Corno Stella

Approach:

From Terme di Valdieri take the road that climbs to Pian della Casa up to Gias delle Mosche (parking) where the trail to the Bozano hut starts.

From the hut, climb the scree slope up to below the vertical of the summit and climb left over easy rocks until reaching the grassy ledge cutting across the wall (red arrows).

Description:

Reach the middle ledge by climbing the scree slope up to below the vertical of the upper corner of Corno Stella. From here, with a rope pitch, reach the middle ledge. From the trail on the middle ledge, climb right up to the comfortable terrace at the route start, at the foot of a large dihedral-gully inclined from right to left (a yellow bolt visible in the dihedral-gully).

• L1) Climb the dihedral-gully (III) up to a constriction, overcome the left vertical crack (IV+) and continue in the dihedral-chimney (40 m)
• L2) Proceed in the small gully-ramp up to the belay under some reddish overhangs (III, 30 m)
• L3-L4) Climb to a bolt below the overhang, then traverse right for 60 meters on a large slab (III, belay bolt + piton at the level of the quartz vein). There is also a bolt belay halfway through the traverse.
• L5) After crossing the quartz vein, climb the right chimney (another bolt belay here). Do not follow the easy and inviting grassy ramp at the far right, but turn left bypassing a smooth slab to then climb an oblique gully right which narrows to a chimney; then it comes out on an inclined slab, and climbs to the base of a large dihedral (black rocks) (III, III+, 50 m)
• L6) Climb the whitish rock wall immediately to the left (the infamous "mauvais pas", 22 meters, IV+, well protected with bolts and pitons)
• L7) Continue along the crack (IV-), overcome an overhang on the right (IV+), then traverse left on an inclined slab up to the belay (III+). 40 m
• L8) Traverse right, overcome an overhang (III+, two pitons), then climb the easy slab leaning maintaining right, arriving thus at the base of a prominent gully (belay on boulder to be built). 50 m
• L9) Climb the large gully along easy inclined slabs (II, 40 m)
• L10) Continue on beautiful articulated slabs (III) until emerging onto the summit plateau (45 m)

In 10 minutes you reach the Corno Stella cross. The true summit is reached by briefly continuing on a very exposed ridge (II)

Descent:

Rappels of the Campia route (3 rappels of 50 meters or 6 rappels of 25 meters): descend towards the lower ridge; about 50 meters from the ridge find a cairn below which there is a bolt with a cordelette

Traverse left for a few meters on a ledge until finding the first anchor with chain.

Make 3 rappels of 50 m (the first two in the void) until reaching the highest part of the grassy ledge cutting across the wall

From here either downclimbing or with another rappel, descend to the trail of the lower part of the ledge. With a last rappel of 50 meters (or downclimbing) descend to the scree slopes.