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 ANDONNO E CUNEESEClimbing in south-western Piedmont Severino Scassa |
VALLE PO 1 Revello 2 Envie 3 Rocciarè 4 Monte Bracco Watch the video of Severino Scassa in Andonno:  Pages Language ITA / ENG Price 29,50 ISBN 978-88-87890-89-1 |
 When you arrive in Cuneo, the Monviso immediately makes an impression. Majestic, called also “il Re di Pietra”, the “King of Stone”, a symbol of the struggle with the mountains in Piemonte, the symbol of the Club Alpino Italiano and also for us the start of the mountains and of the Valli Cuneesi, the Cuneese valleys. At the foot of the Monviso you find the Valle Po, the Po valley, starting at Saluzzo and the Varaita which starts from Costigliole di Saluzzo. The first hills to the left of the Monviso form the watershed with the next valley after the Valle Varaita, the Val Maira, which starts at Dronero. Passing then to the Valle Grana (Caraglio) our gaze falls on another majestic mountain which stands out between the other lower summits: the mountain in the distance in the south-west is the Argentera massif, including the last 3000m peak of the Alps, Monte Clapier. It delimits three valleys: from North to South in order, the Valle Stura, the Valle Gesso and the Val Vermenagna which are reached by going from to Borgo S. Dalmazzo. The Valle Vermenagna and the Valle Stura are the two valleys which have crossings over into France, the first leading to Val Roya and the second to the Valle dell’Ubaye. If we continue to shift our gaze leftwards along the mountain chain, we notice that the mountains remain severe but less pronounced and majestic. In the foreground there’s Cuneo’s mountain, the Bisalta, with its volcano-like shape sculpted in the middle of the Valle Colla. The Bisalta forms the watershed between the Valle Vermenagna and Chiusa di Pesio’s Valle Pesio, at whose head is a distinctive loaf-of-bread shaped peak surrounded by rock walls: it’s the Marguareis, the preferred domain for cavers. Now our gaze on the mountains moves east, where the Alps start to disappear into the Apennines and the Langhe and Roero. We’re at the Alpi Liguri, the Ligurian Alps, a series of pretty valleys radiating from the Valle Pesio: Valle Ellero, Valle Maudagna (famous for the ski stations of Atesina and Prato Nevoso) and the Valle Corsaglia, all easily reached via Mondovì. Finally, when in the distance where the hills of the Langhe disappear into those around Ceva, there is the pretty and still-unspolied (especially in its upper part) Val Tanaro from where, descending into Liguria, we are in the part of the Valle Pennavaira that’s still in Piemonte. Whatever the time of year, weather or the type of climbing you’re after, here there’s a crag for every combination of conditions and tastes. You want friction climbing like the Valle dell’Orco or the Val di Mello? Oncino and its incredibile gneiss is the answer. You prefer athletic climbing on vertical or slightly overhanging walls? Try the fine-grained gneiss of Monte Bracco. Want the heady feeling of climbing on richly-featured limestone which 150 million years ago was under the shallow Ligure-Piemontese Ocean? Stop at Pianbernardo, Tanarello, Mongioie, Arimonda, La Brigue,… Are you interested in climbing some of the Alps’ oldest rocks, 600 million years old? The migmatite of the Scoglio Tetti Lupo at the Rifugio Migliorero could be what you’re looking for. You’d like to get your hands on rocks that 250 million years ago were beaches and have become quartzite, “cooked” during the formation of the Alps? Go to Miroglio or Roccavione. Or you can try the crimps of the old volcanic rocks (280 million years old) of the Falesia della Valle Ellero. You are most comfortable with Alpine weather? Valle Po and Variata. You want to be able to see the sea and climb in a Mediterranean climate? Valle Roya. It’s raining? Envie, the Coppo di Rure, the Cornarea and Bandito caves. And so on… 
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Severino Scassa. Born in Asti and with Cuneo as his adopted home, Seve started climbing at Finale Ligure, with friends, discovering and developing his innate talent for climbing. At only 18 he took part in the Italian indoor championships, coming ninth. In 1990, after having done his military service with the Fire Brigade, he climbed many super-hard routes and came second in the overall classification at the Italian championships, thus becoming a member of the national team. Professional climbing meant a move to Vernante where the numerous nearby crags which were good for training meant another big improvement. |
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