Malaria

• Exposition: South
• Recommended season:Mid Season
• Rock type:Great limestone with holes and canes
• Protection:Bolts are close, pay attention to the state of the fixed bolts on the wall

Born around 2010, thanks to the well-known local climber Mario Cavagnini, the Malaria project has been kept secret for some years, until the news of this half-horizontal board (which offers at first, when getting closer, the vision of a board so lurching that it looks like ready to fall) has leaked to the most curious and ravenous. In the last few years it has been more and more discussed, in terms of attendance, its grade evaluation, or of the lack of information online and on the local maps, but, in the end, there was low interest in it. Now, at its very first publication, it will be discovered how many climbers are intended to approach these workout and violent walls.
The name “Malaria” hasn’t been chosen at random, but it has historical roots: this name was born in an explorative journey of Mario in Cameroon in which, back to Italy, he found himself in an infectious ward, with malaria.

The rating scale in Malaria Wall has also to be noticed: the Cavagnini scale chosen for the wall was:

• climbed by many
• climbed by a few
• climbed by only one

It sounds uncommon but it’s clear enough!

Malaria is characterized by an overhanging wall, large more or less 50 meters, routes are at most short and intensive and just a few climbers are used to climbing on it. The medium height of the routes goes from 8 to 10 meters, and some of them cross the wall with real strength and power tests, long up to 40 meters (almost the whole surface).
The rock is excellent and some routes focus on very nice reeds. Here you feel immediately the warm out: it starts from a 7A to the real routes crossing, born in this last years: they cross “Covid19” (8b+), “Falsa Pandemia” (8a+), “Pandemia” (8c/8c+), freed by the well known Erik Albertini.
The most symbolic route of the wall, the homonymous “Malaria” (8c to be confirmed), is not to be forgotten, bolted and freed by Mario, in the past, is considered by many climbers a real gem.

Attention: the wall is very overhanging and on sloping terrain, that’s why, for many routes, it’s recommended to move up the first quickdraws before starting to climb, just not to fall on the ground. Falling on the ground has already happened but without any consequence.

Reporter: Andrea Facchetti

• Parking coordinates: N45°42.169’   E10°23.232’
• Approach time: 15 minutes

Reach the hamlet “Nozza”, in Vestone, for those coming from the valley floor and from the ringway, passing the roundabout which leads to Casto and Val Trompia. After about 50 meters, leave the car at the first large parking area on the right. From there, walk, cross the footbridge on Chiese river, and take the cycling road on the right. Go straight for about 10 minutes, until you can see a house on the left, near some catch fences. Cross the lawn and pass the catch fences on the right, take a little track, then follow the trail in the woods, on a stony bottom. In a couple of minutes, you reach the wall.