| Val Masino Alps Area/Range |
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| Page Type: Area/Range Location: Italy/Switzerland, Europe Lat/Lon: 46.24730°N / 9.63160°E Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering, Trad Climbing, Sport Climbing, Bouldering, Aid Climbing, Big Wall Season: Spring, Summer Elevation: 12067 ft / 3678 m | Page By: gabriele Created/Edited: Feb 13, 2004 / Feb 15, 2009 Object ID: 152320 Hits: 19390 Loading... Page Score: 92.37% - 67 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
OverviewThis is an alpin region very important for rock climbers, It is also known as Bergell (by Deutsch climbers and hickers), Masino-Bregaglia-Disgrazia is used normally to define the alpine ridge section that, starting from the valley named Pian di Spagna (N of the Como lake) ends with the Passo del Muretto.
here an interactive schematical map
This group, oriented West-East (or viceversa) is on the principal ridge of Alps, dividing Italy (Lombardia) from Switzerland (Engadina)
Starts from Como lake (western boundary) and ends, joining on his eastern boundary with the Bernina Group.
outline with roads, villages, huts and some mountains of Val Masino Alps - created and submitted by Mathias Zehring
Starting from West, clockwise, these valleys are the accesses to the various subgroups :
Val Bondasca (Switzerland) - Rif. Sasc Fourà and Rif. Sciora
Val del Cantone (Switzerland) - Rif. Albigna
Val Forno (Switzerland) - Rif. Forno
Val Ventina (Italy) - Rif. Del Grande - Rif Tartaglione - Rif. Porro - Biv. Oggioni - Biv Taveggia
Val Masino (Italy) with its subvalleys :
- Vallone di Preda Rossa - Rif. Ponti
- Val di Mello - Biv. Manzi
- Val di Zocca - Rif. Allievi
- Val del Ferro - Biv Molteni
- Val Porcellizzo - Rif. Gianetti
- Val dell'Oro - Rif. Omio
Val dei Ratti (Italy) - Rif. Volta
Val Codera (Italy) - Rif. Brasca - Biv. Valli - Biv. Vaninetti
(see sections below for the links to Rifuges)
The most known summit of this chain is Pizzo Badile, but it is neither the highest nor the most difficult one.
Here rock are 2 kinds of diorite : "serizzo" (quartzdiorite) and "ghiandone" (granodiorite), with amphibolite and less quartz, so less slippering than granite.
caution : even if summits are not so high, bad weather can give many problems and be dangerous in the main groups - these mountains are severe !
Many possible routes could be opened
Val di Mello (see When to Climb) is one of the best climbing area of Europe !!!
For skilled hikers the Sentiero Roma is a 3-4 or more days walk in unforgettable and wild sceneries
link to pages in italian, for page in english
here under the list of the summits worth to be climbed (79) divided in subgroups or subchains.
now only few of them have a page, I'll make here a link to the new ones that will come
Best rock routes shortlistthe classic routes that "must" be climbed
Italian Side
Punta della Sfinge - NE wall (Bramani) AD - NNW edge (Crippa) D+ can be done in the same day
Pizzo Badile - SE wall (Molteni) D+
Punta Sertori - S ridge (Marimonti) follow for the Badile AD+
Pizzo Cengalo - S ridge (Vinci) TD
Torrione di Zocca - S wall (Parravicini) TD-
Punta Allievi - S edge (Gervasutti) TD+
Punta Rasica - SW ridge (Bramani) D+
Swiss Side
Pizzo Badile - N edge D - NE wall (Cassin) TD
Pizzo Cengalo - NW pillar (Gaiser) TD
Pizzi Gemelli - NW ridge (ferro da stiro) TD-
Pioda di Sciora W ridge (Bramani) D
For the difficult and wild routes the Torrone range gives a wide choice
Pizzo di Prata - Monte Gruf| Starting points | Huts | - Chiavenna - for Val Aurosina
- Prata Camportaccio - for Val Schisone
- San Cassiano - for Val Scarione
- Samolaco railway station - for Val Lobbia
- Novate Mezzola - for val Codera
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The western zone of this group, almost forgotten by hickers and climbers, very wild (only val Codera has some hicking frequentation),
... but there is a 700m drop wall (pizzo di Prata) ...
Main summits :
Pizzo di Prata - 2727 m - huge N wall
Monte Beleniga - 2636m - for hikers
Monte Gruf - 2936m - amazing views
Pizzo Badile - Pizzo Cengalo| Starting points | Huts | - Novate Mezzola - for val Codera (Italy)
- Ardenno Bagni del Masino - for Val Porcellizzo (Italy)
- Bondo - for val Bondasca (Switzerland)
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The most important (and known) sub-chain.
walls up to 1300m drop (Cengalo north wall), extreme difficulties, wonderful rock.
Here one of the most famous wall in the Alps (NE wall of Pizzo Badile) and a lot of routes (none easy).
Worth and very amusing the "ferro da stiro (flat iron)" (Gemelli north wall) and the Cengalo NW pillar.
Main summits :
Pizzi dei Vanni - 2731-2774m
Pizzo Trubinasca - 2921m
Punta S.Anna (Badilet) - 3171m
Piz Badile - 3308m
Punta Sertori - 3195m
Piz Cengalo - 3367m - north wall 1300m drop - the highest wall of Retic alps
Pizzi Gemelli - 3259-3221m
worth to be mentioned (for hikers) is the path joining the Refuges Sasc Furà and Sciora along the "Viale" :
a very fine walk-up (some exposed passages and some danger if full of snow or iced) |
Pizzo Porcellizzo| Starting points | Huts | - Chiavenna - for Val Aurosina
- Novate Mezzola - for val Codera (Italy)
- Ardenno Bagni del Masino - for Val Porcellizzo and Val dell'Oro(Italy)
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A wild zone (except for the sorroundings of Rif. Omio) where some short but very amusing routes call lombard climbers to have a good weekend
Main summits :
Punta Torelli - 3137m
Pizzo Porcellizzo - 3075m
Cime dell'Averta - 2778-2733-2684m
Cima del Barbacan - 2738m
Punta Milano - 2610m
Pizzi dell' Oro - N-2653m - C-2703m - S-2695m
Ligoncio| Starting points | Huts | - Novate Mezzola - for val Codera (Italy)
- Ardenno Bagni del Masino - for Val dell'Oro(Italy)
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Here two big and incredible north walls (Ligoncio and Sfinge) and some very amazing and amusing walls and edges
Main summits :
Punta della Sfinge - 2802m
Pizzo Ligoncio - 3032m
Cime del Calvo - Monte Spluga| Starting points | Huts | - S.Fedele di Verceia - for Val dei Ratti (Italy)
- Ardenno Bagni del Masino - for Val dell'Oro(Italy)
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A wild zone ! Here new routes can be found and open (they're waiting :)
Main summits :
Pizzo della Vedretta - 2907m
Pizzo Ratti - 2919m
Cime del Calvo - 2943-2967-2873m
Punta Fiorelli - 2391m
Punta Madaccio - 2350m
Monte Spluga - 2845m
Cime di Gaiazzo - Sasso Manduino| Starting points | Huts | - Novate Mezzola - for val Codera (Italy)
- S.Fedele di Verceia - for Val dei Ratti (Italy)
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A wild zone ! Here new routes can be found and open (they're waiting :)
Main summits :
Punta Bonazzola - 2940m
Pizzo Brescadega - 2666m
Punta Magnaghi - 2871m
Punta Como - 2846m
Sasso Manduino - 2888m
Sciora| Starting points | Huts | - Bondo (Switzerland)
- Vicosoprano (Switzerland)
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Cacciabella| Starting points | Huts | - Bondo (Switzerland)
- Vicosoprano (Switzerland)
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If you are here and weather is not good enough for Sciora summits you can spend (not easily) your time on these ones
| | Main summits :
Innominata di Cacciabella - 2930m
Pizzo Cacciabella S - 2970m
Pizzo Cacciabella N - 2980m
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il Gallo - Pizzo Spazzacaldera| Starting points | Huts | - Bondo (Switzerland)
- Vicosoprano (Switzerland)
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Amusing climbins for the beginning of summer, when upper mountains are still full with snow ...
Forcellette| Starting points | Huts | - Bondo (Switzerland)
- Vicosoprano (Switzerland)
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Amusing climbins for the beginning of summer, when upper mountains are still full with snow ...
| Summits
Torri di Grande - climbing area
Pizzo Grande - 2459m |
Pizzi del Ferro - Monte di Zocca
Rarely climbed zone :( ... would be very worth if there weren't so many fantastic summits all around
Only one wall is frequently climbed : Torrione di Zocca south routes, amusing.
Summits
Pizzo del Ferro Occidentale - 3267m
Cima del Cavalcorto - 2763m
Cima della Bondasca - 3287m
Torrione del Ferro - 3235m
Pizzo del Ferro Orientale - 3200m
Monte di Zocca - 3175m
Albigna - Forno
A wonderful wild zone ! Created to be climbed
Summits
Punta Allievi - 3123m
quota 3228
Cima di Castello - 3386m
Cima di Cantone - 3354m
Punta dell'Albigna - 2824m
Pizzo Casnile - 3189m
Pizzo Bacone - 3244m
Pizzo Balzetto - 2869m
Cime del Largo - 3188m
Pizzi Torrone - Monte Sissone
The italian side is the highest concentration of difficult routes : here the hardest routes of this group.
Often "forgotten" by all climbers searching only famous routes.
Here the best challenges to climbing and mountain skill !!!
Swiss side has wonderful ice climbs !!!
Summits
Punta Rasica - 3305m
Pizzo Torrone Occidentale - 3349m
Picco Luigi Amedeo - 2800m
Punta Ferrario - 3258m
Pizzo Torrone Centrale - 3290m
Pizzo Torrone Orientale - 3333m
Torre Re Alberto - 2832m
Monte Sissone - 3331m
Cima di Rosso - 3369m
Cima di Vazzeda - 3297m
Cima di Valbona - 3033m
Monte del Forno - 3214m
Disgrazia
Wonderful mountains, the highest of the chain, with many ice-routes worth to be climbed.
Ski mountaneering of Monte Disgrazia is very fine and one of the few you can do here.
Summits
Monte Disgrazia - 3678m
Punta Kennedy - 3283m
Pizzo Ventina - 3261m
Remoluzza - Arcanzodetails in the Disgrazia group page
Corni Bruciatidetails in the Disgrazia group page
Pizzo Cassandra - Cima del Duca
An amazing little group, here you can find the easier routes of the whole chain
Summits
Pizzo Cassandra - 3226m
Pizzo Giumellino - 3094m
Cima Sassersa - 2977m
Pizzo Rachele - 2998m
Torrione Porro - 2357m
Further details in the Disgrazia group page
Val di Mello ... the hard sideVal di Mello climbing area allows all year long extreme climbings : routes up to 600m drop is one of the best climbing area of Europe !!!
a little Yosemite
Val di Mello ... the soft sideand is a wonderful resting area to spend good time with family :)
here a photo album
BoulderingBetween Filorera and San Martino Val Masino, along the road you can see a huge rock (some thousands of cubic metres) : the Sasso Remenno
routes of all difficulties, useful for training and used by climbing schools.
Getting ThereNorthern side : val BREGAGLIA - from W to E
all these valley can be reached by car from Milan (SS-36)
Milano - Lecco - Chiavenna .... Malojapass
along this route you can enter the following valleys
Val Schiesone
Val Aurosina
Val Casnaggina
Val Bondasca
Val Muretto
Southern side - VALTELLINA - from W to E
all these valley can be reached by car from Milan (SS-36)
Milano - Lecco - Colico .... Sondrio
along this route you can enter the following valleys
Val Scarione and Val Lobbia
Val Codera
Val dei Ratti
Val di Spluga
Val Masino- val Porcellizzo
- val di Mello
- val di Preda Rossa
Val Malenco
Red Tapethese are wild mountains, no natural park but ...
for some valleys you have to pay a fee :
Val Bondasca (Switzerland) - Rifuges Sasc Furà and Sciora : You can drive till near Laret (saving about 1,5 h walk) simply buying a ticket that allows it
It's quite strange (for Swiss precision): ticket has a cost of 12SF or 9€, but if you enter a 10€ bill you get back 1SF ! :)
Val del Cantone (Switzerland) - Rif. Albigna : fast access is done using a (very strange) cable car leading to Albigna dam - it was the cable car used for building the dam, now it is a little more modern but ...
Val Forno (Switzerland) - Rif. Forno : you have to pay a parking fee (not so cheap)
When To Climbjune to september
Books and MapsMany books contain info about some of the summits of this group but I think the best way to know all about is to buy the "bible" of these muntains :
A.Bonacossa - G. Rossi - Masino Bregaglia Disgrazia - vol I - CAI -TCI - 1977
A.Bonacossa - G. Rossi - Masino Bregaglia Disgrazia - vol II - CAI -TCI - 1975
A wonderful "selected climbs" book (in Italian) is :
Miotti-Gogna - Dal Pizzo Badile al Bernina - Zanichelli - 1986
it is full of photos and gives you 100 routes to choose from
gasgenova gives this info :
The best for climbing, mountaneering and ice is "Masino-Bregaglia-Disgrazia" G.Maspes and G.Miotti - Guida delle Guide"
Maps .
Kompass - Chiavenna-Val Bregaglia 92 - 93
External Links Meteo
Images
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