Forzèla dei Cóvoi Brusadi and Casèra Piscalòr

Premise

This route was traveled on December 18, 2018, and all observations and considerations that follow fully apply only to that day.

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After the usual paved stretch towards Gena Alta, take the forest road that leads, without altitude changes, to cross the bottom of Val Soffia just above a beautiful little waterfall.

From there begins the trail towards Val dei Forti which must be followed until bypassing a ridge (right at the entrance to Val dei Forti) just before 1,200 meters altitude.

The trace on the ground is always quite evident (evident "according to Monti del Sole standards"), with cairns where needed and some very faint red marks; there are also some short but steep stretches.

At the bypass of the ridge, where a flat traverse section begins, you notice on the left a patch of dwarf pines climbing quite steeply (very faint red mark on a dwarf pine on the right shortly after the start of the patch).

To make it short, just follow that trace and you reach Forzèla dei Cóvoi Brusadi through various slope changes with some points where you need to use your hands for support.

Just before the Forzèla you bypass a rocky spur of Cima del Valarìn, from where you can already see the continuation of the route on a ledge-bench up to a subsequent small pass.

From this small pass descend a few meters via a VERY steep gully (about 10 meters of altitude difference according to my GPS): if you stay all on the right there are more regular steps; on the left it is initially easier, but then there is a drop where climbing techniques must be used; I descended on the right.

After the gully, the bench continues with modest altitude changes up to a band of dwarf pines that border the edge of a gully.

A few meters before the band you must follow some uncertain traces to lose altitude in the forest and cross further down the gully where a easy passage is found.

From the crossing point a good trail reappears that leads to the junction with the trail ascending from Val dei Forti towards Forcella Covolèra.

In the current descending direction, you immediately cross the small valley and face a ledge-type section with, in the first minutes, two short VERY EXPOSED passages: increase your level of attention in these passages.

Then you quite comfortably reach the junction with the trail of Val dei Forti that had been left at the fork for Forzèla dei Cóvoi Brusadi.

Today I went back along the same trail almost to the re-crossing of the Val Soffia small valley, where there is a fork with a well-marked trail on the ground that leads to the bottom of Val Pisson, allowing a direct connection between Gena Alta and Casèra Piscalòr.

The stretch to Val Pisson is almost entirely on gentle slopes, then you cross the spectacular valley (carefully following the cairns and a small red arrow drawn on rock to find the trail on the other side) and face a steep climb of some tens of meters of altitude difference.

Finally, on modest slopes you traverse until reconnecting to the trail that climbs from Casera Piscalòr to Col dei Viegoi.

From Casera Piscalòr the usual and well-known descent to Gena Bassa: at the crossing point above Val Soffia there is a small bridge with a beautiful view of the gorge.