The great beauty of Melloblocco

Some come from nearby. Others from afar. Some have been coming forever, others are here for the first time. They arrive by car, motorbike, train, bus, bike, on foot, or even hitchhiking. Alone or, more often than not, in groups. Big groups. Yes, because in early May, the unmissable event for everyone — since its debut in 2004 — is Melloblocco, the traditional climbing meeting in Italy's Val Masino and Val di Mello, where climbers gather to enjoy the great beauty of Melloblocco.

Despite initially dire forecasts and the somewhat challenging weather, this year’s Melloblocco will be remembered as a success. The event, and especially the Melloblockers, gave their very best, starting last Wednesday, when thousands of climbers flocked to one of the most stunning corners of the Alps to climb and have as much fun as possible. They four days climbing the countless rough granite boulders, scattered within the mossy undergrowth of the woods, across its lush green meadows, and beneath the imposing granite walls that soar dramatically towards the snow-capped peaks of upper Val Masino, next to the crystal-clear waters of the river Mello.

When they weren't bouldering, they climbed single-pitch sports routes or the classic multi-pitch climbs that made these valleys famous worldwide. They slacklined, practiced yoga, attended climbing masterclasses such as Alessandro Zeni’s slab workshop at Lo Scivolo, bouldered with Solenne Piret, learnt the tricks of trad and big wall climbing on the Sasso Remenno with Jacopo Larcher, joined Caroline Ciavaldini’s She Rocks women’s climbing workshop, and explored everything from running, nutrition, to shoe resoling… The daytime agenda was packed, and it was simply impossible to do it all.

After dinners of pasta, pizzoccheri, bresaola, sciatt, or taroz, in the evening the focus shifted to talks and events at the festival’s vibrant heart: the Village at San Martino, featuring some of the sport’s top figures. These included Alessandra Prato and Matteo de Zaiacomo who shared tales of distant Kyrgyzstan; Barbara Zangerl who recounted her incredible flash of Freerider on El Capitan in Yosemite with Jacopo Larcher; Alessandro Zeni who relived the first ascent of the impossible slab Wu Wei; Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson who reflected on their climbing — and life — journey with their aptly named talk The Walk of Life; Sean Villanueva delivered an impromptu, riveting account of his Moonwalk, ie his solo traverse of Patagonia’s Fitz Roy massif. All stories were captivating, unique, are followed up by beers, music, dancing, and late-night revelry. The usual harmonious chaos that makes this meeting so special.

Notably, for the second consecutive year running, the organisers opted to start the festival on Wednesday and officially end it with the fantastic awards ceremony on Saturday night. This decision aims to encourage climbers to stay longer, and consequently enjoy the valley at a more “mellow” pace, while also making the return trip home less stressful. What might have seemed like a reckless decision initially, actually proved to be brilliantly effective.

As for the actual bouldering, this edition focused on revitalising existing sectors and restoring neglected areas to their former glory, while also proposing even more projects than usual. More unknowns, more challenges for the best of the best. For months, the route-setting team comprised of Matteo De Zaiacomo, Andrea Pavan, Alessandra Prato, Maximiliano Piazza, Isacco Saini, Emanuele Ticozzi) and the Val Masino Climbing te4am worked tirelessly. The boulders, as promised, really did shine "like diamonds in the forest." In the end, French climber Mélissa Le Nevé topped the women’s category with 8 boulders, followed by Barbara Zangerl (7) and Salome Romain (6). In the men's category, Michael Piccolruaz and Simone Tentori each sent 7 boulders, with Stefano Carnati close behind at 6.

Melloblocco proved a winner though to all those who, despite the grim weather forecast, showed up in the valley. Because, in the end, what really matters is taking part. Being there. And knowing that — whether from near or far — they'll be back next year. That is the great beauty of Melloblocco.

2025 PRIZE BOULDERS
Women
8: Melissa Le Neve
7: Barbara Zangerl
6: Salome Romain
5: Martina Blanchet, Elisa Lauretano, Mina Markovic, Giulia Rosa
4: Caterina Bassi, Siara Fabbri, Bara Pospisilova, Giulia Previtali, Katerina Zimova
3: Iris Bielli, Marketa Janosova
2: Roberta Longo, Iginia Orlando
1: Marta Aviles, Katia Dikson

Men
7: Michael Piccolruaz, Simone Tentori
6: Stefano Carnati
5: Davide Bassotto, James Pearson
4: Lorenzo Bogliacino, Stefano Motta, Silvio Reffo
3: Marco Bufalo, Stefan Scherz
2: Andrea Botto, Gianluca Bosetti, Filippo Caprioglio, Marco Hollo, Francesco Morandi, Stefano Parzani, Luca Strepparava, Stefano Togninalli
1: Efe Alpman, Cristian Bubani, Nicolò Pesce, Danny Shemshiri, Raffaele Tangari

2025 BOULDER
Women
Wild West Show (15): Caterina Bassi, Iris Bielli, Martina Blanchet, Katia Dikson, Siara Fabbri, Marketa Janosova, Elisa Lauretano, Mélissa Le Nevé, Roberta Longo, Mina Markovič, Bara Pospisilova, Salome Romain, Giulia Rosa, Barbara Zangerl (fa), Katerina Zimova
Il Francese (12): Caterina Bassi, Iris Bielli, Siara Fabbri, Chiara Gusmeroli, Mélissa Le Nevé, Mina Markovič, Bara Pospisilova, Giulia Previtali, Salome Romain, Giulia Rosa, Barbara Zangerl, Katerina Zimova
Usucapione (16): Marta Aviles, Caterina Bassi, Martina Blanchet, Siara Fabbri, Marketa Janosova, Elisa Lauretano, Mélissa Le Nevé, Roberta Longo, Mina Markovič, Iginia Orlando, Bara Pospisilova, Giulia Previtali, Salome Romain, Giulia Rosa (fa), Barbara Zangerl, Katerina Zimova
L'Arca di Noè (14): Caterina Bassi, Martina Blanchet, Siara Fabbri, Marketa Janosova, Elisa Lauretano, Mélissa Le Nevé, Mina Markovič, Iginia Orlando, Bara Pospisilova, Giulia Previtali, Salome Romain, Giulia Rosa, Barbara Zangerl (fa), Katerina Zimova
Vascelli Vagabondi (3): Mélissa Le Nevé, Salome Romain, Barbara Zangerl
Il Nipote di Goldrake sit (8): Iris Bielli, Martina Blanchet, Elisa Lauretano, Mélissa Le Nevé, Mina Markovič, Giulia Previtali, Giulia Rosa, Barbara Zangerl
La Croce Bianca (0): -
Crystal Sheep (1): Mélissa Le Nevé
Mescalina (5): Martina Blanchet, Elisa Lauretano, Mélissa Le Nevé, Salome Romain, Barbara Zangerl (fa)

Men
Piatto Unico (18): Efe Alpman, Davide Bassotto, Lorenzo Bogliacino, Gianluca Bosetti, Andrea Botto, Marco Bufalo, Filippo Caprioglio, Stefano Carnati, Marco Hollo, Stefano Motta, Stefano Parzani, Michael Piccolruaz, Silvio Reffo, Stefan Scherz, Luca Strepparava, Raffaele Tangari, Simone Tentori, Stefano Togninalli
La Croce Bianca (12): Davide Bassotto, Lorenzo Bogliacino, Andrea Botto, Marco Bufalo, Stefano Carnati, Marco Hollo, Francesco Morandi, Stefano Motta, James Pearson, Michael Piccolruaz, Silvio Reffo, Simone Tentori
Lo Spigolo del Gladiatore (17): Davide Bassotto, Lorenzo Bogliacino, Gianluca Bosetti, Cristian Bubani, Marco Bufalo, Stefano Carnati, Francesco Morandi, Stefano Motta, Stefano Parzani, James Pearson, Nicolò Pesce, Michael Piccolruaz, Silvio Reffo, Danny Shemshiri, Luca Strepparava, Simone Tentori, Stefano Togninalli
Isaak il Gipeto (2): Davide Bassotto, Simone Tentori (fa)
Cristallica (9): Davide Bassotto, Lorenzo Bogliacino, Filippo Caprioglio, Stefano Carnati, Stefano Motta, James Pearson, Michael Piccolruaz, Silvio Reffo, Simone Tentori
Crostino (0): -
Caos (5): Stefano Carnati, James Pearson, Michael Piccolruaz, Stefan Scherz, Simone Tentori
Mystic River (5): Stefano Carnati, James Pearson, Michael Piccolruaz (fa), Stefan Scherz, Simone Tentori
Caffè Ristretto Corretto (1): Michael Piccolruaz (fa)