Punta Ramiere
3,303 m
Italy, France
Also known as Bric Froid, Punta Ramière, +1Also known as
Bric Froid · Punta Ramière · Bric Froid / Punta Ramière
- Elevation
- 3,303 m
- Prominence
- 673 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Sep
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: EE (Unione Montana Via Lattea; panepera.altervista.org) · E+ (escuriosandotrekking.it)
The easiest way up: about 1,400 m of steady ascent from the Grange Argentera (about 1,900 m) on path 612 through larch woods and the Grand Adreit valley to the old barracks at the Colle della Ramière (3,007 m), then a broad scree ridge to the summit cross. No technical difficulty; 3–3½ hours up.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 5.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,427 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,303 m
- Time Up
- 5h 29m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 3h 37m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at the Grange Argentera / Gaces in the upper Valle Argentera (about 1,865–1,900 m; a toll road from Sauze di Cesana), look for the path 612 sign on the right: a faint grassy track heads north and after about 50 m a sign under a larch marks 'Ramière', where the path doubles back and starts to climb. It rises steeply through larch and pine, over a short easy rock step and a gully that often carries water, to the upper pastures at about 2,150 m. Cross them to the right, ford a stream, round a grassy hump and enter the valley of the Rio Grand Adreit. Higher up, follow yellow paint marks (some older red) and cairns along the stream past a spring to a plateau below the moraine of the former glacier. The ruined military barracks at the Colle della Ramière are visible from here, but rock steps bar the direct line: keep to the left of the basin and climb the tiring moraine scree to a prominent rock spur, then bear right. Just before the barracks, near old cableway pylons, go straight up to gain the frontier ridge a little left of the col (3,007 m). Snow can linger here early in the season, and one short stretch of the traverse towards the barracks is narrow and unstable. Waymarks are not always easy to see, so take care in fog. From the col a broad ridge of rubble leads south-east to the summit cross in about 40 minutes, with many small paths; keep to the Val Thures side. Descend the same way. Reports give 3–3½ hours for the ascent and 7–8 hours in total at a steady pace.
Start
Parcheggio Gaces1,899 m
- Bus to Sauze di Cesana or Cesana Torinese (Oulx station on the Turin–Modane line); no public transport into the Valle Argentera.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parcheggio Gaces → Punta Ramiere | 5.5 | 1,427 | 23 | 5h 29m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Parcheggio Gaces1,899 m
Grange Argentera / Grange Gaces; summer toll at Ponte Terribile
- Col: Colle della Ramière3,001 m
Ruined military barracks just below the col
- Summit: Punta Ramiere3,303 m
Key Passages
- Hard-to-find start of path 612 in the meadows
- Moraine scree below the Colle della Ramière
- Short narrow, unstable traverse towards the barracks
- Rubble ridge from the col to the summit cross
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
A 3,303 m frontier summit between the Italian Valle Argentera and the French Queyras, the third-highest peak of the Queyras. Marked paths from both sides reach it without technical difficulty, but the 1,400–1,600 m of ascent, much of it on scree, make for a long day.
Punta Ramiere, known in France as Bric Froid, sits on the main frontier ridge of the Cottian Alps between the Valle Argentera above Sauze di Cesana, the Val Thuras and the upper Guil valley above Abriès. It is the third-highest summit in the Queyras after the Font Sancte and the Pic de Rochebrune, and the highest point of its local ridge, so the view ranges from Monte Viso and the Écrins to the Vanoise, Gran Paradiso and, on clear days, Mont Blanc and the Valais.
The mountain is a big rubble pyramid. From Italy, path 612 climbs the Grand Adreit valley to the Colle della Ramière (3,007 m) and a broad scree ridge to the summit cross; from France, a steep path from Le Roux reaches the Col des Thures (2,797 m) and a cairned frontier ridge leads to the summit cone. Both routes are graded as demanding hikes (EE, T3–T4) rather than climbs: the effort is in the length and the loose ground, not in any single hard move.
The ridges carry many ruined military buildings, barbed wire and old cableway pylons from the pre-war frontier fortifications. On the north side a debris-covered remnant of a small glacier is melting out and releases small rockfalls.
Climbing Notes
Good fitness for 7–8 hour days with 1,400–1,600 m of ascent is the main requirement, together with sure-footedness on scree and boulder fields. No rope or glacier skills are needed in summer, but snow lingers below the Colle della Ramière and on the French summit cone into early July, when an ice axe and microspikes or crampons are useful. The Italian route from the Valle Argentera is the shorter and easier option (3–3½ hours up); the French route from Le Roux takes about 4 hours up and 3 down.
Waymarks thin out high on both sides, so carry a map or GPS track and be careful in fog; on the French side, stick to the cairned path on the cone rather than a straight-line GPS track. Take plenty of water in hot weather. Start early to stay ahead of afternoon thunderstorms, which are common in July and August. Most people do it as a day trip; a small bivouac on the Italian side, below the Col des Thures, is mentioned by walkers but was not verified.
History
The first recorded tourist ascent was on 6 September 1877 by Ferdinand Bessières, Gustave and Maurice Chancel, André Salvador de Quatrefages, the guide Hyacinthe Véritier ('Lapin') and Vasserot, by the south side. Alessandro and Cesare Fiorio, Francesco Paganone and Carlo Ratti made the second ascent on 17 August 1879, up the west side and down the south. W. A. B. Coolidge climbed it alone on 27 August 1883, descending the south-west ridge to the Col des Thures, roughly the line of today's French route.
Season
Best Jul–Sep- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Best (best window)
- October: Good
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski-mountaineering only, with avalanche risk
- Feb
- Ski-mountaineering from Le Roux or Thures for experienced parties
- Mar
- Ski-mountaineering season
- Apr
- Spring ski-mountaineering
- May
- Transition; Valle Argentera road opens around late May
- Jun
- Snowfields below the cols; ice axe useful
- Jul
- Best season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Best season; Valle Argentera busy and tolled
- Sep
- Often stable weather
- Oct
- Possible until the first snow; short days
- Nov
- Winter conditions; Valle Argentera road not cleared
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Valle Argentera road toll in summer at Ponte Terribile: EUR 5 per car or motorbike per day, EUR 10 for campervans (2023 rates; payment by automatic barrier since 2025)
- Rules
- Valle Argentera: summer toll for motor vehicles, 20 km/h speed limit; the unpaved road is not cleared of snow
- Le Roux: park at the entrance to the hamlet; the track beyond is closed to vehicles
- Getting There
Sauze di Cesana and Cesana Torinese (Italy); Abriès (France)
Turin Airport (TRN)
- Italy: from Cesana Torinese towards Sauze di Cesana and Sestriere; after Sauze turn right into the Valle Argentera and follow the road (unpaved at the end) to the Grange Argentera / Gaces car park
- Italy: nearest station Oulx on the Turin–Modane line, then bus to Cesana or Sauze di Cesana
- France: from Guillestre up the Guil valley to Abriès, then the D441 to Le Roux
- France: nearest station Montdauphin-Guillestre
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Weather
- Exposure