Monte Emilius
3,559 m
Italy
Also known as mont ÉmiliusAlso known as
mont Émilius
- Elevation
- 3,559 m
- Prominence
- 735 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Showing Via ferrata on the west ridge from Col Carrel (Bivacco Federigo Zullo) over the Piccolo Emilius: the ’s line is approximate.
Sources differ: VF K2 (Camptocamp) · Very Difficult (4/5) overall for length, setting and height gain; technical 3/5 (ferrate365.it)
One of the highest via ferratas in Europe: a long, high cabled ridge from Col Carrel (about 2,910 m) over a Tibetan bridge, Mont Ross de Comboé and the Piccolo Emilius (3,342 m) to the summit, with about 650–750 m of ferrata, unstable rock near the top and snow often lingering in a gully. Usually done from Rifugio Arbolle, descending the normal route.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 8.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,788 m
- −540 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,559 m
- Time Up
- 8h 07m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 26m
- DIN 33466 · via the descent route
From Rifugio Arbolle take path 14 down into the Comboé valley (some ropes and pegs), turn right onto path 16 near Plan Vallée (2,376 m) and continue on 16C/16A to the Bivacco Federigo Zullo at Col Carrel (about 2,910 m), about 2 hours; leave very early and check the junctions the evening before. From Pila the approach takes 3–3¾ hours via the Chamolé alpage and the Col Plan Fenêtre. The cables start just behind the bivouac. After blocky ground the route downclimbs an exposed spur to a Tibetan bridge with a wooden walkway, then follows the ridge over Mont Ross de Comboé (about 3,300 m; signed escape towards Lago Gelato) and across inclined slabs to the Piccolo Emilius (3,342 m; another escape). Beyond, the line crosses a gully where a snow slope can bury the cables even late in the season, then climbs red rock steps and a more vertical section of paler, friable rock with metal brackets. Near the end a few metres are unprotected on unstable rock with poised blocks. The last section follows the airy ridge above the north face to the summit. Allow 2½–4½ hours on the ferrata. Descend by the normal route via the Col des Trois Capucins and Lago Gelato to Rifugio Arbolle (about 2½ hours), keeping the helmet on. The whole loop from the hut takes 7–9 hours; from Pila in a day about 11 hours and 2,000 m of ascent. Snow, wind and cold are common at this altitude; ask the hut guardian about conditions.
Start
Chamolé2,308 m
- Aosta – Pila gondola and Pila – Chamolé chairlift (summer)
- Aosta – Pila gondola, then the Chamolé chairlift in summer
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chamolé → Rifugio Arbolle | 2.7 | 366 | 157 | 1h 52m |
| 2 | Rifugio Arbolle → Monte Emilius | 5.8 | 1,423 | 383 | 6h 14m |
Waypoints
- Lift: Chamolé2,308 m
- Col: Col de Chamolé2,634 m
- Hut: Rifugio Arbolle2,518 m
- Bivouac: Bivacco Federigo Zullo2,904 m
- Feature: Mont Ross de Comboé3,240 m
Ridge summit after the Tibetan bridge; signed escape towards Lago Gelato
- Feature: Piccolo Emilius3,306 m
- Summit: Monte Emilius3,559 m
Key Passages
- Exposed downclimb and Tibetan bridge after Col Carrel
- Snow-filled gully beyond the Piccolo Emilius
- Unprotected metres on unstable rock below the summit tower
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
The pyramid that dominates the view south from Aosta (3,559 m), climbed by a long but non-technical scree-and-boulder route from Rifugio Arbolle above Pila, or by one of Europe's highest via ferratas on its west ridge. The summit panorama takes in Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and the Gran Paradiso.
Monte Emilius (Mont Émilius) rises directly above Aosta on the northern edge of the Gran Paradiso massif, between the Comboé and Arbolle valleys above Pila to the west and the Cogne side to the south and east. Its sharp north face, seen from the city, gives it a far more serious look than the normal route deserves.
The usual ascent starts from the Pila ski resort, reached by gondola from Aosta. A chairlift and a short walk over the Col de Chamolé lead to Rifugio Arbolle, and from there a marked path climbs a stony valley past two rock glaciers and the often-frozen Lago Gelato to the Col des Trois Capucins and a loose south ridge with easy grade I steps. It is a long day of about 1,050 m from the hut, through lunar terrain of boulders and scree, rewarded by one of the finest panoramas in the Aosta Valley.
The west ridge carries a long, high via ferrata from Col Carrel over the Piccolo Emilius, technically moderate but serious because of its length, altitude, unstable rock and late-lying snow.
Climbing Notes
The normal route needs good fitness and sure-footedness rather than technique: about 1,050 m of ascent from the hut (1,900 m from Pila), 4 hours up from Rifugio Arbolle, and easy scrambling on loose, exposed ground near the top. A helmet is sensible. Most people use the Pila lifts, sleep at Rifugio Arbolle and summit next morning; fit parties do it in a day from Pila, but check the last lift down.
Snow lingers on the ridge and in the upper valley into early summer and returns from late September; then ice axe and crampons are needed. The via ferrata is a different proposition: 7–9 hours from the hut, 650–750 m of cables at 2,900–3,550 m, a Tibetan bridge, unprotected sections on poor rock and a gully that often holds snow until late July. Carry a full via ferrata set and helmet, and ask the hut guardian about conditions. Mountain guides can be arranged through the hut.
History
The first ascent is unknown. The first recorded ascent was made around 1820 by the doctor Laurent Cerise and the lawyers Jean-Baptiste Defey and Jean-Laurent Martinet, very probably by the south ridge. The west ridge was first climbed on 30 August 1897 by Louis Bich, Ercole Daniele, Giovanni Battista Devalle and Alexandre Pession. Rifugio Arbolle, at the foot of the normal route, opened in 1998.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski touring from Pila for experienced parties only
- Feb
- Winter conditions; avalanche risk
- Mar
- Ski mountaineering via the Arbolle side
- Apr
- Spring ski touring
- May
- Hut closed; transitional snow
- Jun
- Hut opens in June; snow on the ridge and in the ferrata gully
- Jul
- Main season; crampons may still be needed on the ferrata until late July
- Aug
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Sep
- Stable weather but colder; hut closes in September
- Oct
- Hut closed; early snow and ice on the ridge
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Arbolle (privately managed): book by phone +39 0165 50011 / +39 335 1213133 or rifugioarbolle@gmail.com; open about June to September.
- Fees
- Aosta – Pila gondola and Chamolé chairlift tickets
- Getting There
Aosta; Pila (Gressan)
Turin (TRN)
- Train or bus to Aosta, then the Aosta – Pila gondola from the town centre
- Car: A5 to Aosta Est, then via Pollein, Charvensod and the SR18 to Pila (about 18 km of mountain road); parking at the Chamolé chairlift base
- Summer chairlift Pila – Chamolé (top about 2,311 m) saves about 1h30
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Altitude
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,507 m
- 2,907 m
Bivacco Federigo ZulloBivouacUnstaffed
Always open; no water