BURSTIn April last year, Pietro Vidi made the first ascent of Flow State in Val Daone in Trentino, Italy. The line links Grizzly V13 and Flow V13 to create an 18-move monster, with the crux coming at the very end. Vidi suggested V16 for the problem. Adam Ondra made the second ascent in August 2024, feeling the problem was V15 for his beta and body type. In Fall 2024, Stefano Carnati made the third ascent and Giovanni Placci made the fourth ascent, both believing the problem to be V15. Mellow just released send footage of Placci’s ascent, which you can view below.
“Getting to the top of this gem was definitely a bouldering highlight for me, something about the mix of difficulty, the view, and the moves made this one feel special,” said Placci on Instagram after his send. “When I did the two sections (Grizzly and Flow), I used the OG beta from [Pietro Vidi] but I ended up using a slightly different one for the full line and it really changed the difficulty, that’s why I feel [V15] is the right grade. Props to you, bro, for the effort you put into the FA and the way you climbed it. Respect!”
After his ascent last summer, Ondra had similar thoughts about the grade and Vidi’s FA: “I think the way that Pietro sent it is surely an [V16]. It climbs a super cool [V13] Grizzly for the first part (that I was able to flash), and then it goes right via 3 very desperate moves. The last hard “move” is not even a move, it is just releasing your left toehook. Pietro made a full cut-loose, whereas I was able to keep my right foot on the rock. To be able to do that, you need to be of similar height like me. There might be a bit of an advantage even in the lower moves, but this last move is definitely game-changer. I think it could be [V15] for my height, for shorter climbers it is [V16] for sure. Hats off to Pietro for the first ascent and watch out for him! He has the passion, talent and so much drive.”
Placci has at least two other V15s to his name, including Captain Nemo and 4-Low, both located in Ticino, Switzerland. He sent Stefano Ghisolfi’s Erebor 5.15b in Arco in November last year. He’s also completed three 5.15a routes, including Bombardino, Trofeo dell’adriatico, and Beginning, all of which are also found in Arco.
Giovanni Placci on Flow State V15
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