Area & Style of Climbing
San Gottardo Pass - Bouldering

Location
Switzerland, Alps

Overview
A fantastic and little known (in the UK anyway) granite bouldering area in southern Switzerland, comprising of 13 sectors (400+ problems) flanking the San Gottardo pass, which itself links the Canton’s (states) of Ticino and Uri. The bouldering is generally situated on blocks and some small craglets, mainly over glorious grassy landings and in fantastic settings, between shallow melt water pools and hanging alpine meadows. Despite their geographical locations, most of the sectors are only a short walk from the applicable parking area, making the venue worthwhile for a quick hit if you are staying nearby by or just passing through.

Best Time to Go & Conditions
The area is situated at over 2000m; as such the best conditions occur between May and October, however this is generally a moot point, as the pass is closed (due to snow) until late May or early June. Due to its alpine setting the weather can change fairly rapidly, so it’s worth taking a warm jacket, even on seemingly warm summer days.

Getting There
Although many of the cheaper air carriers have canceled many of their UK to Switzerland connections, northern Italy is still well serviced, especially Milan-Bergamo airport. Milan-Bergamo airport, or Orio al Serio as it correctly termed, can be accessed from many UK airports – including Liverpool, Stanstead, East Midlands & Leeds-Bradford – via Ryan Air, Easy Jet and Jet2, for extremely reasonable prices.





Accessibility
The climbing is situated approximately 2.5 hours (by car) from my recommended destination airport of Milan-Bergamo, and a similar distance from Zurich, in northern Switzerland. The area is not massively extensive and a competent climber, looking to have pleasant circuit sessions, could cover all the sectors in two or three days. As such the area is optimized by being linked into a summer bouldering trip, whereby you combine it with a whistle stop visit to the nearby Sustenpass, and then a more extended stay in the vicinity of Magic Wood, which is only a couple of hours NE of the San Gottardo pass.

Accommodation & Provisions
There are plenty of guest houses and grocery stores in the towns and villages at either end of the pass. If you are wanting to camp (it is summer after all!), a good bet is the campsite in the scenically set and Heidi-esque village of Andermatt to the north, or possibly Wassen, another village situated at the north end of the Gottardo Tunnel, and only a few kilometers from the Sustenpass boulders [which are featured in the Swiss Bloc guide, available here]. Wild camping on the slopes around the (San Gottardo) boulders is, according to the guide, prohibited.

Image below: Unknown climber on the super classic Ecstasy, fb7a.


Guide Book/s
Title: Gottardo Boulder / Price: €15 (Approx.)
Title: Swiss Bloc Volume 1 / Price £26.95

This guide is currently unavailable in the UK; however it can be purchased from some of the local tourist information offices and campsites. I’m unsure of it’s availability in Uri, however if you drop down into Ticino, and follow the E35 south (or better still drop in on your way north from the airport) to the small town Biasca, it can be purchased here from the tourist information office, in the centre of town. [Update July 2010: The area is featured in the Swiss Bloc Vol1 guide which is available in the UK and can be purchased here.]

Grade Spread and Recommended Routes
The grade spread of the area lends itself to the font4 to font6c+ (V0-V5) climber, however there are limited, but absolutely world class, lines up to font8a (V11). If visiting the area for the first time the sectors of, and around, “Scary Christmas” and “Ecstasy” offer a good concentration of problems throughout the grades.

Some Recommendations: Bowling for Colombine 5+ , Solenodonte di Cuba 6a, Alibi di Cristallo 6a+, Swiss Corner 7b, Trieste Gottardo SDS 8a, Ecstasy 7a, Il Marochino 7a+, Ponstan 500 6c+, Scary Christmas 8a, Pover Chriests 6a+, Petit Cube 6a, Korsakow 7a+, Alan Parson Project 7a.

General Tip/s
As stated above, due to it's limited CV in terms of harder climbs, the stronger practitioner will get the most from Gottardo, when segmenting a trip into visits to here, Magic Wood, the Sustenpass and perhaps even the northern Italian spot of Cimaganda. Whilst all these areas are at reasonable altitudes, there is a misconception that good conditions can always be found at Magic Wood, during the summer months (in fact spring and autumn are the best times to visit), and many people disregard all other possibilities and head straight for 'The Woods'. While it is beyond question that Magic Wood offers the best bet when seeking a high concentration of harder lines in summer, it's worth remembering that, if the temps are particularly high, better conditions will nearly always be on offer at Gottardo, and whilst the harder climbs are limited they are mostly excellent!

Useful Links

• Biasca Tourist Info Location - www.biascaturismo.c (for guide book purchase)
• Article - Bouldering in Switzerland (overview of most areas in southern Switzerland)
• Flights - RyanAir, Jet2, EasyJet
• Car Hire - www.carrentals.co.uk (good price comparison site)
• Purchase the Swiss Bloc guide - here.
• Another article (PDF) in Dutch, but with some great action shots - here.

Current Local Weather Conditions