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Presanella

3,556 m

Italy

Also known as Cima Presanella

Cima Presanella

Elevation
3,556 m
Prominence
1,672 m
Difficulty
4/10
Alpine hike
Best Season
Jul–Aug
Routes
2

Routes

2
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AlpineFSources differ: PD (Camptocamp)ScrambleNormal route

Sources differ: PD (Camptocamp)

Today's usual summer route: from Malga Vallina d'Amola in Val Nambrone to Rifugio Segantini (2,373 m), then over long boulder fields and short cabled sections across the Bocchetta di Monte Nero to the Bivacco Orobica (3,382 m) on the south-east ridge and the summit. The former glacier patches have largely gone; about 1,550 m of ascent, often done in a day.

Elevation Profile

approximate line
2,0002,5003,0003,5004,0000 km123456Rifugio SegantiniBocchetta di Monte Nero
Distance
6.7 km
one way
Ascent
+1,577 m
start → summit
High Point
3,556 m
Time Up
6h 09m
DIN 33466
Time Down
4h 05m
DIN 33466 · same way back

From the car park before Malga Vallina d'Amola (about 2,020 m) at the end of the Val Nambrone road, path 211 climbs to Rifugio Segantini (2,373 m) in a little over an hour. Behind the hut, red-and-white marks and cairns lead along a moraine crest, then across extensive boulder fields and granite slabs where the glacier used to be, to a small cirque below a reddish wall. A few steps of grade I lead to the first cabled section (a rope, then metal rungs with a cable), and easy rock terraces climb to the Bocchetta di Monte Nero (about 3,100–3,170 m). Follow the cable left along a short stretch of ridge and down the far side towards the former Vedretta di Nardis (some vertical steps on the way down). A long, tiring traverse through boulders below the Monte Nero face leads to a short wall with a fixed rope and rungs (no cable), then an exposed ledge and easy grade I rock. Scree leads to a reddish saddle and a shoulder from which the Bivacco Orobica and the summit cross are in view; a last, easy cabled section on the ridge reaches the bivouac (3,382 m), and the summit follows by ridge and a snow slope of up to 35–40° when snow-covered. Descend the same way. Without snow this is a long scramble on rough ground, but early-season snow and ice on the cabled sections and the upper slope can make it markedly harder. One recent report says rockfall has closed an older variant towards Monte Nero, and that some parties now go via the Passo dei Quattro Cantoni and a short grade I–II chimney instead; ask at the hut.

Start

Malga Vallina d'Amola2,009 m

  • Bus to Pinzolo or Sant'Antonio di Mavignola; no regular public transport up the Val Nambrone
  • Parking at the trailhead

Stages

DayStagekmm ascentm descentTime
1Malga Vallina d'Amola → Presanella6.71,577286h 09m

Waypoints

  1. Parking:
    Malga Vallina d'Amola2,009 m

    Small car park (10–12 cars) at the end of the Val Nambrone road

  2. Hut:
    Rifugio Segantini2,372 m
  3. Col:
    Bocchetta di Monte Nero3,114 m

    Cabled on both sides; elevation given as 3,078 m (Camptocamp) to about 3,170 m (Gulliver)

  4. Bivouac:
    Bivacco Brigata Orobica3,394 m
  5. Summit:
    Presanella3,556 m

Key Passages

  • Boulder fields and slabs of the former glacier above Rifugio Segantini
  • Cabled ascent to the Bocchetta di Monte Nero
  • Cabled descent and long boulder traverse below Monte Nero
  • Short wall with fixed rope and exposed ledge
  • Summit ridge and slope above the Bivacco Orobica

Equipment

0/8 packed
Technical
Safety
Footwear
Clothing
Navigation

Downloads

Route confidence 70%
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Overview

The highest peak entirely in Trentino (3,556 m), a granite massif in the Adamello-Presanella Alps between Val Rendena, Val di Sole and Val Genova. Its summer normal route is now a long scramble over boulders and cabled steps; the classic northern route still crosses glacier.

The Presanella rises north of the Adamello across the Val Genova, at the heart of the Adamello Brenta Nature Park. It is a granite (tonalite) massif with a steep, ice-streaked north face above the Val di Stavel and broad, bouldery southern slopes falling to the Val Nambrone and Val d'Amola. On a clear day the summit looks across to the Brenta Dolomites, the Ortler and the Adamello glacier.

Two routes are in common use. From the south-east, Rifugio Segantini gives access to a route over the Bocchetta di Monte Nero with several short cabled sections, the Bivacco Brigata Orobica just below the summit, and much tiring boulder-hopping; the small glaciers once crossed here have largely melted away, and it is now graded F and often done in a day from the car park. From the north, Rifugio Denza is the base for the 1864 first-ascent route via the Passo Cercen and the Sella Freshfield, a PD glacier climb best done in early summer.

Neither route is technically hard in good conditions, but both are long, rough and serious if snow or ice lies on the cabled sections or the ridge. The north face and its couloirs are a well-known winter and spring ice and mixed playground.

Climbing Notes

Good fitness for 1,500–1,800 m of ascent on rough ground, sure-footedness on boulders and exposed cabled rock, and a head for heights are the main requirements on the south-east route. A helmet and via ferrata lanyard are advisable; in early season or after snow, crampons and an ice axe are needed. The Denza route needs full glacier skills and kit (rope, crampons, axe, crevasse rescue); parties without that experience should go with a mountain guide from Pinzolo, Madonna di Campiglio or Val di Sole.

Typical itineraries: drive up Val Nambrone to Malga Vallina d'Amola and climb in a long day (about 5½ hours up), or sleep at Rifugio Segantini; for the north side, walk up to Rifugio Denza (1¼–1½ hours) and climb the next morning (4–5 hours to the summit). The best period for the glacier route is mid-June to July; later in summer bare ice appears.

The ground has changed with glacier retreat and rockfall; route details and variants shift from year to year, so check with the hut wardens. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August.

History

Cartographers may have reached the summit in 1854 during a survey. The first recorded ascent was on 25 August 1864 by Douglas Freshfield, R. Melville Beachcroft and J. D. Walker with the Chamonix guide François Devouassoud and the porter B. Delpero of Vermiglio, by the west side from the Passo Cercen and the col now called the Sella Freshfield. Three weeks later, on 17 September 1864, Julius von Payer and the guide Girolamo Botteri made the second ascent by the south-south-east ridge (Cresta di Payer). The south-east route from Val d'Amola was first used in 1873 by a large SAT party; the first winter ascent followed on 13 March 1890. The name is said to derive from 'Presena', a water intake at the mouth of the Val di Stavel.

Season

Best Jul–Aug
  1. January: Not advisable
  2. February: Not advisable
  3. March: Possible
  4. April: Possible
  5. May: Not advisable
  6. June: Good
  7. July: Best (best window)
  8. August: Best (best window)
  9. September: Good
  10. October: Possible
  11. November: Not advisable
  12. December: Not advisable
Jan
Winter; huts closed (winter rooms only)
Feb
Winter; north-face ice and mixed routes for experts
Mar
Ski-mountaineering for experienced parties; Rifugio Denza open some weekends
Apr
Ski-mountaineering; avalanche risk
May
Huts closed; heavy spring snow
Jun
Huts open from about 20 June; good for the glacier route, snow on the cabled sections of the south-east route
Jul
Best month for both routes; afternoon thunderstorms
Aug
South-east route usually snow-free; bare ice possible on the north glacier
Sep
Huts close about 20 September; stable weather but early snow possible
Oct
Huts closed; early snow and ice on the cables
Nov
Winter
Dec
Winter

Access & Permits

Hut Booking
Rifugio Segantini and Rifugio Stavel 'Francesco Denza' are SAT huts; book directly with the hut wardens. The Bivacco Brigata Orobica is an unstaffed bivouac with about 8 places.
Fees
  • Hut overnight fees with discounts for CAI/SAT and reciprocal alpine club members
Rules
  • The Presanella lies within the Adamello Brenta Nature Park; observe park rules and stay on marked paths
  • The Val Nambrone road is narrow and parking at Malga Vallina d'Amola is very limited (10–12 cars); parking near the Forte Pozzi Alti is also limited
Getting There

Pinzolo (south-east route); Vermiglio (north route)

Verona (VRN) or Bergamo (BGY)

  • South-east: drive from Pinzolo towards Madonna di Campiglio; just before Sant'Antonio di Mavignola take the Val Nambrone road past Rifugio Nambrone to the car park before Malga Vallina d'Amola (last part gravel)
  • North: from the Passo del Tonale road between Vermiglio and the pass, turn off for Baita Velon and follow the gravel road to the Forte Pozzi Alti car park; the hut shuttle can be booked
  • Buses run to Pinzolo and to Vermiglio (Trento–Malè–Mezzana railway connects with Val di Sole buses); there is no public transport to either trailhead

Hazards

  • Rockfall
  • Exposure
  • Glacier
  • Crevasses
  • Weather

Huts & Shelters

3