Becca di Luseney
3,504 m
Italy
Also known as Pic de LuseneyAlso known as
Pic de Luseney
- Elevation
- 3,504 m
- Prominence
- 646 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2The usual route from the Saint-Barthélemy valley: a long walk past the Rifugio Magià to the Bivacco Reboulaz (2,575 m), then a loose gully to the Colle di Luseney (3,162 m), across the remnant Luseney glacier on the Valpelline side and up loose rock and mixed ground on the north side to the summit cross. PD+.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 13.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,005 m
- −241 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,504 m
- Time Up
- 8h 47m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 26m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Praz or Porliod at the head of the Saint-Barthélemy valley above Nus, follow the mostly level dirt road (about 6 km) to the Rifugio Magià (2,007 m) and the Praterier alps, then path no. 13 up the head of the valley past the ruins of Les Crottes (2,389 m) and up beside the outflow of the Lago di Luseney to the Bivacco Luca Reboulaz (2,575 m), about 3½ hours from Porliod. From the bivouac leave the lake on the left, climb a steep grassy slope into a short rocky gully and then a long, tiring scree basin to the foot of the gully leading to the Colle di Luseney (3,162 m). With little or no snow this gully is slippery, loose and earthy; old fixed ropes found there in 2016 were unreliable, so use crampons and an axe. On the Valpelline side, slant right up what remains of the Luseney glacier and climb the steep north side on loose stones; shortly before the final rocks, move right onto the north ridge and follow mixed ground and scree to the summit cross. Descend the same way, taking great care in the Colle di Luseney gully. The retreating north-side glacier makes conditions variable; when it is poor, the SE ridge from the same bivouac is the usual alternative.
Start
Praz1,738 m
- Train or bus to Nus in the main Aosta Valley; there is no reliable public transport up the Saint-Barthélemy valley to the trailhead.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Praz → Bivacco Luca Reboulaz | 9.0 | 880 | 43 | 4h 08m |
| 2 | Bivacco Luca Reboulaz → Becca di Luseney | 4.0 | 1,125 | 197 | 4h 39m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Praz1,738 m
Road end in the Saint-Barthélemy valley; Porliod (1,879 m) is an alternative start
- Hut: Rifugio Magià2,000 m
- Feature: Les Crottes2,389 m
- Bivouac: Bivacco Luca Reboulaz2,577 m
- Feature: Lago di Luseney2,571 m
- Col: Colle di Luseney3,147 m
- Summit: Becca di Luseney3,504 m
Key Passages
- Long scree basin above the Lago di Luseney
- Loose gully to the Colle di Luseney
- Luseney glacier remnant
- Loose north side and north ridge to the summit
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
A 3,504 m rock-and-snow pyramid between the Valpelline and the Saint-Barthélemy valley, the best-known summit of its ridge. Every route is PD+ on loose rock, usually done over two days from the unstaffed Bivacco Reboulaz.
The Becca di Luseney rises entirely within the Aosta Valley, on the ridge that separates the Valpelline to the north-west from the quiet Saint-Barthélemy valley above Nus to the south-east. Gino Buscaini called it an elegant rocky and snowy pyramid and the best-known and most characteristic peak of the whole chain. Its north side carries the small, retreating Luseney glacier; the south and east sides are rock and scree.
There is no easy way up. The usual route climbs from the Saint-Barthélemy valley to the Bivacco Luca Reboulaz, then through a loose gully to the Colle di Luseney, across the glacier remnant and up the crumbling north side: PD+. The SE ridge from the same bivouac is a rock alternative with a short grade III slab, used when the north side is in poor condition. Routes from the Valpelline side start from the Bivacco Chentre-Bionaz above La Ferrère.
The reward is a big summit view, from the Grand Combin and the Mont Brûlé to the Dent Blanche, the Matterhorn and the Monte Rosa, in a valley that sees few climbers. The rock is poor throughout, and the mountain demands care rather than technical skill.
Climbing Notes
Plan two days: about 3½ hours from Porliod or Praz to the Bivacco Reboulaz (much of it a flat 6 km road), then a long summit day with about 950 m of ascent on scree, loose gullies, a glacier remnant and broken rock. You need to be comfortable moving roped or unroped on loose terrain, with crampons and an ice axe, and on the SE ridge to lead and protect a III slab and to abseil.
The bivouac has 24 places, gas rings and cookware but no warden; bring food and a sleeping bag. Helmets are essential: the gully to the Colle di Luseney is loose and earthy when free of snow, and the final rocks on every side are shattered. Early summer, with firm snow in the gully and on the glacier, is usually the best time for the normal route; in a dry late summer the SE ridge avoids the worst of the glacier. Hire a guide from the Aosta Valley if you lack experience on loose alpine terrain.
History
The first ascent was made on 2 August 1866 by Jean-Antoine Carrel and Henri Charlet with Anthony Adams Reilly, by the north side (Luseney glacier) and the east ridge; Adams Reilly described it in the Alpine Journal in 1867. Carrel returned in 1874 with Jean-Joseph Maquignaz and Alessandro Emilio Martelli, and in 1876 Anna and Ellen Pigeon made the first women's ascent with Maquignaz and Salomon Meynet. A major rockfall from the mountain destroyed the hamlet of Chamin in the Valpelline, described by Marcel Kurz in the SAC journal Die Alpen in 1952. The Bivacco Reboulaz, built largely by volunteers, was inaugurated on 11 September 1993 in memory of Luca Reboulaz, who died on the mountain's slopes in July 1987.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter conditions
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Ski mountaineering possible for experienced parties
- Apr
- Spring ski mountaineering; avalanche risk
- May
- Snow on the approach
- Jun
- Snow still firms the Colle di Luseney gully
- Jul
- Best summer conditions
- Aug
- Gully and north side drier and looser; consider the SE ridge
- Sep
- Stable weather, but bare and loose ground
- Oct
- Early snow; short days
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- The Bivacco Luca Reboulaz is unstaffed and cannot be booked; the Rifugio Magià lower down the valley can be used as a base.
- Getting There
Nus (Aosta Valley); Aosta for most services
Turin Airport (TRN)
- By car: from Nus (Aosta Valley) take the regional road up the Saint-Barthélemy valley past Lignan to Porliod or Praz, at the end of the public road
- Public transport: train or bus to Nus; no reliable connection up the Saint-Barthélemy valley was found
- Valpelline side: from Aosta up the Valpelline to La Ferrère below the Place Moulin dam (approach to the Bivacco Chentre-Bionaz)
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Glacier
- Exposure
- Weather
- Remoteness
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,007 m
Rifugio MagiàHut
- 2,575 m
Bivacco Luca ReboulazBivouacUnstaffed
24 beds · Always open; unstaffed