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Michele Angileri

Valle Conca

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Only in spring, at snowmelt, you can find water falling down the cascades of Valle Conca, but that is not the right time for a canyoning descent here. In fact, Valle Conca is subject to avalanches, and in spring its bottom is filled by a thick layer of icy snow being eroded from the bottom by meltwater. Water digs tunnels between the icy snow layer and the river bed. Tunnels are unstable and the layer collapses, to be eroded again from the bottom. It's not the best place to have fun, IMHO. Someone may call this "adrenalin", I call it "roussian roulette", that's why I wait for the snow to be completely melt. But as the snow disappears water flow ends, so I have to be content with a dry canyoning trail, but it's not unpleasant because the beautiful environment and a certain amount of technical skills needed.

A nice trail in the unique forms of Laga mounts.

Name	Valle Conca
Area	Lazio, Monti della Laga
Nearest village	Amatrice
Elevation loss	350 m
Length	600 m
Highest cascade	25 m
Rock	Sandstone
Rating
Shuttle	No
Explored by	First canyoning descent: Michele Angileri, Andrea Pucci; october 2007

I remember ...

The first exploring the hidden valleys and cascades of Laga mounts were the waterfall ice climbers. Due to the altitude, the exposition to east and the impermeable ground, in Laga Mounts we find the highest concentration of icefalls in the whole Appennino. The search for unknown frozen waterfalls pulled the ice climbers up through the most hidden and rugged valleys. Bolts and pitons often witness the passage of ice climbers.

That's why we found many bolts in the upper Valle Conca, even where they are unuseful to go down. First I thought there had been canyoneers, but I changed my mind when I realized that no bolt had been placed in lower Valle Conca, especially in the highest cascades.

Photos by Michele Angileri and Fabrizio Zonno