Mont PisonetIn the Summit: by Ettore Canzio, Cesare Fiorio, Felice Mondini, Nicola Vigna and Guido Rey; June 25th, 1893.
In winter: Unknown.
Northeast Slope and North Crest: by Ettore Canzio, Cesare Fiorio, Felice Mondini, Nicola Vigna and Guido Rey; June 25th, 1893.
Eastern Face: by Osvaldo Cardellina, lone; June 13th, 1985, with descent directly on North-northeast Slope.
Southeast Ridge: Osvaldo Cardellina, Mario David and Danilo Garzotto; November 08th, 1986, in ascent and in descent from Becca Fontaney round trip.
South Wall: by Pompeo Viglino, solo; June 27th, 1920.
West-southwest Wall: by Gustavo A. De Petro, lone; June 27th, 1920.
West Face (Rib): by Osvaldo Cardellina, Marco Cossard and Giuseppe Lamazzi; August 15th, 1982, with descent towards Vessona's three Jags and Pass.
North-northwest Slope (Normal Via by Oyace): Unknown.
Getting There
BY CAR:
- From TORINO, MILANO, etc: Motorway A5. Exit at IVREA, Quincinetto (PIEDMONT), Pont Saint Martin, Verrès, Châtillon/Saint Vincent an Aosta East (Nus).
- From Courmayeur-Mont Blanc to Morgex Commune with SS.26; font this with Motorway A5. Exit at Aosta West (Aymavilles) or Aosta East (Nus).
- From IVREA Town: in West to Pont Saint Martin, Donnas, Verrès, Arnad, Montjovet, Hone, Saint Vincent, Châtillon, Nus Municipalities, through SS.26.
- From Courmayeur Resort: in East to Pré Saint Didier, Morgex, La Salle, Saint Pierre, Sarre, Aosta, Nus Communes, through SS.26.
Lignan Astronomical Observatory
- From FRANCE: through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Entrèves-crossroads to Vény/Ferret Valleys - Mountain Guides of Courmayeur - La Saxe Rock Gym - Courmayeur. By Little Saint Bernard Pass, closed since November until half May to La Thuile Valley - Pré Saint Didier - Courmayeur.It is not necessary to take Motorway A5: you can drive on SS.26, in the direction of AOSTA - IVREA - TURIN.
BY PLANE:
- Aeroporto "Corrado Gex" Saint Christophe (Aosta).
SPECIFIC ROAD
- From Nus, with regional Road, towards Marsan (699m), Petit Fénis (939m), Blavy (1.056m) Fractions and Val Dessous (1.173m) and Dessus (1.268m), Les Fabriques (1.411m), Issologne (1.514m) small Villages towards Lignan-St. Barthélemy (+; 1.633m; Astronomical Observatory), in the middle-center of St. Barthélemy Valley.
Approach & Route Description
From Saint Barthélemy Valley
Approach from Lignan Hamlet: from Lignan
(1.633m) with Municipal Road in asphalt towards Porliod with the Picnic Area
(1.879m), neighbor Larset Villages, through dirt road concomitant with the trail
n° 14 (cross-country skiing run) in Northeast towards fork just before Praz de Verney
(1.870m) and below Barbonce, La Nouva Pastures, towards Champcombre
(1.930m) Alp, Champlaisant Sanctuary
(+; 1.906m), Veyoux Alp
(1.987m), Refuge La Servaz
(+; 2.070m), near homonym alp
(2.005m); from this with path
n° 12 towards La Reche Alp
(2.388m) and Cuney Sanctuary (+; Refuge Oratory;
2.653m;
EE/F; 2h'45/3h'15), below the semi circular range amongst Becca Fontaney
(2.972m), Mont Pisonet
(3.207m), Franco Nebbia
(3.205m), Becca of Merlo
(3.231m), Cuney Pass
(2.917m) and Montagnayes Summit
(3.049m), into Cuney Comba or Basin. (
EE/F; 2h'45/3h'15 from Lignan). From Refuge-Sanctuary of Cuney crossings to the West through bumps and rocky meadows with large boulders that increase progressively in steepness and sometimes with snowfields residues; go up to the Eastern Wall in direction of the gully that runs through the middle. Overcome relatively easily the same, formed by fine debris or hard snow, until reaching a bottleneck characterized by a large boulder that occludes; around this stretch almost vertically just to the left (South; II°+/ III°-) then continue on the edge, always left, of the channel reaching a marked fork just to the South of the Cima. From this climb through the Southern Ridge up to the summital turret coming to a block, which is won by an exposed pass on its Northern Edge (III°/III°+;
A/PD+; 2h'15/2h'45 from Sanctuary). Downhill, after returning to the fork, it passes easily the next big rounded shoulder and, after half a dozen elevations not important, easily you reach on Mont Pisonet through its Ridge North-northwest. Back in Cuney through the final part of the same crest and then on its Northeastern Slope by moderate slope (
EEA/F+; 1h'00/1h'15 for the entire crossing;
3h'30/4h'00 in total).
Dalla Valle di Saint Barthélemy
Avvicinamento e Via da Lignan: dal Villaggio di Lignan (1.633 m) con la Strada Municipale in asfalto verso quello di Porliod con la sua Pic Nic Area (1.879 m), nelle vicinanze del Villaggio appena soprastante di Larset che si raggiunge con poderale concomitante al sentiero n° 14 (pista per il fondo) in direzione Nordest verso il bivio appena prima degli Alpeggi di Praz de Verney (1.870 m) nonché sotto quelli di Barbonce, La Nouva Pastures, verso le Alpi di Champcombre (1.930 m) e Champlaisant Sanctuario (+; 1.906 m), l'Alpe Veyoux (1.987 m), ed il Rifugio La Servaz (+; 2.070 m), presso l'omonima alpe (2.005 m). Da quest'ultima tramite sentiero n° 12 verso l'Alpe La Reche (2.388 m) ed il soprastante Santuario del Cuney (+; Rifugio Oratorio; 2.653 m; EE/F; 2h'45/3h'15), al di sotto della catena montuosa con forma semicirculare tra le Cime Becca Fontaney (2.972 m), Mont Pisonet (3.207 m), Franco Nebbia (3.205 m), Becca del Merlo (3.231 m), Colle del Cuney (2.917 m) e Punta di Montagnayes (3.049 m), internamente alla Comba o Bacino del Cuney. Dal Rifugio-Santuario del Cuney traversare verso Occidente tramite dossi prativi e pietraie con grandi massi che aumentano progressivamente in ripidezza ed a volte con nevai residui; salire verso la Parete Orientale in direzione del canalone solcantela nel mezzo. Superare abbastanza agevolmente il medesimo, formato da fini detriti o neve, fino a raggiungere una strettoia caratterizzata da un grande masso che l'occlude; aggirare questo tratto quasi verticale subito sulla sinistra (Sud; II°+/III°-) continuando poi sulla sponda, sempre sinistra, del canale raggiungendo una marcata forcella appena a Sud della Cima. Da questa salire tramite la cresta Meridionale fino alla torretta sommitale arrivando ad un blocco, che si vince tramite un esposto passaggio sul suo spigolo Settentrionale (III°/III°+; A/PD+; 2h'15/2h'45 dal Santuario). In discesa, dopo essere rientrati alla forcella, s'oltrepassa facilmente il successivo spallone arrotondato e dopo una mezza dozzina di elevazioni non importanti, si raggiunge il Mont Pisonet tramite la sua Cresta Nord-nordovest. Rientrare nel Cuney per mezzo della parte finale della stessa e quindi sul suo Versante Nordest (EEA/F+; 1h'00/1h'15 per l'intera traversata).
Essential Gear
DIFFICULTIESThis route can be considered
EEA/PD+/PD- (Experts Hikers and Mountaineers); BSA in winter (even by Ski).
L'itinerario è da classificare in EEA/PD+/PD- (Escursionisti Esperti od Alpinisti) BSA in inverno (anche in Scialpinismo).
EQUIPMENT
High Hiking gear, in winter as for Ski-Mountaineering.
Da Alto Escursionismo, in inverno da Scialpinismo.
Campings
Remember that free camping is forbidden (except for emergency reasons, over
2.500m, from darkness until dawn).
Mountain Condition
- Meteo: you can find all the needed informations at the official site of the Valle d'Aosta Region:
- Valle d'Aosta Meteo
Important Information
Useful numbers
- Protezione Civile Valdostana località Aeroporto n° 7/A Saint Christophe (Ao) Tel. 0165-238222.
- Bollettino Meteo (weather info) Tel. 0165-44113.
- Unità Operativa di Soccorso Sanitario Tel. 118.