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The cycle of interviews with Alessandro Marinaro about the guiding principles and the initiatives of the Soriano Boulder Project is continuing.
A few weeks after the inauguration of the brand new area Angelicum, the Sassisti Tusciaroli team is introducing the new blocks just set in the historical area Dogma (probably next June 19).
D: Soriano Boulder Project: what is it?
R: Since 2019, when the Association Sassisti Tusciaroli was founded, our aim has been safeguarding and developing the "Sassismo" [Sassismo in Italian sounds like Bouldering, but with a bit of understatement, and some emphasis on the small size of the blocks, compared to the mountain walls n.d.T] in the territory of the Tuscia area [ the Tuscia area is the province of Viterbo, n.d.T.]. Let us not forget that the blocks of trachyte into the Ancient Beach Forest [Faggeta Vetusta, in Italian n.d.T.] of Soriano have seen the birth of the bouldering in Central Italy.
Since then, especially in summer, although many other bouldering areas have been set at a lower altitude, the Beech Forest of Soriano has always been one of the favorite spots for boulderers and climbers. The place where you can enjoy climbing by the fresh secular beeches.
The Soriano Boulder Project aims to make available the bouldering areas of Soriano available for the climbers' community but in a sustainable way. That is by
Agreements and joint projects with the local authorities and government;
Searching for new bouldering spots, establishing new bouldering areas, and taking care of their maintenance.
Sharing and disseminating our ideals pf proper practice of the bouldering discipline, of its ethics, and of its history.
Sharing and spreading passion and dedication, both necessary to do all I said, and to generate respect for nature and politeness among the boulderers.
Over the years we saw that if all this is missing, the sites got degraded, dirty, and finally got closed, whereas if a virtuous circle is created, the problems that do arise can be managed.
D: When have you started this project?
R: We started on May 2020, when the first prohibitions to the sports practice in the Ancient Beech Forest appeared.
In those days we realized that we have to do these things:
the risk was that of losing the summer historical bouldering site of Lazio.
D: So what?
R: We immediately started working in this regard. We censused the bouldering spots within the area of the Ancient Beech Forest and the ones outside, and we searched for other bouldering areas.
Once identified two new areas and one historical as potential candidates, collaborating with the Municipality of Soriano nel Cimino, the SAM association, and the landowners, we've managed to find a way to make them usable for climbing.
We started to work on one of the new areas and on the historical area before the pandemic.
During the pandemic, within the limits imposed by the lockdown, the Angelicum area began to take shape.
Just after the pandemic, we continued our race against time to get some summer bouldering areas.
And we were able to inaugurate the Angelicum on 29 May.
Now we are preparing to introduce the historical area Dogma, with many new lines. Unless some small delays, the date of the inauguration would be June 19.
Finally, we worked on a third area, inside the Beech forest, at a higher altitude, that we will try to finish by July.
D: So much work. hove you time to do something else?
R: In this period some of us sacrificed ourselves, climbing less to establish these new areas and these new lines, and spending our free time on communication, on organization and management of events, on drafting the maps, on getting t-shirts mad up and soon...
For us, especially for those of us who are "historical", this work is just what we always do: dozens of bouldering areas and of blocks in Soriano, Viterbo, and Vitorchiano speak for themselves. The joy of discovery gives us great satisfaction and always new emotions.
For all the members of our association, this project is also the joy of preserve, disseminate and share these gems in a sustainable and lasting way.
D: Next projects?
R: Continuing the dialogue to find the way to get back to climb in the Ancient Beech Forest as soon as possible.
Please don't forget that it's important to respect the climbing ban, in order to lend credibility to the climbing community in the ongoing negotiations.
And then we have many other projects in addition to the Soriano Project and we are going to keep working until in the hope of achieving our goal!
Anyone who wants to work with us, sharing our passion, is welcome as a member or supporter!!!
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