Magari avessi più aderenza sulla placca!

to have

Breakdown of Magari avessi più aderenza sulla placca!

• più: more
• magari: maybe
• la placca: the slab (climbing)

Questions & Answers about Magari avessi più aderenza sulla placca!

What does magari mean here? I thought it meant maybe.

That is a very common point of confusion.

Magari can mean different things depending on context:

• maybe / perhaps in some situations
• if only
• I wish
• sometimes even an enthusiastic that would be great!

In Magari avessi più aderenza sulla placca!, it does not mean maybe.
Here, magari introduces a strong wish, so it means something like if only or I wish.

So this is an emotional, wishful magari, not an uncertain maybe.

Why is it avessi and not ho or avevo?

Because Italian uses the imperfect subjunctive after magari when expressing an unreal or difficult wish in the present.

• ho = I have
• avevo = I had / I used to have
• avessi = if only I had / I wish I had

So magari + imperfect subjunctive is a standard pattern for wishes:

• Magari fossi in vacanza! = If only I were on vacation!
• Magari avessi più tempo! = If only I had more time!

In your sentence, avessi shows that the speaker does not currently have enough grip, and wishes they did.

What tense/mood is avessi exactly?