How COVID-19 is Affecting Italian Rock Climbers

As the effects of COVID-19 spread around the world, our climbing friends in Italy are showing us how the climbing community is adapting to the temporary isolation. Moja Gear writer and native Italian, Claudia Colonia, shares a special insight into this unsettling and fluid situation.

Italy is going through quite a hard health crisis right now. The COVID-19 virus is spreading in all the biggest cities and regions. Since February 25th schools and universities have been completely closed, and their doors will remain shut until April 3rd. Even with the closures, the situation isn’t getting much better. On Tuesday, March 10th a decree was issued which also closed all the gyms, cinemas, libraries, and shops, which don’t provide “essential supplies.” The people are required to stay at home. It is the only way to stop this situation from getting even worse.

But what does this COVID-19 decree mean for us climbers? No gym, of course, but not even outdoor climbing? At first, the climbing community was just as incredulous as everyone else. But we have come to understand the importance of this decree and have even started supported it by promoting the need to stay at home with many social campaigns.

 

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A post shared by Oliunìd (@oliunid) on Mar 12, 2020 at 8:59am PDT

Posts with the hashtags #iorestoacasa (I stay at home) and #miallenoacasa (I train at home) are popping up on social media accounts across Italy. Climbing gyms are getting in on the conversation as well. Check out the #escapechallenge for a funny contest promoted by a gym in Turin.  There are even some free online lessons using bodyweight exercises that everyone can follow to train at home without any training gear.

Italian climber Stefano Ghisolfi and climber Christian Core, who now lives in Canada, have used their Instagram channels to answer training questions, give tips, and ideas on how to best spend this time at home. Just today, Stefano trained live on his channel with his followers, putting on the largest online hangboard session in the world. Join online to share a smile and a laugh. They are contagious but they don’t hurt! Check out Stefano Ghisolfi @steghiso and Christian Core @corechristian.

 

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Today at 15.00 I will stream live my training session on the hangboard! You can just watch it or if you have a hangboard (any hangboard is ok) you can train with me follow my training! We will start very easy and progressively go harder, join us for the biggest hangboard session of the world!! Turn on notifications if you don’t want to miss it. • • • @thenorthface @lasportivagram #foryourmountain @camp1889 @epictv @hrtholds @misuraweb @visittrentino #neverstopexploring @fiammeoromoena #fiammeoromoena @frictionlabs • #climb #climbing #steghisati #rockclimbing #klettern #escalade #bouldering #climbing_pictures_of_instagram #sportividacasa

A post shared by Stefano Ghisolfi (@steghiso) on Mar 13, 2020 at 2:40am PDT

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