"Alps V14s" | Simone Tentori

I’ve always climbed in Val Masino and Ticino, because coming from Lecco, they were the most convenient areas: super accessible and packed with high-level, famous, quality boulders. So, for years I focused there — it was my natural terrain. Then, a couple of years ago, I moved to Geneva to join Siara, my partner. It was the perfect opportunity to start exploring a lesser-known part of Switzerland, but still rich in history and full of interesting problems. When it came to these boulders, there was a bit more research involved, let’s say. It’s not like the classic, “renowned” Ticino where you just open the guidebook, watch a YouTube video, and instantly find the block. Here I had to connect with locals, get to know the valleys, and build more authentic relationships. And that added another level of depth to the experience. In the video you can see the ascent of Radja, the world’s first 8B+, freed by Fred Nicole back in ’96. For me, it was a unique opportunity: to lay my hands on such a historic problem. Even though today it may not be the hardest in terms of grade, it remains a piece of history. It was super interesting trying to repeat it while imagining myself in Fred Nicole’s shoes nearly 30 years ago, with that vision, that intuition. Looking at the line and thinking: “OK, is this thing doable?” It was truly inspiring. In addition to Radja, I also visited some much more remote boulders. One is Manhattan, in the Canton of Valais: a boulder freed by a local, at the top of a remote valley. The block is beautiful, the line cuts right through the wall — clean and direct. An absolutely top-quality line. I think mine was the third or fourth repeat: so despite the quality, it’s still pretty unknown. Then there’s Fan Speed, in Chamonix. A really unique boulder: it sits right at the base of the Mont Blanc massif, on super compact, incredibly high-quality granite. The cool thing is that half of the boulder has been smoothed by an ancient glacier, while the other half is rough and grippy. So you end up climbing with one hand on slick rock and the other on rough holds. A unique feeling. Again, mine was the third ascent ever, after the first and second by Clem. And then there’s Arzak, in Murgtal. Another amazing problem, perhaps a bit more well-known, with a few more repeats. Finally, there were my first ascents of Minibar and Fumeria, in Val Masino. I had discovered them with Max Piazza some time ago. They had always remained extreme projects: we had never even managed to solve a single move halfway through. After several seasons of attempts, I realized the key was a dynamic movement — a jump. And once I figured out that method, I was able to send the boulder within just a few sessions. It was incredible to sign such a beautiful first ascent and give Val Masino another exceptional line. This video brings together a series of ascents I did between 2023 and 2024. There’s no real narrative thread — no linear storytelling — just boulders that meant something special to me during that year. It was a period of discovery, where I felt the need to put my hands on slightly more particular lines: historic problems, like the world’s first 8B+, but also personal projects like my own first ascent, which made me truly proud. I decided to call the video Alps V14 because all of these boulders hover around the same grade, more or less, and are spread along the entire Alpine range. Each one represents something unique: an adventure, a meeting, a challenge overcome. So I collected the footage of these climbs, put it together, and it turned into this little personal journey through some of the problems that left a mark on me.