Melloblocco, the world's biggest international bouldering event!

Melloblocco took place in the Val di Mello and Val Masino valleys in Italy from April 30 to May 4, 2014. This 11th edition proved to be one of the most spectacular in the event's history, and for good reason. With an unbelievable 2600 climbers registering online, no less than 5000 people made the trip to these incredibly beautiful valleys. The "Mello-boulderers," from beginners to pros, enjoyed testing their mettle on the endless number of boulder problems in the area.

The "9+9" competition

Reserved for the world's top climbers, this competition took place in the valley's pell-mell of boulders. For the men, Jacopo Larcher (Italy) and Gabriel Moroni (Italy), both Team Petzl members, showed the public their best moves when facing off against seasoned climbers like Alexey Rubtsov (Russia), Anthony Gullsten, (Finland), Stefano Ghisolfi (Italy), Sachi Amma (Japan), Marcello Bombe (Italy), Vicenza Silvio Reffo (Italy), Michael Piccolruaz (Italy), as well as Andrea Ratti (Italy), Ivailo Radkov Fazata (Bulgaria), Kipras Baltrunas (Lithuania) and Shini Fujisawa (Japan).

In the women's competition, Melissa Le Nevé from Team Petzl (France) tied for first with Yulia Abramachu (Russia), who both outclimbed Jenny Lavarda (Italy), Barbara Zangerl (Austria), fourteen-year-old Giorgia Tesio (Italy), as well as Jade Patte (Italy) and Alexandra Ladurner (Italy).

And Petzl ? 

Petzl enjoyed a resounding success during demos of its new ALTO, CIRRO and NIMBO crash pads, which will be available in July 2014.

Demos of the new line of dynamic ropes also generated interest among participants, who all showed a great deal of excitement for these new products.

This new gear was also put on display by the Italian sales representatives alongside Petzl's entire product line at the brand booth in the partner village.

View the photos

Photos © OpenCircle - Melloblocco 2014