The Val Daone is one of the largest side valleys in Trentino and has been an international hotspot since the first edition of the bouldering guide Daone Boulder. Spread over 14 kilometers in length and 700 meters in altitude, the area offers ten sectors with over 1800 lines in compact granite or verrucano rock.
The Val Daone is known for its numerous outstanding icefalls and for its multi-pitch tours. In the last decade, bouldering in particular has developed massively. Diligent developers like the guide-author have contributed to this Stefano Montanari, who discovered and cleaned countless boulder blocks.
In addition, the local authorities believe that outdoor sports can contribute to the development of local tourism and support related projects such as Boulder Park.
Over 1800 lines in 10 sectors
Countless blocks of granite tumbled from the slopes of the valley thousands of years ago, presenting a huge variety of problems from 4C to 8C. And the opportunities to open up new lines are far from exhausted.
"There is still a lot of (bouldering) potential in Val Daone and therefore the bouldering guide will only be able to describe one stage on this path."
Stefano Montanari, Author
The Val Daone currently offers over 1800 lines, spread over 10 sectors. These in turn are at an altitude of 800 to 2000 meters, which means that there are lines to climb practically for every season.
But not only that: "This results in the not insignificant advantage that the landscape is very different," enthuses Stefano Montanari. Accordingly, you can choose whether you want to boulder on a sunlit meadow, in a cool forest or on the edge of a quiet lake.
Boulder Park for families and beginners
For all those who have little or no bouldering experience, a boulder park has been set up in the Plana forest area. There, any obstacles around the rocks have been removed and the landing zones have been leveled with mulch.
In addition, parcours have been defined – as known from Fontainebleau, for example: two for adults and one for children.
The touchstones of Val Daone
However, the local administration's offer for beginners should not hide the fact that stronger climbers and hard movers also get their money's worth in Val Daone. The majority of the lines are in the range 6a to 7b.
Among the most difficult boulders in the valley big illusion (8C), L'oppio Dei Climbers (8B+) and the 8B lines Il Pusher, Fuori pace and L'avenir nous reserve de bon big bamboo.
Access to Val Daone
Coming from the north, you can reach the northern Italian bouldering mecca either via the Brenner (motorway exit Trento-Centro) or via Gotthard/San Bernardino and then via Milan (motorway exit Brescia-Est).
With public transport, the best way is by train to Trento or Brescia and from there by bus to Valle del Chiese or Daone.
Daone Boulder: Bouldering in Val Daone
In the third edition of the bouldering guide, author Stefano Montanari describes over 1800 boulders in ten sectors. As in the previous edition, QR codes can be found in the guide, which make it easier to find parking spaces and boulders and lead to selected video betas.
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Credits: Cover picture Stefano Ghisolfi