East face (Il Circo sector) · Monte Procinto (Apuan Alps) · Italy
A modern line in the middle of the Procinto's east face, opened in 2019. Typical Procinto climbing on big but spaced holds: two physical cruxes on pitches 1 and 4, easier pitches between, and an abseil descent from ringed belays.
Climbing mode: Big type, screen kept awake, tick pitches as you go.
Highest point about 1050 m above sea level (estimate: terrain height at the mapped point).
6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches · 130 mEasy to bail
Diedro delle Sorprese was opened ground-up in 2019 by Claudio Bacci, Claudio Cocci and Francesco Bertellotti in the 'Circo' sector, in the middle of the east face. Five pitches, 130 m, with a 6a/6a+ start and a 6a+ fourth pitch, both steep and physical; the others are 5b to 5c. A 2022 party describes it as bolted like a sport crag from bottom to top, with an abseil ring at every belay, and thought it never harder than 6a, though strong arms and good footwork are needed.
The atlas doesn't show topos: they are the work of the people who bolt and document these routes. See the topo in Alpi Apuane Multipitch.
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6a/6a+ | The most physical pitch, through the overhang above the arch. |
| P2 | 5bVI-5.8 | Vertical; can be linked with pitch 3 into a 45 m pitch needing 14 quickdraws. |
| P3 | 5cVI5.9 | Vertical, directly above pitch 2. |
| P4 | 6a+VII-5.10b | Second physical crux. |
| P5 | 5cVI5.9 | Traverses; it can be linked with pitch 4 (about 50 m, 18 quickdraws in all) if you extend or skip a few bolts. |
Leave the A12 at the Versilia exit and follow signs for Stazzema. Just before the village, on the last hairpin, a road forks right (sign for Rifugio Forte dei Marmi on a wall); follow it a few minutes to where the asphalt ends and park. The hut (865 m) is open daily from mid-June to mid-September and at weekends all year.
From the parking at the road end above Stazzema follow path 5A (ex 5bis), partly paved, through woods past a spring to the Rifugio Forte dei Marmi (under an hour), then follow the signs for the Procinto ferrata for about 15 minutes to the small wooden bridge onto the 'cintura', the ledge path round the base of the tower. Go right along the east face to the 'Circo' sector. The route is a few metres left of 'La notte di San Lorenzo', at a sling and an overhang trending right above an arch; the painted name at the base was almost worn away in 2022. A 2022 party reached it in 50 minutes by cutting directly below the mountain instead of passing the hut.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Coordinates · crag
Point from camptocamp waypoint 353230 (Monte Procinto summit; the walls ring the tower within about 200 m)
Contains the route point.
Points from published sources, not surveyed.
Coordinates: 44.00385, 10.34484 (crag)
Abseil the route, or the neighbouring Bacci e Abbracci to the right (same first ascensionists); every belay has an abseil ring. Alternatively climb a last pitch up the steep woods to the summit and descend the via ferrata on the south side.
Easy to bail
Every belay has an abseil ring and the route is a normal abseil descent, either down the line itself or down Bacci e Abbracci next door.
Italy
112Emergency, where the single number is in service
Emergency, where the single number is in service
Where 112 is not yet the single number, call 118 and ask for CNSAS.
Position of the crag
44.00385, 10.34484
Marks the crag, not the route: give route and pitch.
Say what happened, how many are hurt, and where you are. Checked October 2026 (sourceofficial sources).
Quickdraws (14 for the longest linked pitch reported, 18 if you link pitches 4 and 5), rope for the abseils (length not given), helmet.
East-facing at about 1000 m, in the morning sun. The Procinto stays wet long after rain.
Forecast · next 7 days · 1050 m
Loading the forecast.
| Measure | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Low °C | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rain mm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chance of rain % | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Strongest gusts km/h | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Model forecast for 1050 m. It cannot tell you whether the rock is dry. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
Time plan · 5 pitches
Working out sunrise and sunset.
An estimate. Queues and route finding cost time, and shaded walls go dark before sunset. Local time (Central European time), flat horizon.
Sun on the wall · E-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
From the aspect alone; terrain is ignored. Local time, 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul (usual season) | Aug (usual season) | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 5 |
| Mean daily low °C | −1 | −2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 3 | −0 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
● usual season. 1991-2020 averages at about 1071 m; rain is for a 10–25 km grid cell. Weather and climate data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
No reports yet.
Italy · Monte Procinto (Apuan Alps)
One of the hardest modern sport lines on the Procinto's east face: two 6c+ pitches of steep climbing on spaced holds, a bouldery 6b, an easy link and a superb sustained 7a pitch through an overhang into a crack.
7aVIII5.11d7aVIII5.11d5 pitches135 m
Read the cautions
Around 6a+ · about 5 pitches
Switzerland · Furka
Five sustained pitches on the left side of the Hannibalturm, never easier than 5c+ and never much harder than 6a+. A smooth friction slab leads to steep wall climbing, a pillar, a flake and a corner, and the route finishes up a ladder of huge quartz knobs. Many parties rate it the best line on the tower and find the second pitch the hardest.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches170 m
Spain · Montserrat
A modern linkup over two pinnacles on excellent conglomerate. Overhanging 6a and 6a+ walls alternate with easy 'potato-field' slabs. The new bolting makes it one of the most reassuring long lines in the massif.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches185 m
France · Verdon
A 1985 classic of the Escalès, a grade harder and noticeably bolder than Les Dalles Grises next door. Five pitches on pockets and slabs, starting with polished rising traverses and finishing up a sculpted wall of vertical flutings, an overhanging crack and a bulge at 6a+. You need to be solid at 6a to enjoy it.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches150 m
Read the cautionsCommitting
Germany · Ammergauer Alpen
The popular sport line of the Geiselstein south face, straight up to the summit cross. Long, steep pitches on excellent rough limestone, sustained at UIAA 6- to 6 with two short passages of 6+ and one easier pitch on less reliable rock. Never easy and never crowded with bolts: you climb between them.
6a+VII-5.10b6a+VII-5.10b5 pitches210 m
Read the cautions
Researched and aggregated by AI from published sources, last compiled October 2026. It can be wrong, and bolts, anchors and access change: check a current guidebook and read the disclaimer.