Maurizio "Manolo" Zanolla (born in Feltre, 16 February 1958) is an Italian

rock climber Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

and mountaineer, and a pioneer of sport climbing in Italy during the 1980s and 1990s.

Climbing career

Manolo came to international attention with his free solos in the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form pa ...

. In 1986, he became one of the first Italians to climb a route of grade with ''l'Ultimo Movimento'' in Totoga in the Pale di San Martino. In 1992, he became one of the first Italians to free solo a grade route, with ''Masala Dosa'' on the wall of "San Silvestro" in 1992. In 1981, with

Alessandro Gogna Alessandro Gogna (born 29 July 1946) is a Mountaineering, mountaineer, adventurer and mountain guide from Italy. Biography Born in Genoa, Italy, he is one of the key figures of Italian Alpinism, mountaineering, both as an active climber and as ...

, he climbed the Aguglia of Goloritzè in Sardinia, initiating the original development of the Selvaggio Blu trekking route.

Notable ascents

Redpoint

* : ** ''Bimbaluna'' – Saint-Loup (SUI) – 20 January 2008. Repeat of

Fred Nicole Fred Nicole (born 21 May 1970) is a Swiss rock climber known for his first ascents of extreme sport climbing routes, and also for pioneering the development of standards and techniques in modern bouldering in the 1990s and early 2000s; he is consi ...

's 2004 route; Manolo was almost 50 at the time and the hardest routes in the world were only at 9a+/b. * : ** ''Eternit'' – Vette Feltrine/Baule (ITA) – 24 August 2009. First ascent; continuation of ''O ce l'hai..''. ** ' – Saint-Loup (SUI) – 2006. Repeat of

's 1993 route. * : ** ''Roby Present'' – Val Noana (ITA) – 24 March 2012. First ascent; dedicated to Roberto Bassi. *: ** ''Eroi Fragili'' – Val Noana (ITA) – 5 March 2011. First ascent ** ''Stramonio'' – Val Noana (ITA) – 10 October 2010. First ascent ** ''Thin ice'' –

Terlago Terlago (german: Terlach) was a ''comune'' (municipality) in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, located about northwest of Trento. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,571 and an area of .All demogr ...

(ITA) – 25 April 2009. Route freed by Nico Favresse, 2007 ** ''El sior Favonio'' –

Fonzaso Fonzaso is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Belluno in the Italian region Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about southwest of Belluno. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,412 and an area of .All demographi ...

(ITA) – 2006. First ascent ** ''Diabloluna'' – Fonzaso (ITA) – 2006 ** ''L'Arte di Salire in Alto'' – Celva (ITA) – 2002. Rare repeat of Rolando Larcher's first-ever Italian 8c route from 1992. ** ''The Dream'' – Val Noana (ITA) – October 1991. First ascent * : ** ''Appigli Ridicoli'' – Vette Feltrine/Baule (ITA) – 1990. First ascent; Manulo reclimbed it in 2001 without using his original drilled one-finger pocket hold, and regraded it to over 8c (now considered 9a). ** ''Malvasia'' – Dvigrad (CRO) – 1988. First ascent; now considered 8c+ after some of the holds broke. ** ''Il Maratoneta'' – Paklenica (CRO) – 1987. First ascent, and only two yeaars after the first-ever 8b+. * : ** ''O ce l'hai… o ne hai bisogno'' – Vette Feltrine/Baule (ITA) – 1990 ** ''Ultimo Movimento'' – Totoga (ITA) – 1986. First ascent and first-ever in Italy. * : ** ''Terminator'' – Totoga (ITA) – 1985. First ascent and first-ever in Italy. * : ** ''Il Mattino dei Maghi'' – Totoga (ITA) – 1981. First ascent, and possibly one of the earliest 7c+ routes.

Onsight

* ''Rock and Blues'' ,

Kalymnos Kalymnos ( el, Κάλυμνος) is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese island chain, between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of ) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than ): ...

(GRE) – 19 June 2009. Manolo was 51 at the time. * ''La Pista'' , Arco – 1989. * ''La Fissure Serge'' (7c+), Buoux – 1988.

Free solo

* ''Masala Dosa'' in Totoga, in San Silvestro cliff – 1992. * ''La Gatta'' , Mount Totoga – 1990.

Bibliography

* *

References

Extermal links

Manolo: climbing and informed choices
''PlanetMountain'' (2014) 1958 births Living people Italian rock climbers Free soloists {{Italy-sport-bio-stub