Rock climbing around Trieste and Udine
This area of northeast Italy provides a wealth and variety of climbing experiences on limestone rock that is generally very good quality. From the sea at Trieste to the mountains of the Carnic and Giulian Alps, and the established crags around Osp, there is always somewhere to climb throughout the year.
The rock climbing around Trieste consists of 7 separate crags. Val Rosandra is the most extensive and is made up of a series of many buttresses and it also offers some multi-pitch routes up to 80m long. At Napoleonica there are single pitch sport climbing situated above and below the road.
To the north of Udine, there are many small crags around the town of Tolmezzo. The largest of these are Braulins, Somplago, and Strabut, which are all within a few kilometres of Tolmezzo. To the north of Pordenone, again there are a number of excellent crags. The largest of these is Erto with over 220 routes, where the style of climbing is through fierce overhangs. Alternatively, there is Val Colvera with its various sectors providing over 160 routes across a wide range of grades.
Map of the rock climbing areas around Trieste, Udine and Pordenone in northeast Italy
Closer to the Austrian borders in the Carnic and Giulian Mountains there are a number of crags providing good climbing during the summer. Avostanic crag has almost 100 routes on vertical walls of compact grey limestone rock that require good finger strength. At an altitude of over 2,000m it also provides some stunning Alpine views.
Across the border in Slovenia, the rock climbing at Osp actually consists of 3 different crags; Osp itself with its razor-sharp slabs, and technical vertical and slightly overhanging walls that offers both single and multi-pitch routes; Misja Pec with its steep powerful single pitch routes mainly in the higher grades; and Crni Kal offers single pitch routes mainly in the lower grades.
The information shown on the map has been extracted from the Friuli e Terre di Confine rock climbing guidebook. This guidebook covers all the crags around Trieste, Udine, Pordenone, the border with Austria, and around Osp in Slovenia.
Other rock climbing guidebooks for around Trieste include Climbing without Frontiers and Karst Edge that both cover the crags around Trieste and around Osp in Slovenia. Buy these guidebooks from our shop.
Rock climbing in this region is possible throughout the year though the ideal time is the spring and autumn. However at the lower lying crags around Trieste and Udine it is possible to climb during the winter, whilst the high Giulian Alpine crags are at their best during the summer.
With regards to gear a 70m rope is ideal though many routes are possible with a 60m one. Around 12 to 14 quickdraws are usually sufficient.
