Monte Argentera
3,297 m
Italy
Also known as Арджентера (връх), mont Argentera, +2Also known as
Арджентера (връх) · mont Argentera · Cima Sud Argentera · Арджентера
- Elevation
- 3,297 m
- Prominence
- 1,295 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 7 May 2026
The road from Terme di Valdieri to Pian della Casa del Re reopened to vehicles at 18:00 on 7 May 2026 after the winter closure ordinance was revoked.
cuneodice.itAdvisoryReported 1 Jul 2025
From July 2025 (month only) the fixed ropes on the two most exposed points of the summit ledge, including the 'passo del gatto', were removed; mountain guides installed bolts with ring carabiners along the ledge for moving together on a rope. Fixed ropes remain in the upper gully. Contact Rifugio Remondino for current status.
gulliver.it
Routes
1Sources differ: F+ (3b) (Camptocamp) · EE – A – PD- (VieNormali.it)
From Pian della Casa del Re (1,765 m) a mule track climbs to Rifugio Remondino (2,430 m); a steep, loose path then leads up the Canale dei Detriti to the Passo dei Detriti (3,122 m), where a long, exposed ledge across the face, now equipped with bolts for a running belay, and easy rocks reach the highest summit of the Maritime Alps. About 1,530 m of ascent, 4h30 up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 5.2 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,564 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,297 m
- Time Up
- 5h 56m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 53m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Drive past Terme di Valdieri into the Vallone della Valletta; the road becomes a rough track and ends at Pian della Casa del Re (1,765 m; parking at Gias delle Mosche, 1,591 m, if the track is too rough). Take path N11 up the Vallone di Assedras in wide zigzags, crossing the stream and climbing a rock band in a final set of hairpins to Rifugio Remondino (2,430 m), about 2–2h30. From the hut follow paint marks left across a boulder-filled hollow and over the moraine into the cirque below the Detriti and Nasta gullies. From the foot of the Canale dei Detriti (about 2,650 m) a steep, loose and tiring path climbs to the Passo dei Detriti (3,122 m), 1h45–2h from the hut. At the pass turn left over a small rock hump onto the face and follow the long ledge that cuts across it. The ledge is between 1 m and 30 cm wide, not technically hard but exposed; at the 'passo del gatto' (Pas du Chat) the wall above bulges outwards. Where it begins to rise, climb between wedged boulders and easy rocks (I–II) up a short gully to the summit cross. About 2h30 from the hut in all. Descend the same way (7h30 round trip from Pian della Casa according to VieNormali). Since July 2025 the fixed ropes on the two most exposed points of the ledge have been removed; mountain guides have fitted the whole ledge with bolts and ring carabiners for moving together on a rope, and fixed ropes remain in the upper gully. Early in the season snow on the ledge makes the route much more delicate. On busy summer days wear a helmet and watch for stones knocked down by other parties.
Start
Pian della Casa del Re1,765 m
- Buses from Cuneo serve the Valle Gesso; no service reaches Pian della Casa del Re (6.5 km above Terme di Valdieri). Timetables not verified.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pian della Casa del Re → Rifugio Remondino | 3.1 | 720 | 0 | 2h 47m |
| 2 | Rifugio Remondino → Monte Argentera | 2.2 | 843 | 32 | 3h 08m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Pian della Casa del Re1,765 m
- Hut: Rifugio Remondino2,482 m
- Col: Passo dei Detriti3,048 m
- Summit: Monte Argentera3,297 m
Key Passages
- Loose path up the Canale dei Detriti
- East-face ledge and the 'passo del gatto'
- Wedged-boulder gully below the summit (fixed ropes)
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The highest summit of the Maritime Alps (3,297 m), a serrated gneiss ridge at the head of the Valle Gesso in the Alpi Marittime nature park. Its normal route is a popular PD- outing: a loose gully to the Passo dei Detriti, then an airy ledge across the face to the summit cross.
Monte Argentera is a long, jagged crest of gneiss and granite at the head of the Valle Gesso, above Valdieri and Entracque in the province of Cuneo. Its highest point, the Cima Sud (3,297 m), is the high point of the Maritime Alps and of the Mercantour-Argentera massif; the Cima Nord (3,286 m) and a row of towers continue northwards. The mountain lies in the Parco Naturale delle Alpi Marittime, and the summit view takes in the Maritime and Cottian Alps.
The normal route starts from Pian della Casa del Re at the end of the Vallone della Valletta road and is usually split with a night at Rifugio Remondino (2,430 m). Above the hut the route is easy as far as the Passo dei Detriti, but the gully is steep and loose. The interest is in the final section: a long ledge across the face, 30 cm to 1 m wide, then easy rocks and a short gully to the summit. In 2025 the fixed ropes on the most exposed points of the ledge were replaced by bolts for a running belay, so the route is now intended for roped parties rather than walkers with a lanyard.
The Argentera is also known for the Canalone di Lourousa, a classic snow and ice couloir (AD), the Sigismondi ridge (AD-) and rock routes on the neighbouring Cima di Nasta and Cime Paganini. For most visitors it is a good first 3,000 m alpine summit with short, exposed difficulties and no glacier.
Climbing Notes
You need fitness for about 1,530 m of ascent (4h30 up, 7h30 round trip from Pian della Casa according to VieNormali) and confidence on exposed, sometimes narrow ledges. Most parties sleep at Rifugio Remondino and climb early the next day, which also avoids the afternoon thunderstorms common in summer. Carry a helmet, harness and a 30 m rope, and know how to move together using the bolts on the ledge; if you have not done this before, hire a guide in Cuneo or the Valle Gesso.
The route is in condition from late June or July, when the snow has gone from the ledge, until the first autumn snow. In early season snow on the ledge and in the summit gully makes it much more serious and calls for crampons and an ice axe. The Canale dei Detriti is loose: keep close together and avoid being below other parties. Check the road to Pian della Casa del Re before leaving; it is closed to vehicles in winter and was reopened on 7 May in 2026.
History
W. A. B. Coolidge with the guides Christian Almer father and son made the first ascent of the Cima Sud on 18 August 1879 by the north ridge, during the first ascent of the Argentera summits. The present normal route by the Passo dei Detriti and the ledge was first climbed on 16 August 1882 by Rocco Audisio, Giovanni Dellepiane and Ugo Ponta. Victor de Cessole, who explored much of the Maritime Alps, made the first winter ascent on 21 January 1902 with Dominique Martin and Jean and Jean-Baptiste Plent, and in 1898 opened the ENE face and the west side.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; access road closed
- Feb
- Winter; access road closed
- Mar
- Ski touring in the area; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Access road usually still closed
- May
- Road usually reopens in May; Remondino opens late May; snow on the ledge
- Jun
- Snow may remain on the ledge and in the gully early in the month
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Main season; busy at weekends
- Sep
- Stable weather, fewer people
- Oct
- Remondino closes early October; early snow possible
- Nov
- Winter conditions; road closure order usually from November
- Dec
- Winter; access road closed
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Remondino has no online booking: phone the hut (0171 97327) in season or the manager (+39 389 636 4622) when closed, or email info@rifugioremondino.it. There is no mobile signal at the hut.
- Rules
- The route lies in the Parco Naturale delle Alpi Marittime; park rules apply
- The municipal road from Terme di Valdieri to Pian della Casa del Re is closed to vehicles in winter by ordinance; in 2026 it reopened on 7 May
- Getting There
Valdieri (Terme di Valdieri); Cuneo
Cuneo-Levaldigi (CUF), Turin (TRN) or Nice Côte d'Azur (NCE)
- By car: Cuneo – Borgo San Dalmazzo – Valdieri – Terme di Valdieri (SP239), then the road behind the spa up the Vallone della Valletta; tarmac to about Gias delle Mosche (1,591 m), then a rough track to Pian della Casa del Re (1,765 m), 6.5 km from Terme
- Public transport: buses from Cuneo to the Valle Gesso; nothing beyond Terme di Valdieri (not verified)
Hazards
- Exposure
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,430 m
Rifugio RemondinoHutStaffedBooking required
46 beds · Open daily 23 May – 4 October 2026; winter room with 12 places (blankets and mattresses, no heating, water or electricity)