Mattia Conte
7c Italian lone wolf climber
MEET MATTIA
I'm from a small mountain village in Calabria, where I climbed for the first time when I was a teenager, first indoor and then in a crag not far from my house, but back then I didn't know yet how much I loved this sport.
I've been climbing seriously since 2015, but I'm also into other outdoor sports, like trail running, mountaineering and alpinism.
I work seasonally in Dolomites, I'm a coffee nerd and live into my van for most of the year!
My biggest success has been to change my mindset about enjoying climbing as priority, and value more the moment rather than the grade. This has led me to send my hardest climbs (7c) and still have fun on lower grades :)
SHOOT A QUESTION
- Warm up or warming up by climbing? Before 30 y.o. warming up climbing, after 30 y.o. warming up properly.
- Coffee or matcha? Filter coffee, preferably from Ethiopia
- Climb in silence or with music? Silence, singing in my head to calm me down (Three little birds by Bob Marley is winner).
- Pull ups or hanging? Hanging.
- Favourite snack in the crags? Nuts, Dried Figs, PB&J sandwich!
- Lead or boulder? Lead.
- Alone or with group? More than 4 people is too much already, haha.
- Static or dyno? I love a good Dyno when I can!
5 QUESTIONS FOR MATTIA
1. What's your biggest f**k up in your climbing life?
A stupid mistake in the gym that led to a serious injury, but I didn't know until years later!
2. If you could pick anyone from the climbing history or the present climbers, who would you love to go climb with and why?
Tommy Caldwell is a bit of an inspiration for me, for his achievements in climbing and into the mountains, his skills and determination that taught me that with perseverance you can reach high.
3. What is your dream line?
I guess I haven't found it yet :) I'd love to climb 8a at some point, but more importantly I'd like to be comfortable in all climbing terrains. As a multipitch dream, I'd love to free climb through the South Face of Marmolada.
4. What's your favourite part of being in the Rafiki team?
I feel part of a brand and a community of climbers that truly understands the needs and struggles of the sport. Through great, long-lasting gear and always in the mind the respect for the environment, it's a team that feels like a family!
5. What's your advice for the climbers of all levels?
To go out there and enjoy, to travel and discover new crags and cultures, respect nature, meet nice people and that not sending is 99% of the sport, so just climb :)
