Overview
Dôme de CianDôme de Cian is a mighty and complex mountain situated inside Pennine Alps, Subgroup Cian, between Cian Col and Monte Balanselmo. The top is covered by a powerful ice-cap, but this is not the mountain’s highest point, which is situated on the Northern summit, a small rocky peak north to the ice-cap, over which the rocky and sharp North Ridge ends. Other mountain summit point are Central one and Southern one. Most important sides are the rocky South-East side and NO and S side, both nearly snow-covered. Dôme de Cian is surrounded by three important valleys: Torgnon Valley in S side, Cignana Valley in SE side and Valpelline Valley in West side. Because of mountain’s secluded position, from the summit it's possible to enjoy an extraordinary view all around over the neighbouring valleys and peaks and far off over Monte Bianco and the 4000 mt. mountains high along Italy-Switzerland border, like Matterhorn, Dent d’Hérens and Monte Rosa Group.
Absolute first ascent: J.B. Carrel – P. Pession with Origoni brothers across Cian Pass 16-9-1889
Dome de Cian - Loneliness on the final snow-fields
View over Cervino-Matterhorn
Getting There
ROAD ACCESSDôme de Cian can be approached from two main valleys: Valtournanche on East side and Valpelline on West side.
VALTOURNANCHE – Follow Monte Bianco autoroute as far as Chatillon exit. From Chatillon mt. 550 follow SS 406 reaching Antey St-Andrè mt. 1080 (km. 7,5 from Chatillon) and Valtournanche (km. 18,5 from Chatillon).
VALPELLINE – Follow Monte Bianco autoroute as far as Aosta exit. From Aosta mt. 583 follow SS 27 reaching Valpelline mt. 960, Bionaz m. 1606 and the artificial Place Moulin Lake mt. 1950 (km. 32,5 from Aosta). Parking inside a pull-out near the dam.
Dôme de Cian routes overview
Dôme de Cian upper slopes
NORMAL ROUTES
- SE Side Normal Route from Bivacco Lago Cian across Chavacour Col F, 870 mt.
- SE Side Normal Route from Bivacco Rivolta across Cian Col F, 450 mt.
- SW Side Normal Route from Prarayer Hut across Comba di Valcornera and Chavacour Col F+, 1350 mt.
NORTH SIDE
- North Face Route from Northern Glacier – “Bonacossa Route” D inf. – ice climbing
- North Face Route Direct Variant “Franco Spataro Route” D sup. – ice climbing
- North Ridge “Bonacossa-Dumontel Route” from Punta di Cignana PD sup. – trad rock climbing
SOUTH-EAST FACE
- “Carrel Route” to Central Summit AD, 300 mt. – trad rock climbing
- “Pellissier Route” to Central Summit AD sup. 300 mt. – trad rock climbing
- “Bazzi Route” to Southern Summit D 250 mt. – trad rock climbing
The classic route of the face over solid rock.
- “Gastaldi Route” to Southern Summit - AD sup. 200 mt.- trad rock climbing
Dôme de Cian Normal Route from Bivacco Lago Cian
Dome de Cian SE Side Normal Route - Far away Monte Bianco South Side
DÔME DE CIAN NORMAL ROUTE FROM LAKE CIAN - REPORT
F, 850 mt. from Bivacco Lago Cian
An easy and safe route inside a wild evironment.
From Lake Cian Bivouac, situated over a grassy hillock close to the small Cian Lake, go down reaching in a few minutes the western shore of the lake. A wide valley, named Chavacour Valley, overhung by Punta Cian mt. 3322 and Punta Chavacour mt 3184 on the right-hand side and by Cima Bianca mt. 3009 on the left-hand side, is starting towards West. Follow the track leading inside Chavacour Valley; where the valley is making a great turn towards right (North) and it’s blocked by a morain, leave on your left-hand side tha marked track to Fenetre de Cian and head towards right (North) following a steep track below Punta Chavacour entering the upper and narrow part of Chavacour Valley. The track leads to a wide and characteristic terrace covered with flat stones; from the terrace head towards right, rising along moraines and snow-fields and reaching Chavacour Col mt. 2965, where is getting also Normal Route from North-West Side (Prarayer Hut). From Chavacour Col the two routes rise together along the same itinerary: cross towards right the upper part of Chavacour Glacier, entering Cian Glacier. Climb some steep iced-slopes leading to a moraine; climb it reaching another steep iced-slope from where the obvious saddle named Cian Col – situated between Dome de Cian on the left and Punta Cian on the right - appears on your right-hand side. Don’t reach the col but climb straightly the steep iced-slope in front of you. The slope leads to the wide ice-cap of the mountain, the lower Western summit. Frome here, following towards left the edge of a magnificent snow-basin situated between Central Summit and Northern Summit, reach the ending easy rocks leading to the highest summit (Northern Summit). The view is truly unbelivable!!!!
Descent: along the same route
Huts and Bivouacs
Sunset from Lake Cian bivouac
Lake Cian
Lake Cian Bivouac
EAST SIDE (Valtournanche Valley )
- CIAN LAKE BIVOUAC (Bivacco Lago Cian) mt. 2482, 9 beds, always open – 2 hours from Loditor Pond (mt. 1920). Useful to climb Dôme de Cian SE side Normal Route across Chavacour Pass.
Road Approach: from Antey St-Andrè turn to left to Torgnon Valley, reaching Septumian, Chantornè, Chantè de Guerre as far as Loditor Pond mt. 1920. Parking. Cars not allowed beyond the bridge. Don’t cross the bridge, but park the car a few meters before Loditor Pond. From here starts the track to Lake Cian Bivouac and Rivolta Bivouac.
Walking Approach: from Loditor Pond follow the track starting in your left-hand side – in the beginning not very marked – leading to Alpe Chateau mt. 2084. Leave on your right-hand side the track to Rivolta Bivouac at Col de Fort and follow on your left-hand side the track to Bivouac Lake Cian, reaching Alpe Grotte de Loup mt. 2160 (0,40 minutes from the parking). Now the track rises with several hairpins reaching the Bivouac.
- RIVOLTA BIVOUAC at Col de Fort mt. 2895 – 2 and a half hours from Loditor Pond (mt. 1920).Useful to climb Dôme de Cian SE side Normal Route across Cian Col.
Road Approach: from Antey St. Andrè (see Cian Lake Bivouac road approach).
Walking Approach: from Loditor Pond follow the track starting in your left-hand side – in the beginning not very marked – leading to Alpe Chateau mt. 2084. A bit after Alpe Chateau leave on your left-hand side the track to Cian Lake and turn to right following the track to Col de Fort.
- BARMASSE HUT mt. 2169 (Cignana Lake) – 1, 45 hours from Valtournanche
Road Approach: from Chatillon to Valtournanche (km. 18,5)
Walking Approach: from Valtournanche graveyard reach tha small village of Crepin and from here follow on the left a good path leading to Promoron mt. 1798, Falegnon mt. 1912 and Cignana Lake Dam. Cross an iron bridge towards left reaching the hut.
RIFUGIO BARMASSE
- MANENTI BIVOUAC mt. 2789 at Balanselmo Lake (Upper Cignana Valley) – 2,15 hours from Barmasse Hut Useful to climb rocky SE Face along “Bazzi Route” and other routes on this face.
Walking approach: from Barmasse Hut get back a bit along approach-path reaching Cignana Lake. Follow the track skirting the North-East side of the lake. Before reaching a chapel, turn to right rising towards Alpe Cignana; before reaching it head towards left following the path to Balanselmo Lake. Reach the lake, then the bivouac.
WEST SIDE (Valpelline Valley)
PRARAYER HUT mt. 2005 (Place Moulin Lake) - 50 beds, open from july to september - 1 hour from the dam. Useful to climb Dome de Cian SW side Normal Route and North-Face Routes.
Road Approach: from Aosta to Valpelline and Place Moulin Lake (km. 32,5).
Walking Approach: from the parking follow the large white road running along the western store of the lake and leading to the hut (5 km.).
RIFUGIO PRARAYER
Red tape
A wild environment. Cars are not allowed beyond Loditor Pond in East Side and beyond Place Moulin Dam in West Side.When to climb
Best season goes from middle June to middle SeptemberMeteo
METEO AOSTAMETEO ALPI
External Links
RIFUGIO BARMASSERIFUGIO PRARAYER
Guidebooks and maps
“Alpi Pennine Volume II” by Gino Buscaini - Guide dei Monti d’Italia TCI-CAI
Maps:
“Cervino-Matterhorn and Monte Rosa” – IGC 1:50.000
“Becca di Luseney” F 29 – IGM 1.25.000
“Breuil-Cervinia/Zermatt” n. 87 – Kompass 1:50.000
Additions and Corrections
[ Post an Addition or Correction ]
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| gabriele | something about N wall | |
Voted 10/10 | here | |
| Posted Aug 8, 2011 9:33 am | ||
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| Silvia Mazzani | About Dome de Cian North Face | |
Hasn't voted | Hi Gabriele, i was curious to go into the question of Dome de Cian North Face conditions, but I dont'know any persons who recently climbed it; so i was looking for some news in the web and i've found the notice of some ascents of last June with good conditions. A good news! www.gulliver.it/index.php?modulo=itinerari&template=dettaglio&id_gita=51716 I think I would add some trad climbing routes at your page about Castello-Provenzale Group. Do you think it's a good idea? Thanks and good night. Silvia | |
| Posted Aug 11, 2011 5:13 pm | ||
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| gabriele | Re: About Dome de Cian North Face | |
Voted 10/10 | looks like the wall (in the low part) has changed a little :) you can add all that you like on my pages, as for Castello Provenzale I have given you the ownership of the page (I didn't climb any route there)ciao | |
| Posted Aug 12, 2011 2:13 am | ||
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