Val di Mello Granite
Climbing in the "Yosemite" of Italy - a week of traditional granite climbs in Val di Mello - Val Masino.
Trip Dates
Difficulty:
Accomodation:
simple: Hut / bunks
Do you fancy long trad climbs of moderate difficulty? Then your options are: Chamonix (rather hard), the Dolomites (very steep) or:
Val di Mello!
Val di Mello is one of the three great epicenters of Italian freeclimbing, together with the Marmolada and Valle del Orco. You can find everything there from bouldering to El Cap like aid climbing big walls. But in particular there's a rich choice of moderate trad routes on excellent granite. e.g. the celebrated Kundalini, Luna Nascente and Oceano Irrationale.
The cirque of granite monoliths of the Bregaglia stretches across the upper end of the valley — Piz Badile, Piz Cengalo and Punta Allievi. Unknown to many, their sunny south faces feature excellent granite and an equal choice of quality routes as the more famous north side:
- Punta Angela Spigolo Vinci
- Piz Badile Via Molteni
- Punta Sertori Via Marimonti
- Punta Allievi Via Gervasutti
- Punta Rascia Lady Di
- Picco Luigi Amadeo Via Taldo Nusdeo
To name a few that no one has, but should have heard of.
These climbs are approached from the Gianetti and Allievi huts, two mountain huts in typical Italian style. The only drawback: the hut approaches are long. But this in turn keeps the crowds away.
The Mello valley has a relaxed and charming atmosphere, with local residents and fellow climbers being very open and friendly. It is not touristic at all and the Italian lifestyle is present everywhere. In sum, this week will make for an unforgettable climbing experience.
We have to programs depending on the climbing level: for the 4c - 5c range french grading the gianetti hut offers the better choice, so does the Allievi hut for the 5c to 6b range.
Bitte beachte unsere Infos zu den Anforderungen im Infocenter!
Itinerary
This is a proposed day to day schedule based on the Allievi hut.
Day 1: Travel day to Val Masino. Night in the village of San Martino. There are campgrounds or cheap hostels. 0 hr ascent
Note: We'll be happy to try to arrange a convenient meeting point to give you a lift depending on your travel itinerary. We'll discuss the options with you.
Day 2: Allievi hut approach. A steep trail winds up through the dense forest. Eventually we'll reach more gentle terrain above the treeline. You'll now be able to see the granite faces and spires of Punta Allievi and the Torrones. Lunch break at the hut. In the afternoon we'll climb a shorter 4 pitch route as a warm up. Night at the hut.5 hr approach, 4 hr of climbing
Day 3 to 4: We'll climb two excellent long routes from Allievi hut. The Guronsan at Pizzo Torrone or the Il Fortissimo at Punta Allievi to name a few. Last night on Allievi hut. 2 hr approach, 6-8 hr climbing
Day 5: Before we head down to the valley we'll tackle another classic peak: the Picco Luigi Amadeo, which can be compared to the Grand Capucin with respect to its compact rock structures. the Spigolo Sud offers 6 Pitches of funtastic climbing 1 hr approach, 4 hr climbing, 3 hr descent
Day 6: A spectacular finale of a great week: the Luna Nascente. The celebrated classic of the valley with a succession of fun liebacks and easy slabs on clean rock. 1,5 hr approach, 4 – 5 hr climbing
Note: We are very flexible in the schedule. This is only a proposition. The Guide will adjust the choice of routes according to your climbing level and objectives. We can also climb a couple more routes in Val di Mello.
Getting There
The nearest Airports are Munich and Zürich. We are happy to try to find a convenient meeting point to pick you up. We'll discuss the details of transportation with you.
Prerequisites
- good physical fitness: stamina for 10-hour alpine days;
- technical skills: confidence to quickly second in the French grade 5c in rock climbing shoes (US 5.10, UK HVS); proficiency in belaying and abseiling techniques.
Accommodation & Food
You will stay on typical alpine mountain huts. They have a big dining room and dormitories with usually 4 – 12 bunks. Sometimes the dormitories have up to 20 bunks. The sanitary conditions are basic with common toilets, washing rooms and only rare showers.
We typically have half board on the hut. A lean breakfast with bread, jam, butter and, depending on the region, cereals are served along with coffee or tea. Dinner consists of 3 to 4 courses: starters (soup or pasta in Italy), sometimes salad, main course with some meat, desert. Vegetarian or other dietary requirements are accounted for.
You can order non-alcoholic drinks, beer and wine. Likewise, snacks and lunch can be purchased.
Please don't hesitate to contact us in case of questions.
Gear
Alpine climbing kit. Rock climbing shoes, approach shoes or lightweight mountain boots depending on conditions.
Included
- Organization and guiding by a IFMGA licensed Mountain Guide
- Rental gear
- All guide's expenses
Excluded
- 5 x Night/Half board on mountain huts or basic hostels approx. 55 €/Night (alpine club members)
- Lunch and drinks at the huts. (Lunch for take away can be ordered the day before)
- personal insurance covering mountain rescue
Specials
for this trip
Flexibility: joint risk of bad (weather) conditions.
Flexibility is our working method - not a slick marketing slogan. We budget 1-2 extra days in the planning of many of our trips to factor in adverse weather conditions. The days can for example be used to move the trip a day or two as to use the best weather window for the summit bid.
Of course you only pay the actual guiding days. We'd rather achieve your goal than insist on doing a poor alternative.
Fairness first.
The job of mountain guides is demanding and highly responsible. Clearly, this work has to be appropriately remunerated. Yet we are climbers, not tough business men. That's why our emphasis is on dealing fairly with our clients.
We block dates for your trip. Sometimes the arranged climb still doesn't work out. We then appreciate your understanding that we cannot bear the cancellation risk alone. On the other hand we do understand that you don't want to pay the summit rate of a prestigious goal for an alternative destination. With open communication and consideration for each other's situation, we will find a good solution. The summit rate only applies if the conditions are right and we make a summit bid.
Why we do not show available places online.
Because you still wouldn't know if a trip is confirmed. Bookings can be cancelled after all. Besides, well, the displayed number of available places can be fake — we all know that from the flight search engines.
Don't panic if the minimum number of participants is not yet reached! We often try to directly address long term clients, bring together bookings for different dates or find alternatives. Maybe we are really keen on doing the trip ourselves and offer you a special deal. Anyway we are keeping you updated. You might tell us your deadline by which you have to know if the trip takes place or not.
