Val di Mello

This 'Little Yosemite' as it is often referred to, is an important and historical climbing area on the Italian-Swiss borders. It is where you will find some of the best granite climbing in Europe and it is also home to great bouldering and single pitch sport climbing. Val di Melo and Val Masino are set in beautiful Alpine scenery in a high valley close to a little picturesque village called San Martino. Just imagine the landscape! Everywhere you look you see mountains, rocks, blocks of boulders and greenery!

As mentioned above, the whole area offers all the types of climbing you can dream of: Bolted sport climbs and trad multi pitches as well as superb quality boulders. The rock is of great quality and as it is often weathered into fins and flutings which enables hard looking faces to be climbed also at moderate grades. Val di Melo is famous for its cracks and long slabs with hardly any holds (or what you usually call holds).  

Recently Val di Melo and Val Masino have become a top bouldering destination too. It is no surprise as the valley floor is covered with huge blocks which together with its colder climate makes it a perfect Summer venue for bouldering. Another pro of the Val di Melo boulders is that the landings are generally good and there are boulders of all heights. You just pick the one that inspires you and go for it!

When to go? Most of the sport and trad climbs are on South faces and are quite easy to approach. They are usually completely free from the snow by mid Summer. Remember that most of the mountain lines are at the altitude of between 2000 m and 3000m so the best time to visit is from July to early Autumn. For bouldering, you can come throughout the whole year, although the best time is October through to April in Val Masino and March through to November in Val di Melo. Rain can occur at any time in this mountainous area but at least the boulders dry quickly afterwards. 

Where to sleep? If you don't want to camp, you can choose from several alpine huts which serve the valley.