Simone Tentori on "Big Nose", Fionnay

Some blocs stick with you. Not just for the difficulty, but for the feeling — that mix of rock, movement, and memory that stays in your skin. For Simone Tentori, one of those blocs sits in Fionnay, a small Swiss village in the Val de Bagnes where he often spends his summers climbing with friends.

That’s where he recently sent Big Nose — a proud 8C line on the Permanent Midnight boulder that ties together history and fresh vision. We had a chat with him about it.

The magic bloc of Fionnay

ST: “It’s a line on the Permanent Midnight boulder, in a small French-speaking area of Switzerland that I often visit in summer with Siara. Over the years I’ve climbed a bunch of problems here, but this one means something special to me.”

All on the same bloc, three major lines run side by side:

• Permanent Midnight (8B), opened by Dave Graham in 2006 — Simone flashed it during one of his first visits;
• Solitary Daze (8C), just to the left, sharing the same start before heading straight up;
• and now Big Nose (8C), a recent addition freed by Swiss climber Dylan Chuat.

ST: “It’s wild to see how, on the same rock, old classics and new testpieces coexist. That’s the beauty of bouldering — someone always ends up spotting something that others didn’t see yet.”

Long, sustained, and beautiful

Big Nose climbs through a small cave-like section of the bloc. The cleaning job by Dylan and Clem was key — the rock was dusty and hard to use until they brought it to life.

ST: “After the first session I was instantly psyched. It’s long and sustained, so it really pushes your endurance — something I’m not super used to lately, since I’ve mostly worked on short and explosive boulders.”

The sequence flows through powerful and precise moves on unique features.

ST: “The shape of the holds is just insane. The name Big Nose actually comes from a big triangular pinch halfway through the line — a perfect pinch sticking right out of the rock.”

Even the look of the bloc adds to the experience.

ST: “The mix of white and orange quartz cutting through the dark grey stone makes it feel almost artistic. Just being under it gives you something.”

Ten sessions, good crew, right moment

Simone spent about ten sessions on Big Nose, often sharing the rock with climbers from all over.

ST: “It’s always nice to share the sessions — Italians, French, Americans… everyone psyched. The single moves aren’t super hard, but linking them all from start to top is the real challenge. It felt more like a sport route: every day I added one more move, feeling steady progress and keeping motivation high.”

The send came on a hot evening in May — pretty much when he wasn’t expecting it.

ST: “It was warm, my hands were sweating, and I was about to call it. Then we waited for like an hour under the bloc, hoping for cooler temps. When I finally tried again, I instantly felt better friction. I started from the sit, no expectations, got to the crux, and just kept fighting until the top jug. Unreal moment.”

A new chapter for Fionnay

With Big Nose, Fionnay adds another proud line to its list of classics. For Simone, this bloc is much more than a project — it’s a reminder of why he climbs.

ST: “It’s cool how rock always keeps giving new possibilities. Big Nose proves that even on the most climbed-out blocs, there’s still something new to be found.”

Photos by Siara Fabbri