Back in summer 2007 I had a bad ankle injury during a bouldering competition, it needed surgery and I could not climb for at least four months. My parents decided to bring me in Sardinia for a sea holiday: I was supposed to be just relaxing, swimming and maybe fishing.
We ended up in a house on La Maddalena island, just behind a promontory made of a beautiful red granite. Rocks and boulders were almost everywhere on the island, and my holiday ended up being a bloc scouting tour on my crutches, most of the times under a burning sun and between strong biting bushes.
During one of my trips I discovered a stunning, hearth shaped granite boulder, which was split by a huge crack and was about 45° overhanging. It was on top of a perfect rocky plateau in front of the sea, with some nice granite boulders surrounding it.
At the time it seemed quite a futuristic thing to climb for me: I was just a boulderer walking on crutches, and that crack seemed way to tall and hard. Anyway that day I added a new line to my personal list of things I wanted to accomplish one day...
November 2013, almost seven years have passed, and I go back to Sardinia with La Sportiva team to find some new boulders and try a few of the climbs I saw back in the years. We also get to climb that crack in Caprera: James Pearson manages to get the first ascent, while I miss my dream of climbing it despite being close.
Last week I go back with my friend Daniele Bianchi, willing to show him some beautiful cracks and finishing my unfinished business. This time I feel ready: it's a hard task for my skills but everything goes well. After three days of efforts I stand at the top of one of my dreams. It's one of the most rewarding feelings climbing can give you...
Never stop following your dreams.
Never stop following your dreams.
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