Antonio Boscacci, pioneer of the Val di Mello in Northern Italy, and during the 1970s and '80s generally acknowledged to be the master of friction climbing, has died after a long illness.
Although little known outside his home country, Boscacci was a legend of Italian climbing, though his impact was very much on his local area, the valleys flanking the southern side of the Bregaglia-Masino and Bernina.
The son of mountain guide Carlo Boscacci, Antonio was born in Sondrio, gained a degree in mathematics, and became a school teacher in his home town.
In the 1970s and 80s the Mello Valley, famous for its thin, compact, open slab climbing, was subjected to a rigorous bolting ethic. Protection on the granite slabs was frequently minimal, occasionally non-existent. This was very largely due to Boscacci.
In 1977, with regular partner Jacopo Merizzi, Boscacci climbed the first route up the steep slabs on the right side of Trapezio d'Argento, creating the three pitch Nuova Dimensione.
At the time this was the first route in the Italian Alps, and possibly the entire country, to be graded VII. It became one of the most famous routes in Italy, Today it is rated VI+/VII-, but has lost little of its boldness: the crux is still well above protection, and two long traverses require competence from both leader and second.
However, it is Luna Nascente, climbed the following year on the right edge of the Metamorfosi, which is perhaps Boscacci's most famous and finest creation. Together with its neighbour Polimago (Masa-Merizzi, 1979) it is widely considered to the the finest climb in the valley at any grade, with 340m of perfect granite at VI+ (if a couple of points of aid are used on the initial moves over a desperate overhang).
In 1982 he established the first real big wall route on the now famous Qualido with Paradiso puo'Attendere (20 pitches, VII and A3), while in 1989 he teamed with one of Spain's best slab climbers to create the three-pitch Nada por Nada on the Precipizio degli Asteroidi, incredibly bold friction climbing that has possibly not been repeated.
Other well known routes in the valley are unmistakably Boscacci. All require boldness, self-control and an exceptional ability to keep your feet sticking to the granite.
L'Abaro delle Pere has a fine top pitch up a slab known as the Lizards of the Sun, 'only' V/V+ but 55m of padding without a scrap of protection. Cristalli de Polvere on the Placche dell'Oasi towards the head of the valley was the first Mello VIII, and again features totally committing, unprotected slab.
Boscacci also developed bouldering in the valley and was a prolific writer, authoring many articles and producing a number of guides; climbing guides to the Mello, Valtellina, and the largest boulder in the Alps, the Sasso Remenno, and guides to the walking and ski alpinism in the Valtellina and Bernina. In more recent years he produced a novel.
Boscacci created possibly the most, and the least, popular climbs in Mello. Anyone who has climbed in the valley is more than likely to have done a Boscacci route, though probably not, for example, Aliblu; an extreme 7c friction slab put up in 1989.
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