Bouldering in Ticino, Switzerland

Already for decades, Ticino in Switzerland has been a dream destination for boulderers. The high density of boulders, excellent quality of rock, year-round conditions and beautiful alpine scenery offers an irresistible combination that attracts climbers from all over the world. 💎 Cresciano, Chironico, and Brione are the most known areas in Ticino. Besides them, there are many other excellent options, for example, Val Calanca, S. Bernardino Pass, S. Gottardo, and Avegno, all offering a great variety of problems and grades. In total, the area has thousands of problems to explore and there's still even new ones waiting to be opened! Thanks to the incredible amount of routes and styles, Ticino can easily be recommended for boulderers from all levels. The most common style is overhanging with crimps but there's also many vertical walls and slabs and the rock types are mainly gneiss and granite. Ticino is a true year-round bouldering destination, but as usual, the best seasons are autumn and spring. Examples of typical winter crags would be Cresciano and Grono. Summers can get too warm in the valley but luckily there is the option to aim for higher altitudes at the passes S. Gottardo, S. Bernardino, and Val Pontirone. In addition, Magic Wood, which is a great summer destination too, is also included in 27 Crags Premium, is not too far away! Ticino has many areas that work great with kids and especially Chironico is a very family-friendly area. When traveling in Ticino and if you have a car, it's rather easy to visit different locations during a 1-2 week holiday. The only problem is that there are too many areas and routes to choose from! These topos are made by the authors of the Ticino Boulder guidebooks including Claudio Cameroni, Giuliano Cameroni, Renzo Lodi, Antonello Ambrosio, Roberto Grizzi and Nicola Vonarburg. Val Calanca is brought to you by Michele Bionda from Alphaboulder. Val Pontirone and some other areas are made by Andres Lietha. Read full information of all the different areas by clicking them below!

Ticino map

Ticino topos

8733 routes in 41 crags


Photos

266 photos shared by 55 climbers


Travel info

Best season

March to May and September to November. Winter is also possible during sunny days. Summer at the passes.

How to get there?

Flying to Bern, Zurich or Milan and renting a car.

Where to sleep?

Many different types of accommodations in the area.

Other activites

Hiking, biking, whitewater kayaking.


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