At 15.50 on Thursday the 26th of November.

Hello Paola?

Yes?

It’s Giorgia, Giorgia Tesio

Hi Giorgia!

Sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to tell you that I am here at the crag of Andonno, you know “Noi”, that route I was trying on Sunday, guess what I just closed it!

This is definitely worth a massive “Awesome Giorgia”! Because a 15 year old girl who sends a route like “Noi” is really awesome.

She still does not understand how important this news is and that is exactly why we apologized for the phone call. Giorgia was born on the 20^th of October 2000 and has always climbed, she was brought up in Mondovi and straight from the beginning she was surrounded by and attracted to her father’s passion for the mountains and climbing. This year she has proved to be a real promise for Italian climbing by winning the Italian Senior Bouldering Cup, while on the international scene she has excelled by managing to earn a place as a semi-finalist at the Youth World Championships in Arco last September. When Giorgia has her feet firmly on the ground, she is so shy and seemingly embarrassed and it is only when she moves vertically that she becomes more self-confident and you see the real Georgia. That thick curly hair of hers keeps her a bit hidden, which when she can, she often hides behind. Then when she puts her harness on, she calmly puts on her climbing shoes, ties into the rope and she’s off!

Last Sunday she had a few tries on “Noi”, but every time she always fell off the route. All of Giorgia’s family were with her: her twin sister Petra was half-asleep at the base of the wall, her mum Michela was reading a good book and her dad Gianfranco climbed with Francesco.

She had the perfect climbing partner giving her a belay: Silvio Reffo, who came all the way to Andonno to try the route “Noia”. (Click her to see the video). On that occasion, he was successful and Giorgia not. And that is where the idea came from to get his dad to take a day off work and to accompany him to the crag the following Thursday. In a calm yet determined manner, he had proposed another visit to the crag for the following days. Precisely the following Thursday. And this is what came of it!

Paola Bergamelli

Ph and Video: Alberto Orlandi