Forzèla de le Coraie via Viàz Eleonora and Valón de le Coraie

Introduction

This route was completed on October 16, 2021, and all subsequent observations and considerations fully apply only to that day.

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Crossing of the Cordevole Stream at the start from the Candaten Rest Area and Camper

Given the traverse route, crossing the Cordevole Stream from the Candaten Rest Area and Camper is "almost mandatory" to avoid extending the journey by starting on foot from San Gottardo: even the basic route is long time-wise, and in mid-October there is not much daylight margin.

Today everything was fine with the water reaching just below the knee and with... comfortable temperature.

At the starting point for the crossing, there was a very large cairn that we immediately located with headlamps.

Then we headed towards the other side of the Cordevole Stream at the point where the cycling section of the Via Degli Ospizi arriving from San Gottardo ends.

This is not the only option to start this route: for example, by crossing the stream, you can aim a bit further north where the surface channel opens at the base of Val Col dei Spin.

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Ascent from the end of the crossing to the exit point of the normal route for Mont Alt and Croda Bianca (or Cima delle Coraie)

From the end of the cycling section of the Via degli Ospizi coming from San Gottardo, in about 200 meters you reach a small channel still at the level of the right side Cordevole Stream, which almost always has good water flow.

Then the wide trail begins to climb and after about 250 linear meters of walking with a couple of turns, on the left branches off the little exit path from the Via degli Ospizi where you notice a cairn about 20 meters inside: the cairn is at a junction with red ENEL marks towards both branches, and you must go right.

Now continue towards Col de la Cazeta always on a recognizable trace, with some grassy sections where care is needed not to go straight on some switchback via secondary tracks.

Just before the wooded hill of Col de la Cazeta, the path turns left towards Col dei Porz.

Up to the wooded plateaus of Col dei Porz the route is very evident with various cairns along the way.

After the last plateau the path reaches a left turn marked with a "MONT ALT" directional sign, and here besides usual cut branches, small red dots begin: very small but clearly visible.

In 5 minutes you reach a characteristic ledge section in an area called "Le Scalete" according to various guides that describe this ascent: it is the "Zengia Longa Alta".

The ledge is almost always quite wide at great height (tends slightly downhill going up), but there are a couple of narrower passages requiring caution.

Then the path continues for a stretch crossing a steep slope and reaches the ascent of a forested ridge after crossing a channel preceded by a large cairn.

This ascent is on mostly wide walking paths and where there is some doubt on multiple tracks, perhaps the small red dots help more than cairns and cut branches.

After various switchbacks and about 100 meters of ascent in the forest ridge, you reach an elevation of about 1320 where – to the right – you leave the normal route for Mont Alt and Croda Bianca.

At the exit point from this normal route you notice a somewhat less evident ground trace and a couple of cairns on the right side of the track.

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From the exit point of the normal route for Mont Alt and Croda Bianca (or Cima delle Coraie) to the crossing of Val del Lenzuol passing through Viàz Eleonora

The exit path quickly fades, and you continue more or less at the same elevation on the wooded slope for just under 100 linear meters from the exit point.

A little higher to the left (about 15 meters of elevation gain, depending on the line taken on the slope) a rocky band appears, which must be reached.

Climbing a bit randomly we saw a couple of cut branches, then from the base of the rocky band starts a "structured path, but always structured in the Monti del Sole average".

From here on, rely on cut branches and few cairns: there are no longer paint marks.

From the base of the rocky band, in less than 5 minutes you reach a steep "earthy-loose soil" jump among dwarf pines with a helping cable: today there was also a loop of cord attached to the cable acting as a useful handle.

From here continue without further jumps always among varied cuts and paths in the dwarf pines, with short ups and downs on humps surpassing small mountain ridges: attention and... patience are enough.

You thus reach the spectacular rocky slope where the plaque and guestbook of Viàz Eleonora are located.

After the plaque, continue walking on rock slabs to a patch of dwarf pines anticipating the descent to the bottom of Val del Lenzuol.

In this dwarf pine patch there are no marking cuts, and you must find the right passage slightly descending among scarce natural corridors.

The right passage leading almost easily to the valley bottom exists: it is useless to insist with solutions that appear difficult from the start.

We wasted 3/4 minutes, but safely descended the spectacular passage of the Val del Lenzuol impoundment.

This long traverse, starting from the base of the rocky band after exiting the normal route for Mont Alt and Croda Bianca, is about 1.2 km but gains no more than 50 meters in net elevation, with actual distance traveled about 90/100 with ups and downs.

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From the crossing of Val del Lenzuol to entry into the final exit channel from Valón de le Coraie

From the crossing point of Val del Lenzuol, climb a few meters on rocks covered by gravel and "seeping water".

You must get as soon as possible to the base of the rocky band from where you continue on an EXPOSED ledge with some delicate steps.

Then the ledge becomes easier, you continue among twisted cuts of dwarf pines and, after a left turn, reach a CAUTIONARY PASSAGE.

There is a short narrowing of the path in full exposure with a vertical wall beside.

There are small handholds and footholds, but I would rate these 3/4 meters a good "horizontal Grade II".

Continue... patiently... among twisted cuts until you turn to an open view of the entire upper part of Valón de le Coraie.

Here it is good to keep the whole route in mind: to the right of the deep valley channel crack you see the vertical walls of Pale dei Forni; to the left a series of green ledges interrupted by transverse channels; you must go all the way staying on the left ledges at varying (but always limited) distances from the left rocky bands; you exit only after the "last green patch".

Continue until a steep section about twenty meters that leads to cross a small channel of grayish rocks where the track continues among dwarf pines in front with a barely visible start and a branch cut at ground level: the situation here is unclear and we lost 5 minutes before spotting the continuation point.

Then proceed on ledges with little vegetation until a wide channel of white stones-rocks.

There are no cairns or marking cuts beyond the channel impoundment, and... you must climb it about 60/70 meters of elevation gain to find the "continuation aids": we saw a branch cut to the right shortly before the end, then a couple of large cairns at the start of the next corridor among shrub-dwarf pines.

Continue on easier paths, pass beside a large rock shelter, and reach another channel of white stones-rocks where it is intuitive to climb aside.

After this climb, continue practically in open field, on grassy slopes, isolated dwarf pines and some small rocks on the non-mandatory route.

Finally, reach the last "green patch" from where you must descend to the bottom of the Valón de le Coraie channel; there is no mandatory point as the bottom here is easy: I entered at the end a bit after my hiking companions just because I wanted to take some photos from above.

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Ascent of the Valón de le Coraie final stretch to Forzèla de le Coraie or Forcella delle Coraie

This is the stretch where the day's weather – and preceding period – makes a difference.

You start by climbing the channel bottom for a few dozen meters among easy boulders, using just hand supports but nothing resembling climbing.

Then you reach a left bend where the wide channel becomes very narrow and the famous final starts.

I will try to detail it as we saw it, but here every day can be a different story.

Immediately there is the hardest passage: a jump of just under three meters which can be defined as a "mini dihedral leaning left".

To the right is overhanging rock and to the left a slanted slab face: probably the only point in the final where the sun never hits, which arrives anywhere else for a few hours per day.

On the slanted slab is some footholds, but it's all "soapy", today you could not rely on them.

There is a good handhold on a wedged stone and something above (out of sight).

In short, it is possible to oppose with feet on the right side but – at least for us – to turn the body inside the narrow notch we had to remove backpacks: without backpacks it is less difficult.

The first person goes through, hauls the gear up with a rope, then all go together.

After this there are a few walkable meters, then a second small jump about 3 meters; this is vertical, with excellent sun-exposed rock holds and not smooth or slippery: a more relaxed Grade II.

Finally the long dihedral with "smoothed sides", but close together and with constant small and solid holds.

In perfect dry conditions like today it is absolute fun.

With just a bit of moisture I imagine it would be quite worrying.

We all climbed independently without placing the rope.

I could not judge the degree of inclination, but if I had to give a climbing difficulty rating DRY I would say:

• constant I+ or II- average (never understood difference between I+ and II- 😊)
• a couple of brief slope drops (or better holds) of simple Grade I where you can stop and calmly enjoy the view behind
• 4 or 5 single Grade II moves
• at the end of the dihedral there is an avoidable small jump right with just over 2 meters of almost Grade II on clear holds
• it's clear that there are no really difficult single steps, but also that the higher you climb... the more exposure increases behind you

Outside the dihedral head is the Forzèla de le Coraie within reach with, on the left, the continuation route for the traverse to Forzèla dei Pón – see route → Forzèla de le Coraie and Forzèla dei Pón from La Muda to Gena Bassa.

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Descent to La Muda from Forzèla de le Coraie or Forcella delle Coraie

Do the first part of the above-cited route in reverse.

I provide a separate description because it is not easy to follow descriptions in reverse direction.

However, if you want to load a GPS track on your device, it is better to also load the track of the above route, as the ascent track (despite GPS imprecisions) is always more indicative: downhill, where the slope allows, you tend to shortcut sections that are hardly replicable uphill.

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The descent channel from Forzèla de le Coraie towards Van Pìciol starts immediately with the key passage, actually the only really difficult of the entire descent ("only difficult" means average for this hike).

There is a large wedged boulder blocking the entire channel, which is avoided on the left side heading downhill with some constant Grade II steps on small solid holds.

The problem is that – from my experience here and from others' accounts – it is almost always wet and extremely slippery: today it was perfectly dry and we descended independently.

We had already decided at the start to lower ourselves with a rope if we found moisture.

After completing the channel among the debris, turn left to cross the Van Pìciol cirque: today there were some "small strips of ice" but avoidable given the gentle slope of the cirque.

You reach above a saddle that leads – as the name suggests – to the much larger and more complex Van Grant.

Following the markings, you traverse downhill on a kind of inclined ledge with mixed surface, with wide and narrow sections, until near the cirque impoundment where there is a large rock with a big white inscription "FOR. CORAIE" plus a red arrow for those ascending.

From here, you must lose about 70 meters in elevation or a little more (near the impoundment) to find the FUNDAMENTAL dwarf pine cut to the left that allows exit from this great cirque-amphitheater.

Here, already knowing the final solution, we did not follow the markers meter by meter and instead went by eye.

The dwarf pine cut for the exit starts immediately above some small jumps in the impoundment and is followed without problems.

You definitively exit Van Grant above the head of an easy channel that leads (still descending) into Busa de le Caze Alte, where on the opposite side, you notice the end of the Banche de le Caze Alte – see route → Banche de le Caze Alte with traverse from Gena Bassa to La Muda.

Depending on the exact point where you enter the bottom of Busa de le Caze Alte, descend the easy channel for about 40/45/50 meters in elevation following CAI markings and various cairns.

Then exit to the right into the small wood called "Al Boscon" and cross it always following the numerous CAI paint marks and cairns (the ground trace is not always very visible, but the markings are many).

From Boscon exit descending steeply left shortly after a large cairn, enter briefly a "rocky ditch", then onto a ledge-path that after a right switchback leads to the bottom at the head of Val Chegadór or Val del Cargadór.

After crossing the rough valley bottom on the right hydrological side (with help of various cairns), enter a ledge that has a short very exposed section with a steel cable aid.

From here reach the forest ridge of Costa dei Faghèr which must be descended for over 300 meters in elevation until meeting the trail of the right Val Pegolèra: turn right for La Muda.

Immediately at the start there is a large fallen tree to go around and continue for a long stretch free of obstacles until a series of other falls at some close switchbacks: here the GPS track does not follow the path because we cut the slope (which is not too steep there) to completely avoid the annoying climbs/around – today we cut about 60 meters in elevation and skipped 5 switchbacks, 3 right and 2 left.

It is a slope where you can descend freely, and each time you cut differently from the previous: the continuation of the path is surely intercepted knowing that lower than the start of the cut the track must definitely go right to exit Val Pegolera.

Then onwards without other problems until entering the valley track of Via degli Ospizi and from there left towards the bridge over the Cordevole Stream and the La Muda parking.