Zéngia de Severino Pagnussat in Val Cavalèr via Pala Fioca

In this report, the term "guide" refers to the book "Agneléze Erèra Pizzòcco Monti della Destra Mis" edited by Pietro Sommavilla and Paolo Bonetti.

↓

Approach to the start of the Zéngia de Severino Pagnussat in Val Cavalèr

From the parking lot, follow the small road to the Church of San Felice in Monte and then the CAI 852 path up to Casera Pradel.

In "normal times," just after next to Casera Pradel, you would climb into the woods to intercept, after a few dozen linear meters, a small forest path that climbs diagonally to the left.

Now there is a belt of trees fallen due to the Vaia Storm, and in the only theoretically free corridor a beautiful "wall of brambles" has grown.

It is better to continue on the CAI 852 path for just over 100 linear meters, up to where it turns right to cross shortly after the drainage of the ravine descending from Pala Fioca.

At the right curve before the ravine, you can climb on the ridge which is completely free of fallen trees and intercept the path higher up.

This is a wooded stretch where walking is easy, and there are also faint traces which, however, serve some water intake points.

I went straight up and found the small path about 90 meters of elevation higher, but if you veer slightly right you intercept it earlier.

From any point of entry onto the small path, continue diagonally left, which becomes increasingly steep until below a rock battlement (still within the woods) where I found a cairn.

After the battlement, you cross the drainage of the ravine, with another cairn immediately after, and here ends the visible trace of the path.

Now you can say you are inside the Pala Fioca, with thinning woods and grassy ground.

Climb without a direction "assigned" by traces, keeping in mind that you will need to bring yourself back to the right to return to the ravine's drainage furrow.

I turned right when I found a stretch of small path emerging from the grass, crossing below some low rocks, finding a last cairn and a cut branch at the bottom drainage of the ravine.

The guide writes to continue more or less on the bottom of the ravine: it is certainly possible and is also the more "economical" solution saving distance.

However, I climbed further right in the direction of ascent to visit the Covolo della Pala Fioca: really large and beautiful, now with dripping "drops as big as cherries".

Now you need to keep in mind the altitude of 1,360 m with altimeter calibrated at 905 m at Casera Pradel.

Continuing after the Covolo della Pala Fioca – or coming from the center of the ravine – you reach where the Pala Fioca closes in an inverted funnel at about 1,400 m elevation, with very tall rocks on the right and a lower rocky band on the left with some cracks that seem passable.

The only good saddle-crack is at 1,360 m, covered by some beeches, wide dwarf pines and a couple of firs not very visible from below – in fact it is the least evident one!

Coming from the Covolo della Pala Fioca, my GPS track at this point drops a few meters and crosses all to the left, but if you come from the center of the ravine you almost naturally end up below the saddle.

Just after this small forested saddle begins the Zéngia de Severino Pagnussat.

↓

Traversal of the Zéngia de Severino Pagnussat in Val Cavalèr

From the saddle, descend a few meters to the other side to the obvious trace running at that point under the ridge, and go right.

There is immediately a short careful passage to bypass a small ledge on a "near interruption" of the shelf, where good use of hands is necessary to maintain balance.

Right after theledg,e one notices the shelf path that continues always exposed down to a long and steep grassy terrace.

Before reaching the terrace, there is a section with sloping rocks that forces a cat-like step if the base is wet as today and does not allow the alternative more exposed passage with acceptable safety.

You go up the long and steep (but not too much) terrace without particular problems until you reach the head, the "heart" of the large amphitheater you are crossing, where there is a channel several meters wide to cross.

From here (but also a bit earlier if attentive) you notice at a lower level, towards the end of the amphitheater cirque, a saddle-pass with an evident trace reaching it, and that is precisely where you have to go.

Beyond the channel, there are a series of impassable cliffs, and to descend to intercept the trace towards the target small pass, I took a secondary small gully that descends just below the arrival channel, crossing a first small grassy ridge.

**********

I made this choice to bring myself into the sun where everything would be perfectly dry.

After two days without rain – but with frequent rains before – the shaded parts in the morning of the amphitheater were still "sweating" water.

Looking at everything from below, with perfect dryness, one could also descend inside the arrival channel (with steps of about grade I) and even anticipate it on the steep grassy parts, but wet humidity is very risky.

**********

Having entered the secondary gully, I descended a few meters just above a drop, then turned right on a dwarf pine slope.

I followed a natural corridor to the right for about ten meters, then returned left near the edge of the channel.

Here the dwarf pines become even sparser, leaving an open view sufficient to choose the descent line which involves some sporadic steps among grass and dwarf pines of about grade I.

Finally, I found again the small path trace originating from the channel below and leading to the target small pass of exit from the amphitheater.

In all, you descend about 50/60 meters of elevation difference, depending on where you turn at the top, and – I repeat – if everything is perfectly dry, it is better to anticipate the crossing point of the cirque as altitude.

From the rediscovered new small path originating at the base of the channel, there is a short traverse, then some small rocks descending a few meters, and finally the last short climb to the exit small pass.

Now the scenario changes and ... medium level of difficulty.

From the exit small pass, you ascend on a good trace to a small ridge with a visible fir completely withered at the bottom and ... badly off at the top: it is a panoramic point that deserves a pause for observation.

Forward 2/3 minutes on the shelf and reach the key sections of the route.

First, there is a traverse in total exposure with a fixed cable for assistance.

Without the cable, it would be really hard: between 20 and 25 meters in linear distance totally exposed with holds not always cleaned from grit and a couple of small dwarf pines at chest height pushing you outward.

At the end of the cable, there is a small concrete plaque engraved with "PAGNUSSAT S. 1980": in the plaque are cemented a shell casing and a bullet projectile.

From the end of the cable, there are a couple more non-trivial exposed steps, and then within 2/3 minutes you reach a grassy saddle with some firs.

From the saddle, descend directly into the next steep and narrow gully, with initial steps on tall ledges and then on scree.

After a few meters, exit right before a drop to merge onto the good trace among the dwarf pines visible from the start of the descent.

THIS – IN MY OPINION – IS THE MOST CHALLENGING PASSAGE OF THE ENTIRE ZÉNGIA DE SEVERINO PAGNUSSAT.

The guide writes: "... it follows the descent of a short gully that precedes some tricky rock passages."

At first glance, it seems a 4/5 meter traverse very exposed but on solid bases; then, as soon as you put hands and feet on it, the perception changes.

The foot holds are quite numerous even if mostly small, of the type 1/3 or 1/4 of foot – for hands, however, there is less choice.

I think the whole section is comparable to a good horizontal grade II, and the term "tricky" used by the guide is more than appropriate: it is a deceptive stretch compared to the first impression.

Then the guide writes that you continue "... with a relatively easier route ...": relatively easier, indeed.

The shelf trace is always evident, alternating well-walkable stretches with some tricky short level changes where you need to reset your attention level.

You end up at the edge of the eastern branch of Val Cavalèr, under a non-steep stretch of the drainage dotted with boulders.

↓

Closing the excursion from the end of the Zéngia de Severino Pagnussat in Val Cavalèr

You can easily ascend alongside the drainage of the left branch of Val Cavalèr, to intercept higher up the small path that from the CAI path ascending Monte Pizzocco turns towards the large south-western terrace – see → Pulpito dei Camòrz for the south-western terrace of Monte Pizzocco.

Today, I preferred to reconnect to the CAI path following, trending right, the various animal and human traces that are found on the slope with sparse vegetation allowing free ascent.

One of these traces leads to Cima Cavalèr (and indeed I saw a couple of red dots passing by), but I simply followed a "by eye" direct line with the only attention to find a good spot to take a photo towards Monte Pizzocco.

Then from the entrance on the CAI path, I chose to return via Bivacco Palia to "draw a perfect loop."