Favorite places to live/ climb/ visit:
- To live: Valtellina
- To climb: Val Masino
- To visit: Lofoten Islands, Sicily
Favorite type of climbing:
Multipitch, trad climbing
Career Highlights
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2020: Opening “Viaggio nell’Iperspazio”, together with Stefano Libera and Martino Quintavalla, a multipitch route up to 7c on “Scoglio delle Metamorfosi”, in Val di Mello.
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2021: “The Doors” in Cadarese (8a+, trad)
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2022: First free female Ascent of “Elettroshock” on Picco Luigi Amedeo in Val Masino (12 pitches up to 8a)
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2023: First free ascent of “Jumar Iscariota” on the North-West face of Piz Badile (7c)
What most people don't know about me:
I really like cats. One of the greatest satisfactions in the last years was rescuing three abandoned cats: Zorro, Viola and Pino.
Interview
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Climbing
When and how did you get into climbing? What keeps you interested? What fascinates you?
I got into climbing at 19 years old thanks to a CAI (the Italian Alpine Club) Mountaineering course. I had already tried climbing a couple of years before and it had felt immediately good. What I appreciate most about climbing is that it is a perfect discipline to practice mastery: there is always a new aspect of climbing which is worth practicing to become a better version of myself at the sport.
Who was your childhood hero and do you consider yourself a role model now? Does it influence you at all that other people look up to you?
I don’t have a childhood hero but I do have a hero now: Bruce Springsteen! I don’t consider myself a role model even if I try to use social media to communicate about setbacks and failures in my climbing, beyond successes and “ticks”. More in general, I try to spread an approach to climbing oriented toward process and learning. After following the mental training course, Strong mind, founded by Hazel Findlay, I’m working toward embracing this approach, which is very refreshing, which allows to perform better and to enjoy climbing more!
What have been the most important milestones in your life so far, both in climbing and in everyday life? And did you recognize them immediately as such or only later on?
In my climbing, following the “Strong Mind” and the “Performance Hacks” mental training courses. I immediately recognized the importance of mental training and, probably, if I wouldn’t have attended these courses, I could have also quitted climbing.
In my life, after Covid, deciding, together with my partner, to live in Valtellina close to the mountains, rather than in a big city as Milan.
What were your greatest failures / setbacks / injuries? How did you cope with them and how did you come back from them?
Fortunately, I didn’t experience major injuries during my climbing life. However, I do experiment periods of low motivation and energy (especially in Autumn) which are quite hard for me to cope with. Climbing is an activity that I tie very much to my identity (I’m working to separate these two things) and during these periods I feel less “myself”. I try to manage these periods by reframing them as learning experiences (a different learning than what I experience when projecting, for example). However, I’m still looking for an effective strategy to navigate them with positivity.
What is your favorite climbing related story / experience?
One of the greatest climbing experiences was projecting “Elettroshock” on Picco Luigi Amedeo in Val Masino. On this journey I learned a lot about managing long term meaningful projects without developing an unhealthy relationship with them. I’m also grateful for the mutual emotional participation I experienced together with Martino, my partner, during the process and for how we managed to support each other. In this sense, being able to send the route the same day was a gift!
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Training
Do you have a strict training schedule for when and how you train throughout the year?
Usually, I follow a training routine in winter, while in summer I prefer not to have a strict training schedule because I love climbing outdoor in the mountains. Since three years, I’m training with Lattice in winter and I’m super satisfied about their training plans.
What advice can you give to somebody looking to improve their training routine?
For sure asking the advice of a professional coach, with the competence to design a structured and personalized training plan with a scientific approach (Lattice is a good example in this sense). This also allows to minimize injury risk.
What do you think of indoor climbing gyms in relation to climbing on actual rock?
I see them as two different worlds where you can live very different experiences. I prefer climbing outdoor, even if I mostly train indoor. In general, I don’t think that one is better than the other. Climbing is fantastic because everyone can choose the experience which suits better for him/her as long as he/she does not harm nature and other climbers’ experience.
Are you able to do a one-arm pull-up? How about a single finger?
Not at all!
How much of the success as a pro climber is due to show and how much due to actual climbing skill?
I don’t know because I don’t consider myself as a pro climber.
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Psychology
Is it possible for anybody to eventually perform a one-armed pull-up or get to the top of the Eiger/Matterhorn, or do you really have to be born for it?
Obviously, genetics and personal history play a very important role: someone can be born with particularly strong fingers, can have a particularly good technique because he/she climbs since a very young age or can have a mindset which is particularly conducive to performance for the experiences she/he lived when she/he was a child. However, by embracing a mastery mindset (which is not easy at all!), the focus shifts on the never-ending journey toward becoming a better climber with respect to past versions of ourselves, taking into consideration the different experiences that each of us have lived. I think that this is the key for developing a fulfilling and sustainable relationship with climbing.
How important is it to set goals in professional sports? What are your goals / targets you are working towards in climbing and in life?
Huge climbing goals have always been a very important source of motivation and they have been an essential part in my climbing career. Facing big goals, together with working on self-awareness about the mental processes that take place while facing these goals, have been fundamental learning sources for me. However, I think that I’m a bit too much oriented toward these big goals, which often leave me quite in a burn out state. Lately, I’ve been working on enjoying climbing without necessarily having big goals in mind. Another important aspect for me is to set process goals (like for example becoming physically or mentally stronger) while working toward an end goal (like sending a route).
How do you deal with extremely hard climbing problems? Do you ever get frustrated and give up on them or do they motivate you even more?
Especially in the projecting process, after a first phase which is mainly characterized by curiosity, I notice that sometimes I become too attached to the project itself and to the outcome. In this phase getting frustrated, if the outcome is not the desired one, can be very easy. However, I’m working on developing strategies to reduce the duration of this “struggle phase” and to start letting go of expectations. This is fundamental for me to access those psychological states, like flow, that are particularly conducive to performance.
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Future of climbing
Is there anything you would like to change about the current developments in climbing?
I would like that social network become a healthier place, with more stories about climbing experiences (both positive and negative) rather than “ticks”. In this sense, I loved the film “Darkest before dawn” about Siebe Vanhee’s experience while projecting the Dawn Wall.
Where do you see the sport going in the next years, what will change and what is your role going to be in it?
I hope that climbers become more and more comfortable in talking about vulnerability as something normal and human. A role model for me in this sense is Beth Rodden.