Valle dell'Orco - Atlantide

🚶‍♂️ 2-5' - ⛰️ 1585 MSL - 🧭 S-SE - ☀️ all day

The climbing area of Atlantide is something really special. The boulders and the crags are just by the lake of Ceresole Reale, offering a nice marine view.
The rock has good grip and there are 70 problems and 30 sport routes, mainly around the sixth grade. Some of the best lines are Boa vista, Nessie, La chiglia and Kalinikita as boulders and Bacco perbacco Atlantide, Fessura dello stige, Diana, Castore and Black Emma as sport routes.
The area is south facing, ensuring plenty of sun throughout the day. The average altitude is above 1580 meters.
Best conditions during the year are from March to June and during October.
If the lake water level is high (especially during the Summer), this area is not accessible.
Atlantide crag features a really technical climbing that is not easily readable. Protections are safe but sometimes a bit spaced.

Climbing in Valle dell’Orco is improving every year and still has a lot of potential. We kindly ask you to respect the rock and the nature. Help us to keep this beautiful valley clean!

Let's conclude with a short description of Valle dell'Orco.
The valley is clearly a stunning area for mountain lovers, well known for its unspoiled nature and its huge amount of climbing routes that run on perfect slabs and amazing cracks.

The Orco river has carved this narrow valley from West to East, through the Levanne massif (South) and the Gran Paradiso Park (North). The valley is about 6 km long, rising from an altitude of about 600 meters above sea level up to 2500. From the valley floor it is possible to admire the summits of Gran Paradiso (4061 m.a.s.l.) and the three Levanne (Levanna Centrale 3619 m.a.s.l.). There is also a nice artificial lake called Ceresole lake.

There are plenty of paths to practice with snowshoes, to mountain-biking or simply walking. One could also find severe hiking trails, requiring a lot of effort and good physical preparation. The valley is equipped with many alpine refuges.
During the winter, the coast of Ceresole lake turns into a cross-country ski track, while downhill skiing can be practiced in Chiapili and Locana on Alpe Cialma.
There is good news also for fishing lovers: there is a nice reserve that is open from the last Sunday of February until November.

The mecca of crack climbing: the Orco Valley!
It was above all in the second half of the seventies that a large group of climbers (coming mainly from Torino), following the dream of Californian myth of the Yosemite Valley, traced a series of itineraries that seemed futuristic. Thanks to that, the valley was nicknamed as the "Yosemite Valley of Piemonte".
But Valle dell’Orco does not offer only classic trad climbing lines!
In the last years climbing continued to improve, giving birth to many single pitch lines and beautiful boulder areas. And something new is coming up every year!