Arco with Dave

We were psyched to host the great Dave Twining for a couple weeks in Italy.  The grand tour started with a long weekend in Arco, a climber's paradise.

View from the valley. Photo by Cassy.

Our moderate line: the left side of the striking steep face, where the vegetation meets the steep rock 

Dave is enjoying Italy already

Scouting the line

Pitch 4

The fantastic 8th and final pitch.  Huge air!

The final belay station

A paraglider spotted us and began making close passes.  We made a bit of conversation each time he went by.

Him: "Ciao! Siete Italiani?"

Us: "No.  Americani."

Him: "What's your Facebook? I'm Luca Bartolotti."

Since I'm the only person in the modern world not on Facebook, I was glad to have Dave with me.

We never did find old Luca Bartolotti on Facebook, but I think he'd be psyched about these photos.

...

On a rainy day we opted for a via feratta and got to see a bunch of WWI bunkers and some awesome views of Lake Garda.

The summit

The summit fist pump. Photo by Dave.

The summit register

And the typical post-summit confusion.  How the hell do we get down from here?