| Italian Ridge - Carrel Route Route |
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| Italian Ridge - Carrel Route   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Valais, Italy/Switzerland, Europe Lat/Lon: 45.97980°N / 7.66020°E Route Type: Rock climb with ice at summit Time Required: One to two days Difficulty: AD+
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| Page By: BriMo Created/Edited: Dec 23, 2005 / Dec 23, 2005 Object ID: 168040 Hits: 5846 Loading... Page Score: 89.38% - 17 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach
From Cervinia walk up the path or the track to Rifugio l'Orionde. Hotel Maquignaz in Cervinia arrange Land Rover trips to the Rifugio in summer. From the Rifugio take the signposted path north towards Croce Carrel and Testa del Leone.
A couple of hours walking on an obvious path brings you to a stonefield and snow patches at the foot of vertical crags. A gully goes steeply up through the crags. Scramble easily up this to a couple of steep rock moves at the top, where there is usually in-situ protection.
From the top of the gully walk up steep scree and rock to the foot of the snowfield below Testa del Leone. Keep to the right and beware of stonefall, which tends to come down the middle of the snowfield. Water is almost always flowing from this snowfield.
Go steeply up the right edge of the snowfield to the vertical cliffs and turn right on an obvious horizontal path that skirts the Testa del Leone summit block and heads for the Colle del Leone (3500m). This path crosses three gullies, which may have steep snowfields at their heads. There is obvious danger of stone-fall and snow-slides.Time from the Rifugio to the Colle is about 3 hours.
Cross the Colle (very airy) and go steeply up the wide ridge on an obvious path. Beware of stone-fall. After about an hour of steep walking climb a short fixed rope up a small chimney. An hour later climb a longer fixed rope over a large crag (which was a large corner until 2003, when it collapsed in an enormous stone-fall) and go up easily from there to the Carrel Hut. Time from the Colle to the Hut is about 2 hours.
The Hut is not staffed but is always open. There is lighting, fuel, cooking equipment and bedding there, Snow must be melted for water but in a hot summer there may be no snow nearby, and water must be carried to the Hut.
Route Description
This sketchy description is taken from the guidebook; I have never been higher than the Carrel Hut.
Skirt the large tower behind the Hut on the right. Cross the face carefully to a long fixed rope or chain leading up to the crest. Follow the crest upwards (occasional in-situ protection) to Pic Tyndall (4241m) skirting the difficulties. From the ridge behind Pic Tyndall take the obvious route towards the summit block and the in-situ ladder. Time from the Hut to the summit is about 6 hours. Allow at least 4 hours to descend from summit to Hut.
Essential Gear
Rope
Karabiners
Slings
Small rack
Belay/abseil device
Helmet
Crampons
Ice axe
Miscellaneous Info
This route is generally regarded as better than the Hornli Ridge but harder, though route-finding is probably easier. In a good summer there might be no ice on the route until the summit itself but that cannot be relied upon.
This is a popular route but even in August you could be alone in the Hut and on the Ridge. The danger of stone-fall from Testa del Leone and the Ridge is obvious and increasing.
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Pennine Alps
