WHAT WE DO
Val di Mello Mountain Guides offers instruction and guiding services in climbing, mountaineering and ice climbing in Val di Mello and Valmasino.
Thanks to our deep knowledge of the area and great passion for climbing, we are able to offer tailor-made adventures and meet the needs of both the beginners and the more experienced climbers.
The guides who work with us are certified IFMGA / UIAGM, pleasant, professional, motivated and constantly committed to keep up with the latest best-practice and the ever-changing conditions of the mountains.
We also guide on multi-day treks along Sentiero Roma, as well as on via ferrata. Among other services, we organize team building and assist outdoor photo-shooting and filming activities.
OUR GUIDING STYLE
Val di Mello, and Valmasino more generally, was the playground where everything begun: we learned how to climb, how to control fear, how to trust the friction of our climbing shoes, how to manage long ron-outs…and, of course, how to fall, fail and bail. The Valley was the foundation of our mountaineering career and a solid background for the long and difficult path to becoming Mountain Guides. Guiding you here, in the realm of granite, at our “home” is something special. That’s why we commit to make your experience here magical, unique and profound.
“Simplicity is the supreme sophistication” Leonardo Da Vinci (and Steve Jobs)
Climbing and mountaineering are very complex subjects, but we try to explain them as simply as possible. So we avoid to overwhelm you with the thousand of variations ands concentrate on the essentials. “Keep it simple!” is our style.
“Sweat more in training, bleed less in battle” Spartan warriors creed.
To us, practice is always more important than theory, and we tend to measure the work done in meters of climbing rather than hours of talk. Well aware that few experiences are worth a thousand words, we prefer a hands-on, direct approach to climbing. Less talk, more rock.
“Climbing is dangerous” Instruction manual.
Gravity is always “on,” so climbing is dangerous, and more is more dangerous than most sports. We do not explicitly seek out risk, nor do we accept it fatalistically, but we are aware of its presence. We do what we can to reduce it, knowing that it will never be equal to zero, unless we are willing to give it up. These are the unwritten rules of climbing, we simply wanted to write them down to avoid misunderstanding.
If you seek a 100% safe activity, climbing and mountaineering are not for you. Look elsewhere and be wary of those who sell you, or worse yet gift you, safety in the mountains. It simply does not exist!
On the other hand, if you believe that a little insecurity is part of life and that being mortal gives value to every day you live, then we are ready and happy to guide you on your vertical adventures!
Davide Spini
Born and grown in Morbegno, a nice town at the entrance of Valtellina.
Since I was a child, the best way to spend school holidays was to play on the mountains. It didn’t matter how: walking, running, helping my uncles to look after cows, making snowman or skiing were much more than a good reason to prefer mountain life instead of the soccer-based city-life.
Thanks to my father, I first discovered ski-mountaineering at the age of 10 and I suddenly realized that this had to be my life. When I was 14 years old I started to compete in running-races (cross-country and mountain running were my favourites) and one year later I did the same Ski-mountaineering. My racing mood kept to give me fun, motivation and good results for about 10 years. During this committing and hard period I achieved some good results such as a gold medal at the first Ski-mountaineering World Championship in 2002 and a Bronze Medal at the Mountain Running World Championship in 2001, both of them in Junior Category.
Almost at the same time I started to move my first steps on rock walls. This new challenge, a bit less aerobic, but much more metal, started to give me good sensations and plenty of satisfactions.
Learning something new, controlling the fear of the void and exploring new places without a number on the leg soon became the passion that distanced myself from the race world.
According to my family’s teaching, Sport was important, but school was first, so at some point of my life I got a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering, but after so many days spent in the nature, nor the idea of keeping on studying, neither the plan of a life in office sounded too attractive.
To become a Mountain Guide seemed instead a very good option able to answer to almost all the question mark that were spinning in my head.
Since that choice my life has changed and now, after about 10 years as Mountain Guide, I can say the I took the right decision.
At the age of 39, I’m married and father of two funny and noisy little boys!
Mobile: +39 3337982523
Licence number: IT25a00239.
VAT number: 00934490145
Giovanni Ongaro
Giovanni, also know as “il maestro”, or “master G” is a true living-legend among Mello’s Climbers.
Proficent all-round climber, from Yosemite to Pakistan granite big walls, Giò has established lots of new routes and many icefalls first ascent.
Despite he now has few more white hair than the ones you can(not) see in the picture, he still cruises slabs and cracks almost every day.
His mantra “Metti un friend e vai poi su”, in English may sound like “Place one friend and motor-up to the top!”.
Definitely the right guide to help you moving your first steps, and whippers, while leading on trad gear…