 3 and 8a (V0 - V11), 29 of which are 7a/V6 or harder." said Björn.

They stumbled across eight original problems marked in red paint and each new problem is now marked and numbered with blue paint so as to avoid confusion. Björn adds "it's actually the best area I've ever been to! I haven't been to Fontainebleau though... but on the other hand Fontainebleau means bad conditions 9 days out of ten."

Città dei Sassi is situated at almost 2000m beneath the Sella Pass, Dolomites. The mountain refuge is just a couple of minutes walk away should the weather turn bad. But as the three from Stockholm put it "a little rain doesn't really matter though since the rock dries in no time at all, plus 99% of the problems are either very steep, or even steeper."

Stefan Pettersson on 'Mecca' 8a
photos Björn Pohl archive

Latest news

Pilar Este freed on Cerro Chaltén (Fitz Roy) by Tasio Martín, Sean Villanueva

19/03/2026

Pilar Este freed on Cerro Chaltén (Fitz Roy) by Tasio Martín, Sean Villanueva

Jorge Díaz-Rullo makes first ascent of monster Café Colombia at Margalef

18/03/2026

Jorge Díaz-Rullo makes first ascent of monster Café Colombia at Margalef

Watch Jim Pope climb Sad Amongst Friends, the Johnny Dawes classic at Stanage

17/03/2026

Watch Jim Pope climb Sad Amongst Friends, the Johnny Dawes classic at Stanage

Crème Brutalée mixed climb added to Mt. Astraka in Greece by Stefanos Karantinakis, Spyros Kyriakou

17/03/2026

Crème Brutalée mixed climb added to Mt. Astraka in Greece by Stefanos Karantinakis, Spyros Kyriakou

Adam Ondra flashes his fourth 8C boulder, Emotional Landscapes at Maltatal in Austria

16/03/2026

Adam Ondra flashes his fourth 8C boulder, Emotional Landscapes at Maltatal in Austria

Interview: Erwan Legrand on first ascent of Le Bombé Bleu at Buoux

16/03/2026

Interview: Erwan Legrand on first ascent of Le Bombé Bleu at Buoux

Show all latest news

Expo / News

27/02/2026

Matteo Della Bordella becomes a C.A.M.P. athlete

26/02/2026

SCARPA launches the new FURIA AIR: the most sensitive, lightweight climbing shoe on the market.

23/02/2026

New Ocún Products for 2026

17/02/2026

HDry heads overseas to Festiglace, one of Canada’s most iconic ice climbing festivals

05/02/2026

HDry and the Legends of Ice Climbing at the Scarpa Ice Days 2026

17/12/2025

Lumír Fajkoš makes rope solo ascent of Gekón (8c) in Slovakia

Expo / Products

Kong Kong Lario 1 - climbing harness with fixed leg loops

New sport climbing harness with fixed leg loops, offering maximum comfort, low weight and excellent freedom of movement.

Mammut Mammut Barryvox 2 avalanche transceiver

Mammut Barryvox 2 is a compact avalanche transceiver for fast, supported search.

Patagonia Patagonia Cragsmith Pack 45L

45 liter crag backpack with dual lid and back panel openings.

Scott SCOTT Pure Tour 100 - ski touring and freeride skis

Scott skis, light enough for ski touring, and shaped for freeride skiing.

Ferrino Ferrino Extreme 2 - ultra-light high altitude tent

Ferrino Extreme 2 is the lightest high-altitude tent on the market.

SCARPA SCARPA Furia Air - ultra-lightweight climbing shoe

FURIA AIR continues to set the benchmark for climbing footwear, delivering exceptional sensitivity and an ultra-lightweight feel.