Winter climbing in Arco

 

That year, Lago di Garda suffered many heavy rainfalls , lots of snow and bad weather … finding a dry climbing sector was a challenge. We actually wanted to use a spontaneous opportunity to check out new areas but we discovered to our disappointment that many areas were iced out and pretty much drenched.

With so much snow, it was difficult to reach some of the climbing areas. Instead of a mere 10 min trail, we invested a 40 mins hike, due to ice and snow.  The warm temperatures during the day melts snow and turns the trails and road at night with temperatures  up to -10°c to ice. At the same time, passing by any crags and cliffs would also increase the possibility of getting hit by one of the ice stalactites, or falling rocks would be more common in high walls. We found Transatlantico covered by a thin layer of ice. In the Evening, it shimmers a light blue out of the shadow in winter.

Luckily, all was not lost…we found a few places to keep ourselves busy.

The sure ones were Massone, Bassilandia, San Siro, Calisio, Panoramica… these crags don’t seep much, so there were better chances to find a dry route and of course at the same time, enjoy more traffic.

We came back 2 weeks later, after all the new year hassle and buzz. The pace went back to normal, nobody seemed to be stressed out any more and the atmosphere became much more bearable. Outdoor shops all have their Sales signs hung out and you can buy climbing gear reduced to 70%. If you come early enough, a store full of goods and fitting sizes are waiting to be bought.

It was always nice to come back to Arco in the winter time, and how fortunate we were to have this place so close to home.

More about Arco and its outskirts: >> Climbing in northen Italy