Gran Paradiso
4,061 m
Italy
Also known as Гран Парадизо, Grand Paradis, +3Also known as
Гран Парадизо · Grand Paradis · Grant Paradis · გრან-პარადიზო · Гран-Парадизо
- Elevation
- 4,061 m
- Prominence
- 1,888 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jun–Jul
- Routes
- 2
AdvisoryReported 9 Jul 2026
Two climbers who left the Vittorio Emanuele II hut for the summit on 9 July 2026 fell about 20 m into a crevasse and died; their bodies were recovered on 13 July after a four-day search.
ansa.it
Routes
2Sources differ: PD- (Camptocamp (Schiena d'Asino / Laveciau variant)) · F (Gulliver trip report 2024 (glacier section))
The most popular route on Italy's highest wholly Italian summit: from Pont in Valsavarenche to the Vittorio Emanuele II hut (2,735 m), then 1,330 m of moderate glacier slopes (up to about 35°) past the Becca di Moncorvé to an exposed 20 m rock crest with fixed pegs to the Madonnina statue (4,058 m) and the true summit just beyond.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 10.0 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,114 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,061 m
- Time Up
- 8h 22m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 35m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Pont (1,960 m) at the head of Valsavarenche, cross the Savara and follow path 1 through larches and up zigzags to the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II (2,735 m), about 2 hours. Leave the hut around 04:00–05:00. Head north round the rock spur above the hut, then east past a straight moraine into a small rocky bowl; leave it by a rising traverse right (sometimes icy) onto the Gran Paradiso glacier. Climb east over a broad hump, keeping well left of a line of rock pinnacles, with the route from the Chabod hut joining from the left below a large serac. A steeper south-south-west slope (around 35°, sometimes icy) at the level of the Becca di Moncorvé (about 3,700–3,870 m) leads to a small plateau and the final slope to the bergschrund. The crest below the summit is often corniced to the east. Leave crampons and climb the last 20 m of exposed rock (II) to the Madonnina (4,058 m): ascend on the north side using iron rungs and fixed pegs, and descend by a separate ledge with bolts to the south, a one-way system set up by the local guides to ease queues. The true summit (4,061 m) lies about 50 m north along the ridge, reached by one move of III from the gap below the ladder. Allow 4½–5½ hours from the hut. Descend the same way. Late in the season (after mid-August) Camptocamp recommends the variant by the Schiena d'Asino moraine and the Laveciau glacier (PD-), or the via ferrata along the Schiena d'Asino ridge, when the lower Gran Paradiso glacier is icy. Crevasses on both glaciers are a real hazard; two climbers died in a crevasse on 9 July 2026 after leaving this hut.
Start
Pont1,976 m
- Bus from Aosta to Villeneuve and on up Valsavarenche to Pont (seasonal; check the regional timetable).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pont → Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II | 5.4 | 776 | 32 | 3h 20m |
| 2 | Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II → Gran Paradiso | 4.5 | 1,338 | 0 | 5h 02m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Pont1,976 m
- Hut: Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II2,722 m
- Shoulder: Becca di Moncorvé3,854 m
Route passes below it on a steeper slope; the Chabod route joins near the col at about 3,700 m
- Summit: Gran Paradiso4,061 m
Key Passages
- Rising traverse out of the rocky bowl above the hut (can be icy)
- Steeper slope at the level of the Becca di Moncorvé (about 35°)
- Corniced crest below the summit
- Exposed 20 m rock crest to the Madonnina (II, fixed pegs, one-way system)
- Move of III to the true summit
Equipment
0/10 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
At 4,061 m the only 4000 m summit entirely in Italy, at the heart of the Gran Paradiso National Park in the Aosta Valley. Its normal routes are among the easiest 4000 m glacier climbs in the Alps, finishing with a short, exposed rock crest to a statue of the Virgin.
The Gran Paradiso (Grand Paradis in French) rises between Valsavarenche and Valnontey in the Aosta Valley, on the edge of Piedmont, and gives its name to Italy's oldest national park, created from the royal hunting reserve of Victor Emmanuel II. The north-west side carries the Gran Paradiso and Laveciau glaciers above Valsavarenche; the east side drops steeply to the Tribolazione glacier. The name is thought to come from the local patois 'Granta Parey', 'great wall', rather than 'paradise'.
Two huts in Valsavarenche serve the normal routes: the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II, with the busier route up the Gran Paradiso glacier, and the Rifugio Chabod, with the route up the Laveciau glacier. The two meet at about 3,700 m near the Becca di Moncorvé. Both are graded F to F+ on snow slopes of up to about 35°, followed by 20 m of exposed rock (I–II) to the Madonnina statue at 4,058 m; the true summit, 4,061 m, is about 50 m further north with a move of II–III.
It is often a first 4000er and an acclimatisation climb before Mont Blanc, and is very crowded on summer weekends, with queues on the summit rocks. Do not mistake easy for safe: both glaciers are crevassed, the Laveciau route passes under seracs, and two climbers died in a crevasse in July 2026.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for fit hill walkers with basic glacier training (roped travel, crampon and ice-axe technique, crevasse rescue) or with a guide; Valsavarenche and Cogne guides run it regularly. The 1,300 m summit day at up to 4,061 m needs reasonable acclimatisation; a night at the hut and perhaps a training day on the Ciarforon or Tresenta help.
Typical itinerary: day 1 walk from Pont to the Vittorio Emanuele II hut (2 hours) or from Pravieux to the Chabod hut (2½ hours); day 2 leave at 04:00–05:00, summit in 4–6 hours, and descend to the valley the same day. On busy days expect to wait at the summit rocks; follow the one-way system (up on the north side, down by the southern ledge). Late in the season the lower Gran Paradiso glacier can be icy and the Laveciau variant is recommended. Camping and tent bivouacs are prohibited in the park, and dogs are not allowed on the route.
History
John Jermyn Cowell and William Dundas, with the Chamonix guides Michel Payot and Jean Tairraz, made the first ascent on 4 September 1860. The mountain lay in the royal hunting reserve established in 1856, which became the Gran Paradiso National Park in 1922. The Vittorio Emanuele II hut, owned by CAI Torino, opened in 1884 (the old building is now the winter room); the present hut dates from 1961. The Rifugio Chabod was built by the Valsavarenche guides and opened on 28 July 1985.
Season
Best Jun–Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Possible
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; huts closed (winter rooms open)
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering; huts open from late March
- Apr
- Spring ski-mountaineering season, a classic ski ascent
- May
- Spring hut season ends early May; summer season from late May
- Jun
- Good snow cover, crevasses mostly bridged
- Jul
- Main season; crowded at weekends
- Aug
- Crevasses open; lower glacier can be icy, Laveciau variant advised from mid-August
- Sep
- Quieter; huts close mid to late September
- Oct
- Huts closed; early winter conditions
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II: online booking via rifugiovittorioemanuele.com, info@rifugiovittorioemanuele.com, +39 0165 95920. Rifugio Chabod: +39 0165 95574, info.rifugiochabod@gmail.com.
- Fees
- Overnight fee at the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II or Rifugio Chabod
- Rules
- Gran Paradiso National Park: camping and tent bivouacs are prohibited outside equipped areas; only single-night emergency alpine bivouacs are allowed where no hut can provide shelter
- Gran Paradiso National Park: dogs are banned except in valley-floor areas and, on a leash, on designated trails from 15 July to 15 September
- Leaving any waste, including picnic waste, is prohibited in the park
- Getting There
Aosta; Valsavarenche (Dégioz) and Pont are the nearest villages
Turin (TRN); Geneva (GVA) is a similar drive via the Mont Blanc tunnel
- By car: A5 to Aosta Ovest/Saint-Pierre, SS26 to Villeneuve, then the SR23 up Valsavarenche to the road end at Pont (free parking); Pravieux is a few kilometres before Pont
- Bus: Aosta to Villeneuve and on up Valsavarenche (seasonal service; check the regional timetable)
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Altitude
- Exposure
- Weather
- Cornices
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,710 m
Rifugio ChabodRefugeStaffedBooking required
85 beds · 2026: spring 20 March – 10 May, weekend 14–17 May, summer 28 May – 20 September; winter room
- 2,735 m
Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele IIRefugeStaffedBooking required
120 beds · 2026: spring 26 March – 3 May, summer 21 May – 13 September; winter room in the old hut