Registrations are open online at melloblocco.it.
There are countless reasons to attend Melloblocco, and everyone has their own personal ones. Matteo De Zaiacomo, who leads the route-setting team alongside Andrea Pavan, offers one of them: "The quality of the new lines is, in my view, insane! I'm personally amazed to find simply perfect new lines to climb right next to the most classic areas. Melloblocco is also this — a new heritage of aesthetically striking moves that remain forever."
The €25 registration fee supports the event and includes the bag with the boulder map, partner goodies — including a surprise from E9 — and this year's T-shirt in a color that goes well with everything, but especially with granite. 2,500 bags and T-shirts are available, and a good percentage has already been reserved.
BOULDERS, ROUTE-SETTING AND SENSITIVITY
Val Masino. Val di Mello. Valle dei Bagni. Melloblocco 2026 climbs across all three valleys and side valleys. "We've brought the offering back toward Valle dei Bagni. A gem for boulderers that this year will be connected to the heart of the event in San Martino by a shuttle service," explains De Zaiacomo. "The program and discovery work are spread across all of Val Masino according to the needs of each individual area."
The boulders currently being cleaned and restored cover all difficulty levels, with the free choice to climb for pure fun or to test yourself on the more challenging "prize boulders", many still awaiting a first ascent. Anything new? "One project will be the same for women and men, and we're sure there will be both a female and a male first ascent. The only question is whether it will be a man or a woman who claims the First Ascent."
The ability to explore even more freely among the hundreds of boulders scattered throughout the valley is enriched by diverse perspectives and sensibilities. The route-setting team — De Zaiacomo, Pavan, Maximiliano Piazza, Alessandra Prato, Isacco Saini and Emanuele Ticozzi — welcomes new members: Christian Bubani and Laura Semperboni, Luca Fiorelli, Sebastiano Pagani and Simone Ciappini.
De Zaiacomo's introductions are anything but formalities: "Christian, with his great passion for bouldering, has shown over the years a natural talent for discovering new lines and a spontaneous willingness to do the background work needed to secure them — not to be underestimated in Val Masino either. Laura is a high-level climber and instructor, and together they form a synergistic team. Laura's work combined with Alessandra Prato's ensures marked sensitivity in choosing the women's 'prize boulders' — a selection that weighs every possible psychological and physical aspect for female climbers."
"Luca Fiorelli, Simone Ciappini and Sebastiano Pagani live in Val Masino and have always contributed to the event's success through ASD Val Masino Climbing. This year they've stepped into a more hands-on, direct role in route-setting, each bringing specific skills. Luca works to ensure access alongside Simone, with full respect for the surrounding nature. Sebastiano is one of the most talented boulderers in Val Masino — his personal journey is focused on technical improvement on the valley's rock. He knows every single boulder and is gradually climbing every last one of them."
LA SPORTIVA AT MELLOBLOCCO 2026
"Coming back to Melloblocco feels natural to us: it's returning to a place where part of climbing history was written, alongside a community we feel part of — as members first, and partners second," says Vittorio Barrasso, Brand & Communication Manager at La Sportiva, which will be at Melloblocco 2026 with many Team athletes including Elias Iagnemma, Domen Skofic, Melissa Le Neve, Jana Svecova and Laura Pineau.
La Sportiva has been a sponsor since the very first edition in 2004, and the bond continues to deepen because the values that matter to Melloblocco and to the Trentino brand align: environment, community, history.
"This year we'll be in Val Masino with technical workshop moments alongside the athletes, but also plenty of exploration: new boulders to brush and try, workshops at the base of iconic routes and boulders — brush in hand, encouragement, and respect for the rock," explains Barrasso. "There will be the chance to test the latest shoes with their different technologies and, in the evenings, to gather and listen to La Sportiva Team athletes share their stories — ambitious projects, attempts gone by, and dreams yet to be set free."
In keeping with the spirit of the gathering, the organized activities "unfold in a spread-out way across the territory: within the Village set up in San Martino, and others directly on and among the valley's boulders."
La Sportiva Madness Café (daily, La Sportiva stand) "will be a space dedicated to meeting La Sportiva Team athletes, designed to listen to their stories, share experiences, and encourage dialogue with the community. An open, ongoing place for exchange, where the athletes' presence becomes an opportunity to talk about the practice, personal journeys, and climbing culture."
She Rocks (Thursday May 7, 10:00–13:30) is the women's workshop led by Caroline Ciavaldini, Jana Svecova, Laura Pineau, Giulia Venturelli and Michelle Kao Voss. It includes 2 hours of practical climbing on boulders and 1 hour of group discussion centered on a topic that matters to the participants.
Once Upon a Time in Mello (Friday May 8, 10:00–13:30), featuring the voices of Silvio Reffo, Marco Sappa, Jacopo Larcher, Barbara Zangerl and locals, tells the stories and anecdotes of certain boulders — on location, right at the boulder itself. Who knows what those rocks would have to say...
TickMarks (Saturday May 9, 10:00–13:30) centers on a theme that roughly translates as: respect the place, the path, the boulder, and the people — climbers and non-climbers alike. One guiding question: How can I do my best? The discussion is facilitated by Matteo De Zaiacomo.
Title Sponsor La Sportiva joins the Melloblocco Village alongside Decathlon (new Main Sponsor), confirmed Vip Sponsors E9 and Brazz (which has already launched crash pad rentals), and Premium Sponsors C.A.M.P., Versante Sud, for Outdoor People, Lyofood and ECOGRID. The full program with all sponsor and partner activities — including the big Melloblocco evenings — will be online shortly at melloblocco.it.
MELLOLAB — ACTIVITIES FOR THE VERY YOUNG
Melloblocco "was conceived — as its founding promoters recall — to bring young people closer to the mountain environment and the many activities practiced there, starting from its most immediate form: bouldering." MelloLab, organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Morbegno, pursues this aim and is dedicated to primary and lower secondary school students.
The first event is Saturday May 2 in Morbegno — held at the Ezio Vanoni Civic Library, or more precisely on its locally quarried stone walls. There are two climbing-play sessions led by mountain guides Davide Spini and Raffaele Tangeri: one in the morning for primary school age, one in the afternoon for lower secondary; both sessions close with a short talk by Alberto Benini, the library director and mountaineering historian.
"Melloblocco Tells Its Story" — an open talk for all ages — rounds off the day in Morbegno. The second event is Wednesday May 6 in Val Masino.
PLAN YOUR MELLOBLOCCO
Three pre-event steps: register for Melloblocco 2026, book your accommodation (hotel, campsite, B&B, holiday rental — all options available on the website), and plan how to get there. Melloblocco — committed to protecting the natural environment — encourages visitors to reach Val Masino by public transport or by bike; a WhatsApp group is also active for carpooling, for anyone looking to share or offer a ride.
All useful information is available at melloblocco.it
Melloblocco is organized by Consorzio Turistico Porte di Valtellina with the support of Regione Lombardia, Provincia di Sondrio, BIM Adda, Comunità Montana Valtellina di Morbegno and the Municipality of Val Masino, in collaboration with founding promoters Michele Comi, Nicola Noè and Stefano Scetti, and with the support of Associazione Operatori Val Masino and Associazione Val Masino Climbing.
MELLOBLOCCO IN BRIEF
Melloblocco is an international bouldering gathering that every year welcomes thousands of climbers from around the world to Val Masino, a Rhaetian valley in lower Valtellina. The valley — an extraordinary natural environment — is renowned for the quality of its granite, which characterizes both the valley-floor boulders and the great summits, such as Pizzo Badile (3,308 m). The gathering has always been non-competitive and is best experienced with a curious, relaxed spirit. Across 18 editions, it counts over 33,000 registered participants from 80 nations — a long list that includes names such as Garnbret, Ondra and Sharma.