Grivola
3,969 m
Italy
Also known as Гривола, La GrivolaAlso known as
Гривола · La Grivola
- Elevation
- 3,969 m
- Prominence
- 714 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: PD+/D- (SummitPost) · Camptocamp: PD+, engagement III, rock 2 (Camptocamp) · III- (Camptocamp (safer rib variant between the couloirs))
A long, serious normal route: from Valnontey to the Rifugio Vittorio Sella, then over the Colle della Nera (3,491 m), across the crevassed Trajo glacier and up 550 m of loose couloirs and ribs on the south-east face to the north-east ridge and the summit. Rockfall is the main danger; the descent is by the same line.
About 24% of this line is approximate (no mapped trail; drawn from the terrain). Check it against a map before relying on it.
Why? 4 check notes
- danger scan: Colle della Nera → Grivola: DEM line 714 m off the straight axis
- Colle della Rossa → Colle della Nera: bridge (snap_failed; one off-graph gap, 2.5 km)
- Colle della Nera → Grivola: glacier (snap_failed, 2.1 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Ghiacciaio del Trajo
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 13.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,584 m
- −278 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,969 m
- Time Up
- 10h 49m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 7h 44m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Valnontey (1,666 m) above Cogne, follow the path up the Lauson valley to the Rifugio Vittorio Sella (2,588 m) in about 3 hours. On summit day, start in the dark: follow the Col Lauson path to a junction at about 2,844 m, turn north towards the Colle della Rossa (about 3,195 m), then before the col follow the Rossa valley on a faint path and climb a steep snow or scree couloir to the Colle della Nera (3,491 m), where the Grivola comes into view. The turn-off to the Colle della Nera is hard to find at night. Descend about 130 m onto the Trajo glacier and cross it north-east to the foot of the south-east face, taking care with crevasses and two bergschrunds; in recent dry summers the glacier has been bare ice. Climb the left (southern) of the two main couloirs to about half height, then traverse right (II) into the other couloir, and finally trend right to join the north-east (Clochettes) ridge about 150 m below the summit. The rib between the two couloirs (III-) is harder but less exposed to stonefall. Yellow paint marks and some bolted anchors exist, but the rock is poor throughout. Allow 6–7 hours from the hut to the summit. Descend the same way, down-climbing where possible or abseiling the lower couloir, and recross the Trajo glacier, which is delicate in the afternoon. A common alternative approach starts at Cretaz near Cogne and climbs to the Bivacco Gratton (3,198 m, 9 places) at the Colle del Pousset; from there chains lead down onto the Trajo glacier to join the same face.
Start
Valnontey1,663 m
- Bus from Aosta to Cogne; Valnontey is about 3 km from Cogne by road or on foot.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valnontey → Rifugio Vittorio Sella | 5.6 | 927 | 6 | 3h 49m |
| 2 | Rifugio Vittorio Sella → Grivola | 7.5 | 1,660 | 272 | 7h 01m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Valnontey1,663 m
- Hut: Rifugio Vittorio Sella2,581 m
- Col: Colle della Rossa3,190 m
- Col: Colle della Nera3,485 m
- Summit: Grivola3,969 m
Key Passages
- Couloir to the Colle della Nera
- Crossing the Trajo glacier and bergschrunds
- Traverse between the south-east face couloirs (II)
- Junction with the north-east ridge 150 m below the summit
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A sharp 3,969 m pyramid between the Valsavarenche and the Cogne valley, the most striking summit of the Gran Paradiso group. There is no easy way up: even the normal route crosses a crevassed glacier and climbs a loose, stonefall-prone face.
The Grivola stands at the junction of the Valsavarenche and the Cogne valley in the Gran Paradiso National Park, a near-perfect pyramid of dark rock with a snowy north-west face. At 3,969 m it is only 92 m lower than the Gran Paradiso, but it sees a fraction of the traffic: there is one hut on the approach, the rest of the surrounding cols carry only small bivouacs, and none of the routes is easy.
The normal route leaves from Valnontey above Cogne, spends a night at the Rifugio Vittorio Sella, crosses the Colle della Nera and the Trajo glacier, then climbs the south-east face by couloirs and ribs to the upper north-east ridge. The technical difficulty is modest (PD+, moves of II–III), but the summit day is long, the rock is poor, and stonefall in the couloirs is the main hazard. Parties need to move quickly and be confident moving on loose ground with and without crampons.
The reward is solitude: this is a mountain for experienced alpinists who like quiet, serious terrain, with ibex and chamois on the approach and wide views over the Gran Paradiso, the Mont Blanc massif and the Pennine Alps.
Climbing Notes
This is a route for experienced alpinists. You need glacier travel and crevasse-rescue skills, confidence on loose grade II–III rock in crampons, and the speed to climb about 1,400 m from the hut and return in a single day. Acclimatise first with one or two 3,000 m outings; the Gran Paradiso is a common warm-up.
Typical itinerary: day 1, Valnontey to the Rifugio Vittorio Sella (about 3 hours, 920 m). Day 2, leave around 03:00, Colle della Nera, Trajo glacier and the south-east face to the summit in 6–7 hours, and back to the hut or the valley. Alternatively, approach from Cretaz to the unstaffed Bivacco Gratton (9 places) on the Colle del Pousset.
Go in early to mid summer after a cold night when snow still binds the couloirs; in dry, warm conditions stonefall increases sharply. Recce the Colle della Nera turn-off in daylight if possible.
History
Accounts of the first ascent differ. SummitPost credits J. Ormsby and R. Bruce with the guides F. A. Dayné, Z. Cachat and J. Tairraz on 23 August 1859; Camptocamp records that the parish priest of Cogne, Pierre-Balthazar Chamonin, with A. J. Jeantet, reached the north-east ridge on 28 August 1859 but too late to continue, and that Chamonin, Pierre Jacquin and Pierre César Perrod made the first complete ascent by the south-east face on 5 September 1861. The east-north-east ridge was first climbed in 1872, the north ridge in 1876, the west ridge in 1881 and the south ridge in 1890. Lino Binel and Amilcare Crétier climbed the north-east face in 1926, and Binel, A. Deffeyes, L. Carrel and R. Chabod the north-west face in 1936. The name is first recorded in 1845; older names include Pic de Cogne and Bec de Grivola.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter conditions; huts closed
- Feb
- Winter conditions
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Ski-touring season on the approaches only
- May
- Snowy; Rifugio Sella closed
- Jun
- From mid-June; plenty of snow on the face
- Jul
- Best season; Rifugio Sella staffed
- Aug
- Good, but stonefall increases in dry, warm spells
- Sep
- Often stable; glacier bare and crevasses open
- Oct
- Huts closed; early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Vittorio Sella (CAI Biella): web form on rifugiosella.com, info@rifugiosella.com, +39 351 329 6258 (WhatsApp). Bivacco Gratton is unstaffed and cannot be booked.
- Rules
- Gran Paradiso National Park: wild camping is forbidden
- Getting There
Cogne
Turin (TRN); Geneva (GVA) via the Mont Blanc tunnel
- Car: leave the A5 at Aosta Ovest, drive via Aymavilles to Cogne and on to Valnontey
- Bus from Aosta to Cogne; walk or local shuttle to Valnontey (about 3 km)
- For the Bivacco Gratton approach, start at Cretaz just below Cogne
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Exposure
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,588 m