Saluzzo Street Boulder Festival

A climbing festival in the heart of Saluzzo

The Saluzzo Street Boulder Festival is an urban climbing competition held every spring in the medieval historic center of Saluzzo, a stunning town in the province of Cuneo at the foot of Monviso, Piedmont. The concept is as simple as it is spectacular: a series of boulders are set along the walls, facades, staircases, and courtyards of ancient buildings, transforming the entire city into a vertical course to be scaled with bare hands.

The origins: an idea from four young climbers

The festival was born in 2024 from the enthusiasm of four young climbers from the Terres Monviso area - Giacomo Bassignano, Matteo Curti, Lorenzo Carasio, and Ezio Rinaudo - who were immediately supported by the City of Saluzzo, the Fondazione Amleto Bertoni, and the Terres Monviso tourism circuit. The first edition, organized in just two months, attracted about two hundred participants, with thrilling finals held in a packed Il Quartiere. Since then, the event has grown rapidly, drawing over 250 registered athletes.

How the competition works

The event follows the street boulder format: each participant receives a scorecard with the various boulders scattered throughout the city and their respective point values. They have several hours to tackle them freely, aiming to accumulate the highest number of points. Categories range from children to adults:

• Under 10 - children's category
• Under 16 - teenagers
• Open - men's and women's

After the qualifying phase, the top athletes compete in the finals, held in the evocative Courtyard of Honor at Il Quartiere, accompanied by music and DJ sets in a festive atmosphere.

Part of the Terres Monviso Outdoor Festival

The Street Boulder Festival is part of the larger Terres Monviso Outdoor Festival, a three-day event dedicated to mountain sports and sustainable tourism that brings the spaces of Il Quartiere (the former Caserma Musso in Piazza Montebello) to life. Between hiking, gravel biking, meetings, school workshops, and public activities, urban climbing remains one of the most anticipated and photographed highlights of the entire program.

A unique experience blending sport and history

Climbing the walls of a medieval city like Saluzzo means experiencing its architectural heritage from a fresh perspective, in an original fusion of athletic discipline and local promotion. Supported by technical partners like Vibram, the festival is now a must-attend event for the climbing community in Piedmont and beyond, transforming the squares and alleys of the historic center into a grand vertical stage.