23 November 2021
Niky Ceria pioneers the Riverside
"The process behind these lines started in 2019 with the research, the find and the selection. Once I realized that something interesting could come out of those rocks, I started the cleaning process which is the most artistic one. This part can be rich in surprises: you never know how things develop and evolve and I love it.
Then the last part of this process was mostly about logistics, understanding how to protect the falls and of course climbing. Riverside bouldering has for me a unique line: the line that stays not too far but also not too close to the water. The rock texture on this idealistic line has a perfect balance between being polished and rough. The thing is that it is hard to follow this line. And this setting reduces the chances of finding what is for me a king line. So the exploration process in this environment required a lot of doubts and questions.
Most of the boulders are scattered and isolated. I guess there is potential for future lines as well, but my guess is a hypothesis and not a certainty. I like to think there are some untouched rocks out here, but still to be explored. The North West of Italy has many boulders which have been developed. Mostly from historical climbers as Marzio Nardi, the B side climbing crew, Christian Core and so on. Some areas exist, but my focus has been mostly orientated on single pieces."
Which are the hardest until now and how many sessions did it take to set up?
No idea; these lines have been developed from A to Z almost always by myself so every rock required loads of time and days as the climbing was just a part of it.
Then the last part of this process was mostly about logistics, understanding how to protect the falls and of course climbing. Riverside bouldering has for me a unique line: the line that stays not too far but also not too close to the water. The rock texture on this idealistic line has a perfect balance between being polished and rough. The thing is that it is hard to follow this line. And this setting reduces the chances of finding what is for me a king line. So the exploration process in this environment required a lot of doubts and questions.
Most of the boulders are scattered and isolated. I guess there is potential for future lines as well, but my guess is a hypothesis and not a certainty. I like to think there are some untouched rocks out here, but still to be explored. The North West of Italy has many boulders which have been developed. Mostly from historical climbers as Marzio Nardi, the B side climbing crew, Christian Core and so on. Some areas exist, but my focus has been mostly orientated on single pieces."
Which are the hardest until now and how many sessions did it take to set up?
No idea; these lines have been developed from A to Z almost always by myself so every rock required loads of time and days as the climbing was just a part of it.
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