Crossing of Mount Fregasoga from Cimón del Tres to Mount Camin

Introduction

This route was hiked on August 26, 2026, and all subsequent observations and comments apply fully only to that day.

In the following report, the term “guidebook” refers to *Normal Routes in Lagorai and Cima d’Asta, Vol. 1 • Monte Croce Massif* by Diego Filippi.

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From Malga Sass (Malga Buse del Sasso) to Cimon del Tres via Tres Piciol

From Malga Sass, there are two trails that ascend directly toward the summit ridge of Monte Fregasoga: the one on the right (facing uphill) is preferable if you do not wish to take the detour to Cimon del Tres, while the one on the left is the route for today.

Just past the mountain hut, head up the meadow just before the forest road continues, keeping to the left, and you’ll find the start of a well-marked trail through the woods.

Once you exit the woods, you’ll reach a clearing with a couple of ravines that climb up the rocky slope directly ahead, and there are unmarked trails that ascend both of them.

To make the most of today’s itinerary, it’s best to ascend the left-hand gully, which is almost directly in front of you as you enter the clearing.

The slope faces west, and today the ground cover was still wet from the residual moisture of the night: so, to avoid getting wet, after the very first stretch I didn’t follow the faint trail through the grass but took a couple of off-trail routes over fairly solid rocks before rejoining the narrow path for the final, unavoidable section.

From the saddle at the summit, you join a much more distinct trail in both directions: right toward Monte Fregasoga and left toward Tres Piciol and Cimon del Tres.

Here I turned left and climbed comfortably up to the summit cross of Tres Piciol.

Next came the descent to the saddle separating it from Cimon del Tres, followed by a short climb toward the summit cairn: along this ascent, there are several small cairns that help you stay on the best routes in areas where the trail isn’t clearly defined.

The trail continues beyond this point, but today I’m turning back.

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Traverse of Monte Fregasoga from Cimón del Tres to Passo Fregasoga

This entire section follows fairly or very distinct trails, aside from a few minor summit points.

From Cimón del Tres, I returned to the saddle where I had arrived from Malga Sass, passing by Tres Piciol again: there is supposedly a trail that traverses below the summit of Tres Piciol and avoids a few dozen meters of ascent, but I skipped it after seeing that its start was blocked by tall grass.

At the saddle leading to Malga Sass, I left the main trail to climb the low, gentle slope of the Pala del Sass Est, which has a cairn at the summit.

After descending on the other side, I left the main trail again after just a few meters to climb up to the top of the Pala del Sass Ovest: this was also an easy climb, with another cairn at the summit.

Then down to rejoin the trail and a longer trek to the base of the final slope of the Pala delle Buse.

On this final slope, the gradient increases and the trail becomes less distinct, with sections featuring multiple tracks; however, various cairns “pop up” to help you climb without having to think too much about which way to go.

From the summit cross of the Pala delle Buse, the trail descends briefly and then climbs gently to the very wide and flat summit of Monte Fregasoga, marked by a large cairn.

From the summit of Monte Fregasoga, following the ridge, you’ll find yourself facing the Pala de la Busona, which Diego Filippi’s book refers to as “Monte Fregasoga Punta Sud.”

The trail does not ascend directly to it because it veers down the eastern slope just before some low rock outcrops, leading directly to Passo Fregasoga and bypassing the Col de la Busona saddle.

I continued downhill, navigating the not-too-difficult rocky sections while ignoring the trail markers, and reached the Col de la Busona: from this saddle, following the cairns, you ascend to the Pala de la Busona, where there is an unmarked summit cairn.

Back at the Col de la Busona saddle, I took a shortcut along an unmarked trail until I rejoined the official trail, which leads down a gentle descent to the Fregasoga Pass.

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Ascent to Monte Camin from Passo Fregasoga

The ascent heads directly up the north ridge of Monte Camin, which is clearly visible from Passo Fregasoga and can be observed for quite some time from the trail leading to the pass.

After the grassy slope leading up to the base of the north ridge, a trail emerges that is very helpful on the initial, steep section.

It’s a “path for animals” where you need to watch your footing carefully: there are a few handholds, but it’s not actual climbing, and I ascended while maintaining “the pushing stance with my trekking poles.”

After a steep ascent of 50 meters or so, you go around a rock and find a small cairn at the start of the final, gently sloping section: remember this cairn so you can later find the starting point of the steep descent.

From the small cairn, you’ll easily reach the tiny summit cross of Monte Camin, and you’ll need to decide whether to continue on to the East Peak of Monte Camin, which is at the same elevation.

This short stretch is the only part of the entire route that requires real caution.

In my opinion, it’s not so much difficult from a technical standpoint—a couple of Grade I moves at most—but rather because of the “new level of exposure” that you haven’t encountered on this hike so far.

So, after a brief “mental reset,” you must descend to the small saddle separating the two summit points while staying on the ridgeline.

For the first few meters, you’ll need to rappel along the trail below the ridge on the east slope to get past a short break in the ridge, and then you’ll stay on the ridge line—first over small rocks and then over small, rocky outcrops among small pine trees.

Finally, you climb steeply up through scree where, with care, you can find handholds and footholds that provide enough confidence: as mentioned above, there are no true climbing moves, only (so to speak) exposure.

Just past the summit cairn marked “MONTE CAMIN PUNTA EST” is a small outcrop offering a spectacular view of the entire north face of Monte Croce.

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End of the hike from Monte Camin

After the steep descent from Monte Camin, I didn’t reach Passo Fregasoga but cut across the grass directly onto CAI Trail 423.

Then there’s not much else to say: all easy CAI trails until the loop closes, in the order 423, 468A, 468, and 470.

Of particular note for today, August 26—keep that date in mind❗—was the section through the area of the former Malga Caserine (or Casarine: there are signs with both versions of the name).

The vast clearing, spanning a few thousand square meters, looked today like an immense field of small blueberry bushes, with well-developed blueberries that were perfectly ripe.

I’ve never seen—or eaten—anything quite like it. 😋

From the former Malga Caserine to Passo Mirafiori, the next highest point, there’s a net elevation gain of about 135 meters, interspersed with various short descents that “add to the total.”

From Passo Mirafiori, it’s a very easy final stretch to Malga Sass, which is open today and the perfect spot for a mandatory sweet treat. 🍰😉