Veni, vidi, Vinci – Paolo Marazzi & Luca Schiera link the three classic Val Masino ridges one push

The title is misleading. There was practically nothing easy about this story. What was supposed to be a long day in the mountains turned into a three‑year project.

The theory was simple, at least on paper: climb the three classic ridges of Alta Val Masino – Pizzo Torrone Orientale, Punta Allievi, and Pizzo Cengalo – and enchain them along the Sentiero Roma path.

Credit where it's due: the idea came from Saro Costa, a visionary alpinist in my opinion. He had talked to us about it for some time but had never managed to solve the descent from Torrone without a rope, and he had made it clear that pulling it all together in a single day would be far from easy. Coming from someone who has climbed and raced down countless mountains in remarkable times, that should have been enough to take it seriously. Naturally, we did the opposite: because it seemed too straightforward, we decided to add the North Ridge of the Badile as well.

September 2023, in the dead of night in Bondo.
Sara and Paola drop us off after giving us a lift. It's freezing, and the water on the rock is icy. On Badile, we climb fast to warm up. From the summit, we catch the first signs of the aurora and seek shelter in the bivouac to warm up, but the guests don't seem to appreciate our presence, so we head down towards the south. The first sun lights up the granite, and ahead of us appears the Vinci Ridge on Mt. Cengalo. It's there, so close, yet it seems out of reach. We'd set off from Morbegno seven hours earlier and we were already spent. The cold, lack of sleep, and a pace that was too fast drained us completely. We drag ourselves to the Allievi hut hoping to recover, but we end up we fall asleep in the sun, right in front of the entrance.

In 2024, we start preparing seriously.
A spring spent running, many kilometres across the beautiful Dorsale Lariana, then some fast link‑ups to learn how to transition smoothly from running to climbing. Everything seems to be going well, but then a dark period begins. While we wait for the walls to clear of snow, Paolino is sidelined with an inflamed knee. Then I return from Angola with an aggressive form of malaria, and as soon as I manage to get back on my feet, I decide to give an ankle a new geometrical shape.

2025 – I'm still limping.
I spent the winter in Patagonia hoping for a miracle. I even made it to the base of Cerro Piergiorgio, enduring the pain, only to discover that I had a fractured talus. I certainly underestimated the situation. I rest for a few more months, then in summer Paolino encourages me to return to the mountains. Despite major mobility limitations and a lack of training, it doesn't seem impossible.

We leave some gear along the route and set off the following week. From Punta Allievi onwards, however, it becomes agony: we slow down, grit our teeth all the way to Cengalo, but stop just a few steps short of completing the project.

July 2026 – by now, "the long lap" has become a joke.
We've been talking about it for so long that our partners can't stand it anymore. Friends, hut keepers, and photographers who have been supporting us are just waiting for us to stop putting it off.

We need a perfect day: stable, dry, and warm enough to climb fast at dawn above three thousand metres without freezing. While dodging thunderstorms is a challenge, it's striking to think that nowadays every high‑pressure system comes with a freezing level fixed at 4,000 metres and above – something unthinkable until just a few years ago.

Paolino sets the pace for the entire day. We maintain a rhythm similar to the Trofeo Kima checkpoints, also thanks to the valuable advice of those who know the trail well. We run every possible section, push on the climbs, use the snow on the descents, and keep stops to a minimum. At the Kima bivouac, we meet Max, who follows us for a good part of the circuit, taking photos and giving us an enormous morale boost.

The Canali-Osio route flows fast with Paolino in the lead. After two hours, we've climbed it and abseiled down. At Punta Allievi, it's already very hot, and I look for the best compromise between speed and efficiency. In two very long pitches we reach the summit and descend towards the Allievi hut, where we encounter Armando, Pippo, and the whole team welcoming us with every kind of support. Leaving again is not easy.

The long traverse towards Cengalo is the crucial part: over ten kilometres, three alpine passes, and the fierce sun. It's the section we feared most, yet we continue to feel good.

We climb the Vinci Ridge in about an hour, amid strong gusts of wind, in the golden light of the late afternoon. The climbing is superb, and even before reaching the summit of Cengalo, we are certain that everything will be fine.

At the Gianetti hut, we stop to eat, change gear, turn on our headlamps, and set off again at a run. We've left Max behind, but thanks to Marco, who acts as a providential pacemaker, we manage to pick up the right speed again in the final section. From there on, there's not much more to tell – just a long run down to the valley.

For those who love numbers: 43.5 kilometres, 4,500 metres of elevation gain, over forty pitches of climbing (seven for us, with the rope), and about a dozen litres of water.

We measured the final time, but we have chosen not to disclose it. We don't't want to turn this beautiful circuit into a race, because for us it never was. Anyone who wants to find out more can always ask us.

The best thing about going to the mountains with Paolino is that we've never felt the need to explain why we do things. In this case, as in many others, we motivated each other. Is it more about alpinism or running? Is it a long link‑up between walls and trails, or simply the desire to climb more metres than we can imagine? Probably a bit of everything. For us, it was above all a beautiful idea, and we are grateful to those who gave it to us and to everyone who helped us make it a reality.

– Luca Schiera, San Martino, Val Masino

The Crown of Masino
The circuit: From Piana di Predarossa to Bagni Masino, passing via Rifugio Francesco Allievi, Rifugio Gianetti, Rifugio Antonio Omio
Elevation gain: 4,500 m D+
Distance: 43.5 km
The routes:
Via Osio Canali – Torrione Orientale (3333m). First ascent: Roberto Osio, Jack Canali, 18 July 1956
Via Gervasutti – Punta Allievi (3121m). First ascent: Giusto Gervasutti, Claudio Negri, Aldo Bonacossa, 16 September 1934
Spigolo Vinci – Pizzo Cengalo, Punta Angela (3215m). First ascent: Alfonso Vinci, Elia Bernasconi, Paolino Riva, 16 August 1939