Stefano Carnati ticks Musa (9a)

Stefano Carnati, with seven routes 9a+ or 9b under his belt, has completed Musa (9a) in Covolo. ”Easy start into a short, bouldery sequence on sharp edges and tensiony moves. Keeping the weekend sends coming!”

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
Covolo is an old italian crag with many routes, and the climbing style there is very bouldery, mostly fingery and overhanging lines. In recent years, Silvio Reffo has added several new routes up to 9a/+. I used to visit Covolo mostly during summer, when conditions were far from ideal. Last year, I finally returned a couple of times in April, with better conditions, and took a look at “Super Pit” and had a few tries on “Musa”. Last weekend, I decided to focus first on “Musa” before dedicating more time to “Super Pit”. “Musa” is a short, powerful route that starts with an easier five-bolt intro leading into a very fingery crux, followed by an easier but still sustained finish. On Saturday, everything clicked, and I managed to send it. Super Pit still remains unrepeated, and I knew it would require more time and effort to piece together. It’s definitely a project I’d like to return to soon.

What are your autumn and winter plans?
I’m about to submit my PhD thesis for revision, so before the final dissertation I’ll have a bit more time to spend outdoors. My plan is to finish off a few routes at Covolo. I’ve climbed one out of the five 9as there so far, so I’d like to complete some of the others. As soon as the temperatures drop, I still have a few projects left in Ticino that I’d like to get back on. Then, during the Christmas holidays, I’m planning a trip to Spain, possibly to Margalef.