25 January 2023

Pungitopo 8c+ by Francesco Morandi

Francesco Morandi has done Pungitopo (8c+) in Arco. The 29-year-old bolted it a couple of years ago and last year he invited Adam Ondra to try it out and he did the FA in September, on his second session. "Possibly Arco's most aesthetic hard line," Ondra commented in his video. (c) Stefano Ghisolfi

What is your climbing background?
I climb since I was 8 years old and I have climbed indoors until 15, having a couple of years break. I was feeling too much pressure from the competitions and I wasn't having fun anymore. So I quit the indoor competition world and decided to climb just for and against myself outdoors. That was my path.

Could you tell us more about the ascent?

After Adam did the FA, I got a shoulder injury on another route that kept me away from Pungitopo until two months ago. Yesterday I managed to clip the chain of this route after 40+ attempts in 16 days on the route. Is my hardest ascent up to date and by far the biggest effort I did. The mental battle I had to fight made my biggest journey on a route. First of the grade for me. Pungitopo is destinated to become a classic of the grade in Arco because of his beauty and rock quality. I would like to say thank you to all the people who believed and belayed me on the route.

Where does the name Pungitopo come from?
When I repelled down from the route while bolting I got in a big bush in Italian called Pungitopo, the plant makes some red fruits that look like Christmas tree balls. Christmas was a tradition with my grandma to go to pick some branches for making nice the house. As she passed away was good having a route with that name for remembering her.

Why did you decide to open up this climb for others to do before you did it yourself?
About letting other people try the project that I bolt I feel like is quite personal. My thoughts are that if I spend my energy on bolting and cleaning a new line or crag, and of course spending my own money to buy bolts and chains, it's fair enough that I try to make the FA. Then if the project feels too hard for me and I can't see the "light", I guess it doesn't make sense to keep it closed, and I'm happy to share it with other climbers and try to solve the route together.

How many routes have you bolted and how much more potential do you see around Arco?
I have bolted about 40 routes around Arco, and the potential is still high, especially for hard routes. The thing is that the crags left to bolt are the ones with a longer approach, but a lot of time it's worth it. The climbing scene in Arco nowadays is even more active compared to 10 years ago, as there are every year new crags it keeps the place interesting for the climbing community, especially because of the increasing number of people that start to climb per year.

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