My name is Marco Zanone, a videomaker by profession and a climber by passion. I started climbing when I was 15, back in 2010. I wasn’t a kid anymore, but I was still young enough to experiment, make mistakes, and learn. Those early years were precious — they laid the foundation that still supports me today and shapes the dreams I chase.
I didn’t start with the thought, “I want to be the best.” Climbing hit me like a bolt of lightning.
I loved everything about it — training, being on real rock — and I had the right friends to share it with. We had fun, we grew together, and almost without realizing it, we got better.
For me, the most important thing — the real game-changer when you’re starting out — is having people around who guide you in the right direction, helping you build the basics of what’s right and what’s wrong.
Back in 2010, there were fewer of us compared to now. The community felt tighter, everyone knew each other, and there was a genuine will to pass down values, ethics, and respect for the rock to the next generation.
I think it’s essential to know, at least in broad strokes, how it all began and how certain ideas were formed and strengthened. That knowledge helps us develop our own vision while keeping some guardrails to stop us from losing our way.
What I learned back then — about ethics, respect, the pursuit of beauty, and the value of things — I see as a heritage that goes beyond climbing ability. Thanks to those who, fifteen years ago, took the time to teach me, I now carry something extra with me. Maybe more personal than athletic… but in the end, that’s what matters most.
I’m not the only climber who holds on to these values — I know many, even younger than me. But today, passing them on is harder. Only those who grow up in the right environment truly get to absorb them.
There are many reasons why these values risk being lost today. On social media, the spotlight often falls on what’s trendy rather than what’s meaningful. In climbing spaces, it’s not always easy to find the same sense of depth and connection that once defined the culture. And in sponsorships, visibility sometimes weighs more than the invisible values we carry.
That’s why I believe we should also look to the new climbing environments — from modern gyms, to social media, and to digital channels like this one — as opportunities. If we use them with intention, they too can help us spread this vision and keep these values alive.
For me, having the freedom to choose which dream to chase, knowing that every goal carries a meaning that goes beyond the grade itself, feeling the bond that grows with those who believe in you and support your dream, even while following their own — on different walls and along different paths — and finally learning to accept your own limits, to fall and start again, finding meaning even in the hardest moments, are the threads that tie together every climb, every dream pursued, and every goal achieved.
Because they are what make climbing not just a sport, but a culture, a story, and a way of life.
Today, fifteen years later, I’m still that guy who fell in love with climbing from the very first day — but now with the eyes of someone who has seen the world from many perspectives. As a videomaker, my camera comes with me everywhere, telling stories of climbs, places, and people who live this passion.
Climbing is, and always will be, my guiding thread. It pushes me to travel, to search for lines that move me, and to protect the values I was given. It’s also my way of spending time with my family — the ones who passed this passion on to me: from my dad, to my brother, and finally to me, the youngest.
Grades fade. Routes come and go. But the way you choose to live this sport — that stays.
And that’s where I’ll keep putting my energy.
