Arco from Ghisolfi's perspective

Arco has been one of the most popular destinations in Europe since the 80s. In 1987, the first Arco Rock Master took place and some hard routes were bolted in Massone. In 2000 Yuji Hirayama made the FA of the classic Underground 9a (8c+). In the last few years, many new crags with stunning scenery have been developed and when it comes to the hardest routes, Stefano Ghisolfi is the one doing most of the hardest FAs as of late.

When did you move to Arco and why?
We moved to Arco in 2016, I first came to Arco in 2005 for the Rock Junior and the Rock Master and since then I remember it as a dream place to be.

How was the first year?
The rock potential is huge and I spent the first year repeating all the hard routes I hadn't climbed before and climbed some new projects, including the ones in Laghel, which is now closed, and Omen Nomen in Padaro, and several routes in Massone. At that time there were only a few gyms and places to train, one in Rovereto, Trento and in Pietramurata, so we built a wall in our garage After a few years, new gyms opened: Infinity Boulder in Trento and Arco Climbing, plus right now the national training centre is open for the Italian team on the Rockmaster wall, so the training options have improved a lot.

What can you do besides climbing?
Arco is not a big city, it is usually quiet (except for some parts of the season). It is close to the mountains and lakes (Lago di Garda) so there are a lot of sports activities and places to relax. The lifestyle here is beautiful and for me, it is the best place to live.

What is the future potential climbing development around Arco?
It has been developed a lot, but there are some potential new crags. There is also still the potential for hard routes in already established crags, like Terra Promessa, Hotel Olivo and others. It's also still possible to find a lot of new crags, maybe with a longer approach but still under 30'.