Description

🚶‍♂️ 5' - ⛰️ 1720 MSL - 🧭 S - ☀️ all day

Tatratea, one of the news of Valle dell’Orco! New problems have been cleaned thanks to the Orcoblocco climbing meeting and still a lot of potential to be discovered.
Tatratea is located just above the hairpin bends after the Guido Muzio refuge and it is one of the best bouldering sectors in terms of landscape of the entire valley.
This area turns out to be really good for climbing during Spring and Autumn, since its south exposure grants a lot of sun during the whole day. There is little vegetation around the boulders, so Tatratea is generally a windy area with extremely good friction conditions. It is possible to climb here also during the Summer, but it may be better to get a cloudy day.
The base is flat and landings are generally comfortable.
There are 80+ problems, with a difficulty range from 5 to 8 but more focused on the 6/7 scales.
Best boulders? Do not miss Katana, this crazy overhanging spike, Le due torri, Mira, Denti di cristallo and Sbam.

As always, let’s spend a few rows describing the amazing environment that is welcoming us!
Valle dell’Orco (Orco’s 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.

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!

History

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!

Tatratea was discovered in 2017 by local climbers and was greatly enhanced in 2019 thanks to the Orcoblocco bouldering meeting.