Gran Paradiso

Outbound trip and from Pont to Rifugio Vittorio Emanuelle II on 23.07.2018

From the hut to Gran Paradiso on 24.07.

From the hut to Pont on 25.07. and return trip.

I have had the wish for several years to visit the Gran Paradiso National Park and to climb the 4000-meter peak.

With almost the same group as at Großvenediger in summer 2017, we made the plan to undertake this venture.

So, on 23.07, at 6:30 a.m., we started in Bernau am Chiemsee and traveled via Innsbruck, Milan, Aosta to Pont. At 3:50 p.m., we arrived in Pont. With a lot of luggage, we ascended to the hut in 2.5 hours and were warmly welcomed there. The dinner was sufficient and good. The Bardolino (house wine) was well received by all of us.

At 3:30 a.m., wake-up call was given to start breakfast on time. At 4:55 a.m., we managed to start. The first meters were not easy to find. Always follow the cairns. Not so simple. At least the direction was given by the headlamps of the groups ahead of us. Even before the first steep ascent, switchbacks in the scree, we found the path again. Now finding the way to the Madonna, thanks to good visibility, was child's play. No crevasse entrances were visible on the glacier, the ascent seemed quite safe. From the "donkey's back" the air got noticeably thinner, and it was good that we had enough time to slowly climb the rest. After 4.5 hours, we reached the rock. There it goes considerably slower. You either wait until all groups have passed or just start. We waited until the groups at the Madonna had turned back. However, we were overtaken by very impatient climbers who passed the oncoming hikers. So we would have been better off waiting longer at a more suitable spot. The weather was good for us and it kept getting warmer. There are 4 bolts at the key section. This is relatively easy to overcome provided you are 100% sure-footed and not afraid of heights. Because of our polite waiting, we took 60 minutes until the Madonna and back. From 11 a.m., the rush (on a Tuesday) decreased. However, this did not fit our schedule. According to the weather forecast, thunderstorms were expected from the early afternoon. Of course, we wanted to be back in time. So, we went down again at 10:30 a.m. and were back at the hut by 1 p.m.

We were able to really enjoy the afternoon at the hut. With the summit in the pocket, in mixed but dry weather, we reviewed the individual sections once more. Wonderful when there is time to review everything with the group after the route.

On the third day, a small part of the group set off on a short route at 5 a.m. The descent and return trip were divided into two groups. After about 1:45 h, we reached the car. The journey home was interrupted several times by "Vendita Formaggi" and other delicacies. The Aosta red wine from the small shop on SS26 before Trepont is highly recommended. So we could still indulge for a few days and nights in our memories and enjoy cheese, salami, and wine from the Aosta Valley. The return trip therefore took longer, although the traffic was no problem that day.

Conclusion: A wonderful overall experience with extreme summit crowds "Großglockner feeling".