Gran Paradiso 4,061 m

We spent the night at one of the two intermediate huts: the Chabod. Starting from there, you cross the Laveciau Glacier; starting from the Vittorio Emanuele II hut, you climb what remains of the Gran Paradiso Glacier. Both routes meet at the “Schena del Mul” and then continue on to the summit. The summit consists of a rocky outcrop, almost always snow-free, where in recent years a specific “marcia” (clockwise) route has been established to avoid problems, since this is the point with the greatest exposure. In practice, you skirt the rock formation on the left until you reach the short climb near the end, where you ascend to the ‘Madonnina’ at the summit, then continue and descend the same way you came. The mountain hut of interest, the Chabod, is reached from the village of Praviou, where there are about 30 parking spaces. You ascend via a comfortable winding trail, mostly paved, but there’s a separate guide for this route. The elevation of Gran Paradiso isn’t excessive—just over 4,000—but spending a night at the mountain hut is always recommended for acclimatization. The ascent to the summit begins—almost as a matter of necessity—at dawn (around 4:00–4:30 a.m. in late June), though some set out even earlier. As I mentioned, it’s almost a necessity because every year, high temperatures—even at night—prevent the snow from hardening. These soft snow conditions not only make the hike more difficult—especially on the way back—but also make it dangerous to pass around, or even over, crevasses. They render the edges of these crevasses extremely fragile, much like snow bridges, which are always best to “jump over.” In fact, every year the glacier’s edge retreats higher and higher in elevation. In 2026, you start by following the ridge above the shelter, make a wide clockwise turn—always among small rocks—to reach the foot of the glacier, which is made of ice (during the day, the snow higher up melts and carries water downhill, where it freezes). On this first stretch, the crevasses are small and shallow; you can usually step over them. The trail isn’t always obvious, so you need to be very careful. Once past this section, the snow becomes compact and the trail becomes clearly visible. Sometimes the tracks on glaciers split because we’re near a large crevasse, where some people have chosen to go one way and others another. But you must be careful, because it could actually be that one of the two routes is no longer safe! Resist the temptation to stop at the edge of a crevasse to take a photo; the edges can give way at any moment. With these precautions in mind, follow the best trail and proceed slowly, taking short breaks every 30 minutes, all the way to the summit. It’s not my place to tell you how to navigate a glacier, but I can assure you that I see many rope teams proceeding the wrong way. Out of 10 rope teams—averaging 4 to 5 people each—half are led by a mountain guide, booked in advance along with their bed reservations at the mountain hut. These small groups are mostly foreigners who are unfamiliar with the terrain and have no experience with ice—or even with the mountains! The guide takes care of them, teaching the basics the night before and trying to gauge how prepared they are for the hike. Others, unfortunately, wing it after watching basic tutorials on YouTube. You should return via the same route as soon as possible, because by 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. the snow already becomes soft.