About

Experience the climbing discipline, meet great international champions, discover the secrets and the most amusing aspects of a discipline that in 2020 will make its debut at the Tokyo Olympics. All this – and much more – is the “Milan Climbing Expo”, the great sport climbing festival in its third edition, which will take place at Pero’s Urban Wall gym from Friday 31st January to Saturday 1st February 2020. A “two days “dedicated to enthusiasts but also to those who know little or nothing about climbing, but are intrigued by the splendid ‘vertical emotions’ that this sport can give. Also this year the wise direction of the journalist Dario Ricci of Radio24 – IlSOle24Ore will help us navigate a program full of activities, and the journalist Valentina Graziosi will guide the “Video & Talk” on Friday evening.

A party that will offer different highlights: the competition with the Italian and international athletes of the ‘lead’ (climbing with rope) and ‘boulder’ (climbing without rope) specialties, the chance for everyone to participate in the many thematic workshops: from material training methods, from physiotherapy to climbing techniques, up to the ‘paralympic’ climbing experience that everyone can try safely, or suggestions to bivouac on the wall!

Many studies confirm that climbing managed in indoor facilities is certainly one of the best total body-workouts that can be done. In part resistance training, partly cardio with an added injection of adrenaline, climbing is the physical activity for adrenaline fanatic that you might not have considered. According to a study reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the cardio and energy consumed during climbing are similar to a run performed at a rate between 8 and 11 minutes per mile. Harvard Health Publications reported that a 70 kg person burns about 818 calories an hour during a wall climb and 596 calories an hour during a descent … and more.

Here are so many reasons to participate in the two days of sport and entertainment, with the emotions of the official competitions and the show of the dancers of the Urban Gravity Academy from Vigevano, an air arts school created by Veronica Testa on inspiration and in collaboration with Ambra Orfei Circus School, in a spectacular combination of dance, art and sport. And to enrich the two days of Milan Climbing Expo 2020, also meetings and debates on the mountain, on hiking and on the relationship between sport and nature, because climbing is not only a spectacular and fun sport, it is a philosophy of life and a way of being in symbiosis with oneself and the environment that surrounds us.

Some examples: on Friday evening an important moment with the presence of the two-time world champion of ice climbing, the Italian Angelika Rainer and two super mountaineers just returned from an expedition to Manaslu, Marco Camandona and Francesco Ratti, whom interviewed by the journalist Valentina Graziosi and supported by new videos will make us feeling strong emotions at high altitude. Nicolò Balducci, of the Vibram athletes Team, will talk about his last success at just 15 years, Gondo Crack – 8C (third repetition after Jacopo Larcher and Barbara Zangerl).

On Friday evening, Alpstation will also pay homage to us with the presence of the famous sculptor by Maurizio Perron, who on the basis of the event will create a sculpture dedicated to Milan Climbing Expo 2020.

On Saturday instead the very strong climbing couple on rocks as well in life Jacopo Larcher and Barbara Zangerl will present some beautiful videos of their latest exploits, we will experience together the mountain and Nature which is the ideal stage for climbing with Dario Ricci and Stefano Tirelli, mental coach of many sports champions and teacher of complementary sports techniques at the Catholic University of Milan which will illustrate the project “Sport for Nature”. We will travel together to the Svalbard Islands and Iceland to discover the most evocative places on Earth, whose precarious balance is now threatened by pollution and global warming.

At the center of MCE20 therefore the everyday enthusiasts, the families, the curious of the last moment, but also the great champions who, already in the two previous editions, have honored with their presence the stage (and walls …) of Urban Wall . Guests of honor the President of IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing) Marco Maria Scolaris and the new President of FASI Davide Battistella with the Italian Youth National team that will duel with the Olympic National of the People’s Republic of China, which has elected the gym in Via Gramsci 29 as headquarter to better prepare the Olympic event in Tokyo. With “our” two Presidents we will be discussing about the evolution of the climbing practice in recent years up to the great success achieved with the access of this discipline to the Olympic Games in Japan this year.

Speaking of the Olympic Games, the 18-year-old Laura Rogora from Rome will pass through Urban Wall, who has signed a ticket for Japan and who has already experienced the excitement of the Youth Olympics of Buenos Aires 2017, and the 26-year-old Turin Stefano Ghisolfi, among the strongest international climbers, just got on the world podium in Japan. Together with them, many other Italian and foreign champions, such as our Gabriele Moroni, the “puma” of the Urban Wall gym, winner of the Bouldering World Cup stop in Tokyo last year, Marcello Bombardi, another very strong athlete of the Italian national team, Anak Verhoeven, former European champion in the lead specialty and silver at the 2016 Paris World Championships, or the Slovenian Mina Markovic, winner of two World Cups and a world silver place as a demonstration (and just spend an evening at Urban Wall to have the proof …) that climbing is attracting more and more women, intrigued by this mix of balance, determination, physical and mental strength needed to really have fun on the wall. 38 international athletes – a parterre that has nothing to envy to a world cup stage, will be streamed live with the comments of an exceptional team: Marzio Nardi and Luca “Canon” Zardini for the part in ITA and Nicoletta Costi together with her colleague and friend Antonella Zuchelli for the simultaneous in ENG.

Finally, together with today’s champions, MCE20 will be the launching a pad for tomorrow’s ones as well. The protagonists are also the children and adolescents of the Kundalini agonistic team who will carry out a training session accompanied by the instructors of Urban Wall, who are also following the first ‘vertical’ steps of many Pero school students and neighboring provinces integrating into the gym activity required by the educational program the climbing discipline.

In short, a great climbing festival, but above all a great sports festival, open to anyone who wants to find out what it takes to look at the world “vertically”. With the sponsorship of the Municipality of Pero, the Municipality of Milan and the FASI who we thanks for their continued support.

We therefore invite you to pay particular attention to Saturday, February 1 to attend the Workshops: open to all and tailored for those who want to experience such emotions, experienced mountaineers and mountain guides will make you trying your first ascent, an ice-simulated experience with ice ax, descending the huge overhang of the UrbanWall gym to sitt “comfortably” as if on a mountain halfway up the wall, trying the crack-climb or simply understanding how to train to prepare for this fantastic discipline in absolute safety. From 4 years to 99, you are all invited and fun is guaranteed!

We look forward to seeing you in Urban Wall in Via Gramsci 29 in Pero from about 5pm on Friday 31 January and from 9am on Saturday 1 February – free admission to watch the shows, for overall entrance costs please go here.

Competition Direction: Paolo Morandi supported by the UrbanWall Instructors team and a FASI judge

Route Setters: Alberto Gnerro, Andrea Zanone, Antonio Zecchino, Francesco “Franz” Spadea, Gabriele Moroni, Lorenzo Puri, Martino Sala, Stefan Scarperi

Safety Manager: Antonio Zecchino

Photo and Video Authorization: Climbing Pro SrL is authorized to take photos and videos of the event and will remain the sole owner of the material created that can be disseminated on the official channels of the Urban Wall Gym.