Jôf di Montasio
2,754 m
Italy
Also known as Montasch, MontažAlso known as
Montasch · Montaž
- Elevation
- 2,754 m
- Prominence
- 1,598 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: EEA, AR, I+, F (VieNormali.it) · D (Italian via ferrata scale, 'difficile') (CAI FVG, path 663aF) · I–II on the summit ridge (CAI FVG) · T4 (Camptocamp (traverse via Scala Pipan and Cima di Terrarossa))
The standard route up the highest summit of the Italian Julian Alps: from the Montasio plateau car park (1,502 m) past Rifugio Di Brazzà to Forca dei Disteis, then a protected line up the south face with the famous Scala Pipan, a 60 m swaying ladder, and an exposed but easy ESE ridge to the summit bell. About 1,250 m of ascent and 3¾ hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 5.4 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,300 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 2,754 m
- Time Up
- 5h 07m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 26m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Sella Nevea a narrow paved road climbs to the Montasio plateau; park at its end (about 1,500 m) near the Casere Pecol. Walk up the road and path 622 to Rifugio Giacomo Di Brazzà (1,660 m), turn left just before the hut and climb the meadows north to Forca dei Disteis (2,201 m), steep and tiring at the end; about 1½ hours. Do not go up to the notch itself, which drops sharply into the Clapadorie. From just below the forca, turn sharp right (east) across scree beneath the south face, ignoring the left turn to Bivacco Suringar and the Findenegg route. Put on via ferrata kit at the base of a rocky foreshoulder: fixed gear helps over a rock step, then red marks lead up grassy ledges, short rock steps and gullies into a large scree amphitheatre halfway up the face. Cross it leftwards to the big chimney at its top, where the Ferrata Leva also starts. CAI FVG reports that the equipment here was replaced and the line rerouted to reduce rockfall: a new 9 m ladder up an overhanging wall, then the rebuilt Scala Pipan (a copy of the 1963 original) climbing about 60 m, and new cables and steps on solid rock to the ridge. The ESE ridge leads west to the summit on a faint path with grade I–II moves; it is easy but very exposed in places, with loose gravel and a short protected passage on the north side that is often snowy or icy. Allow about 2¼ hours from Forca dei Disteis to the summit. Descend the same way, taking care with the ladder in descent, or traverse via the Ferrata Leva and Cima di Terrarossa. Ibex on the scree regularly knock down stones.
Start
Altopiano del Montasio car park1,501 m
- No public transport to the Montasio plateau was verified; a car is needed from Chiusaforte or Tarvisio via Sella Nevea
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Altopiano del Montasio car park → Jôf di Montasio | 5.4 | 1,300 | 48 | 5h 07m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Altopiano del Montasio car park1,501 m
- Hut: Rifugio Giacomo di Brazzà1,658 m
- Col: Forca dei Disteis2,210 m
- Crux: Scala Pipan2,588 m
about 60 m ladder plus cables to the ridge
- Col: Forca Verde2,544 m
the ridge is gained just west of here
- Summit: Jôf di Montasio2,754 m
Key Passages
- Steep final climb to Forca dei Disteis
- Protected rock step on the foreshoulder
- Scala Pipan (about 60 m ladder) and the cables above
- Exposed ESE summit ridge with a short north-side passage, often snowy or icy
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The highest summit of the Western Julian Alps (2,754 m) and second in the range after Triglav, a broad limestone wall above the Montasio plateau. The normal route climbs the south face by fixed cables and the 60 m Scala Pipan ladder to an exposed but easy summit ridge.
Jôf di Montasio (Montasch in German, Montaž in Slovene) rises between the Val Raccolana to the south, the Val Saisera to the north and the Val Dogna to the west, close to the Slovenian border north of Sella Nevea. Its south face, about 450 m of banded limestone, stands above the high pastures of the Montasio plateau with its dairy huts; the north side falls more than 1,500 m to the Val Saisera and holds a small glacier remnant, the Ghiacciaio Occidentale del Montasio. It is the highest peak in the Italian part of the Julian Alps.
The usual ascent is the Via Di Brazzà from the plateau: a walk to Forca dei Disteis, a protected line up the south face with the famous Scala Pipan ladder, and a long, airy ridge to the summit bell. It is a serious day out rather than a technical climb: 1,250 m of ascent, loose rock, exposure and frequent stonefall from ibex. The Canalone Findenegg, the line of the first ascent, is the main unprotected alternative; steeper and longer classics such as the Via Amalia from the Val Saisera and the Via Dogna climb the north and west sides.
From the top the view takes in the whole Julian Alps, Monte Canin, the Carnic Alps, the Hohe Tauern and the eastern Dolomites.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for fit, sure-footed hikers with via ferrata experience and a good head for heights. Plan on 6 hours return from the plateau car park, starting early to beat afternoon storms and the crowds on the ladder. A harness, via ferrata set and helmet are needed; ibex and other parties regularly dislodge stones on the south face.
The season is roughly mid-June to early October. Early in summer hard snow lies on the scree traverse below the face and on the short north-side passage of the summit ridge; carry light crampons and an ice axe until it has melted. Many parties make a loop, climbing the Findenegg gully (PD-, II-) and descending by the Scala Pipan.
Rifugio Di Brazzà (1,660 m, 30 minutes from the car park) makes a convenient base for an early start.
History
First ascent on 18 August 1877 by Hermann Findenegg and Antonio Brussofier by the south and west sides (the Findenegg route). The second ascent followed on 31 August 1877. The present normal route, the Via Di Brazzà, was studied by Giacomo Di Brazzà in 1881 and equipped for the Società Alpina Friulana by the guides Giuseppe Barazzutti and Francesco Marcon in 1882; the first recorded tourist ascent was on 6 August 1882. Julius Kugy and companions made the first complete traverse of the north-side Via dei Cacciatori Italiani in 1896 (in descent). The original Scala Pipan ladder dates from 1963. Rifugio Di Brazzà, the Società Alpina Friulana's hut on the plateau, was inaugurated on 6 July 1969.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter mountaineering only
- Feb
- Winter conditions; avalanche risk
- Mar
- Spring ski-mountaineering on the south side for experts
- Apr
- Snow; Rifugio Di Brazzà open some weekends
- May
- Snow on the face and ridge
- Jun
- From mid-June; hard snow on the scree and ridge
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; busy on the ladder at weekends
- Sep
- Stable weather, fewer people
- Oct
- Early October only; hut weekends only; early snow and ice
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Giacomo Di Brazzà: book with the manager, Valentina Cecon, on +39 346 2280072 or +39 340 6305034 (valentinacecon@gmail.com).
- Getting There
Chiusaforte and Sella Nevea; Tarvisio
Trieste (TRS) or Ljubljana (LJU)
- Car: A23 to Chiusaforte, SP76 up the Val Raccolana towards Sella Nevea, then the narrow paved road to the Montasio plateau car park (about 1,500 m)
- From Tarvisio: via Cave del Predil and Sella Nevea
- Rail: Chiusaforte station on the Udine–Tarvisio line; no public transport to the plateau was verified
Hazards
- Exposure
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
2- 1,660 m
Rifugio Giacomo di BrazzàHutStaffed
18 beds · Daily June–September; weekends in April, May and October
- 2,430 m
Bivacco Adriano SuringarBivouacUnstaffed