«My name is Joël Biasca and I’m from Ticino. I started climbing at the age of 7 or 8 and have progressed mainly in sport climbing and multi-pitch routes.
After many years, I began trying harder routes, and in 2022, I met Melissa. In just a few months, her training allowed me to progress very quickly in my climbing level. She pointed out some very important aspects that, after 15 years of climbing, I had never considered:
The importance of training the core
Strength training and bodyweight exercises
A logical order in training (strength, endurance, power endurance)
Six months of training with her also helped me organize my gym sessions with purpose and structure.
What I loved most about training with Melissa was the energy she brought to our sessions. Mel truly loves training, and she has this amazing ability to alternate between intense focus—where you're giving 110%—and moments of laughter where you're just having a great time. It might sound like a cliché, but it's actually super important. The more fun you have while training, the more motivation you build to keep going over time, even through repetitive exercises, the ups and downs of progress, doubts, sacrifices…
When it comes to support, what stands out most is her understanding and compassion. She’s trained so much in her own life that she truly gets what you’re going through—she’s probably lived it many times before. She knows how to listen and how to support the highs and lows of an athlete in training, because that’s her own story. Few climbers have shown the patience and perseverance that Mel has throughout her career. It’s inspiring to see her channel those qualities into coaching and helping athletes move toward their dreams.