Portrait
Mauro Bole

Better known as Bubu, Italian Mauro Bole is a versatile climber, and a true original, always ready to laugh. The key to his talent: rigour, spontaneity, fun and freedom.

Text: Christine Kopp
PHOTOS : Fabio Dandri

When you speak to Mauro Bole, known familiarly as Bubu in the small world of climbing, expect a cascade of Italian in "staccato" mode, a style common to the inhabitants of Trieste which he calls home. This house… or rather a caravan with an annex, is located in a campsite. Is he a typical climber? Well yes and no: the interior does not match the preconceived idea of a nomadic stateless person who spends his time climbing the world’s walls. Everything is in order; clean, perfectly ironed clothes, every detail well thought out, a gleaming kitchen. Born in 1968, Bubu is a plumber and mountain guide, and is not only a happy chap but also an incredible perfectionist.

He applies this characteristic to his practice of mountaineering. He began on rock towers and wild ski runs. Very quickly he began to compete in ice climbing competitions. To date Bubu is known as one of the most experienced ice climbers in the world. He played an important role in the development of the discipline of dry tooling with the first ascent of his legendary Mission Impossible route in 2001. Since 1999, Bubu has lived and breathed mountaineering. He has specialized in repeated free climbing of the major classic routes such as Couzy or Camillotto Pellissier, both classified as 8b routes on the Three Peaks of Lavaredo, as well as opening firsts on rock and ice from the Dolomites to the Cordillera Blanca.

In 2001, Bubu opened his infamous Women and Chalk route at the Shipton Spire in Trango towers, Pakistan - so called because they contain two of the most fundamental ingredients of his life. Furthermore, both of them are sources of great joy to him, as well as profound disappointment at times…

In the mountaineering environment, it is difficult to bear malice or jealousy – an alien characteristic to him - and pointless discussions about the grades and ratings of climbing walls. In his view the fairest way to evaluate performance is through the competitions in which he has participated with great success over many years: the Ice World Cup is something he competes in not simply to measure himself against other climbers and for the benefit of his sponsors, but also for fun. This is his way of life: Bubu impulsively decides on his next project. Currently he is dedicated to his collection of technical products for ice climbing known as "Climbubu" – with his customary perfection and creativity. For him the freedom to decide what he wants to do the next day is priceless. How long can he live like that? Nobody knows, but it is possible that Bubu will decide to forego the world of climbing tomorrow and retire to the seaside, with a wooden boat built by his own hands, and his surfing.

There he would have time to write the book he dreams about. Even though he doesn’t read books, Mauro loves to write: clear, funny, spontaneous and sensitive, his writing corresponds with his lifestyle. In the delicate balance where his need for freedom, tranquillity, structure and strong sensations interact, there are two characters: Mauro, which he considers to be his true personality and Bubu, the public person - someone who never ceases to express his creativity - a search always accompanied by suffering. At our last meeting, he told us he was discovering the world of women in all its finesse. A wonderful world in which there is less treacherousness than amongst climbers. And yet it is nonetheless terrible, because at the end, it is always the women who decide where to go…

To learn more about Mauro "Bubu" Bole, his stories, tours and ideas, visit: www.climbubu.com.

Read the rest of the article in the Mountain Report magazine - Where to find ?