My first way up, 1992
I’ve been climbing since I was 7 years old. I’m one of those guys who started climbing on natural rock and only then moved to plastic (which in my case happened 21 years later). I still remember my first time on the wall: it was on a mild summer afternoon close to Sasso, in Italy. I mostly climbed in central Italy, on the hills around Rome, and in the natural climbing arena in Ciampino (an ancient roman quarry where basalt was extracted to build the roman road Appia). I climbed till I was 17. Then life kept me away from the walls for ten full years.
(Part of) the crew.
My chance to pick it up again came in Gothenburg. I heard from my colleague and friend Simon about the great crags around the city, and we soon started climbing. Indoors during the winter (that’s where I got
Marveling at Alex’s performance up there..
acquainted with climbing plastic), and it’s immediately been like going back home (yes, even on plastic..)! We were promptly joined by two more colleagues, Verena and Laura, and got to make a lot of friends on the wall…
As soon as the good season was upon us, we jumped on the natural crags, and it felt like a jump in the past! I immediately felt that was where I came from, and am still one of the few guys who are more familiar with outdoors than indoors climbing!
Andrea Fabio Michael Martinangeli 