Uia di Ciamarella
3,676 m
Italy
Also known as La Grande Ciamarella, Uja di CiamarellaAlso known as
La Grande Ciamarella · Uja di Ciamarella
- Elevation
- 3,676 m
- Prominence
- 664 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul
- Routes
- 1
AdvisoryReported 28 Aug 2024
On 28 August 2024 the Ciamarella Glacier was bare black ice; the usual line made a wide loop to avoid crevasses, and the wooden bridge at Pian Gias was badly tilted.
compagniadellacima.it
Routes
1The highest summit of the Valli di Lanzo by its easiest line: a hut walk from Pian della Mussa to Rifugio Gastaldi (2,659 m), then via Pian Gias across the shrinking, crevassed Ciamarella Glacier to a long rising path on the SW face and a short, steep icy slope onto the NW ridge. About 1,890 m of ascent; 6 h up from Pian della Mussa.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 10.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,016 m
- −119 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,676 m
- Time Up
- 8h 14m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 5h 43m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Pian della Mussa (about 1,790–1,810 m), below Rifugio Città di Ciriè, cross the wooden bridge and climb past Rocca Venoni (1,845 m) up the Canalone delle Capre (path 222), skirting rock slabs that are dangerous when wet, to Pian dei Morti below Gias Naressa (about 2,210 m). Fork left and zigzag steeply under Rocca Turo, with a short fixed-rope and cabled section, to Rifugio Gastaldi on the Crot del Ciaussinè (2,659 m), about 2h30 and 809 m of ascent. From the hut follow the mule track (224) right and slightly downhill, across snowfields, to a junction; go left to Pian Gias, cross the bridge and climb the moraine on the right following cairns and faded red marks to the eastern tip of the Ciamarella Glacier. Rope up and put on crampons; the usual line arcs left around a crevassed, bare-ice zone into the middle of the cirque below Punta Chalanson, the Piccola Ciamarella and the Uia, then trends right to the SW face. Take crampons off and follow a long rising diagonal path to a broad platform with a large cairn (many side tracks; it is easy to stray). A short but steep icy slope leads up left onto the NW ridge where the north face tops out; follow the ridge right to the summit and its small Madonna statue. About 3h30 from the hut. Descend the same way to the Pian Gias junction, then continue straight down to Pian dei Morti rather than climbing back to the hut. Fit parties can do the climb in one long day by going directly from Pian dei Morti to Pian Gias. By late summer the glacier is often bare black ice.
Start
Pian della Mussa1,776 m
- Not verified; Pian della Mussa is at the road end above Balme in the Val d'Ala
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pian della Mussa → Rifugio Gastaldi | 4.7 | 894 | 14 | 3h 36m |
| 2 | Rifugio Gastaldi → Uia di Ciamarella | 5.6 | 1,119 | 102 | 4h 38m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Pian della Mussa1,776 m
- Feature: Rocca Venoni1,859 m
- Feature: Pian dei Morti2,154 m
Junction below Gias Naressa: left to the hut, right to Pian Gias
- Hut: Rifugio Gastaldi2,657 m
- Feature: Pian Gias2,954 m
Small glacier remnant; bridge, then moraine with cairns (not on route line)
- Feature: Ghiacciaio della Ciamarella3,288 m
Crevassed; usually turned on the left
- Summit: Uia di Ciamarella3,676 m
Key Passages
- Slabs in the Canalone delle Capre (slippery when wet)
- Fixed ropes below Rifugio Gastaldi
- Crevassed Ciamarella Glacier
- Short steep icy slope onto the NW ridge
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 80%Overview
The highest summit of the Valli di Lanzo (3,676 m), a broad rock and ice peak on the Franco-Italian watershed above Balme. The Italian normal route from Rifugio Gastaldi is an easy (F) but long glacier climb, now on a shrinking, crevassed and often bare-ice glacier.
The Uia (or Uja) di Ciamarella rises at the head of the Val d'Ala, the central of the three Valli di Lanzo north-west of Turin, and is their highest point. Its north side drops in a steep face of ice and mixed ground towards the French Haute Maurienne above Bonneval-sur-Arc, while the gentler south-west side is the line of the Italian normal route. The summit, with a small Madonna statue, looks over the Dauphiné, the Vanoise and the neighbouring Bessanese and Albaron di Sea.
The usual approach starts at Pian della Mussa, the wide pasture at the end of the road above Balme, and climbs to Rifugio Gastaldi (2,659 m) on the Crot del Ciaussinè. From the hut the route crosses Pian Gias and the Ciamarella Glacier, then follows a long path on the SW face and a short icy slope onto the NW ridge. Technically it is easy, but it is a long day with about 1,000 m of ascent from the hut and more than 1,850 m from the valley, and the glacier needs proper glacier skills.
The Ciamarella Glacier has retreated strongly in recent decades; it is crevassed, and by late summer it is often bare black ice. More demanding alternatives include the east face and east ridge from Pian della Mussa (PD, II–III), the French normal route by the WNW ridge (AD) and the north face (D-).
Climbing Notes
Plan for two days: walk to Rifugio Gastaldi (2h30, 809 m), then about 3h30 from the hut to the summit and a long descent to Pian della Mussa. Strong parties do it in one day by going straight from Pian dei Morti to Pian Gias. You need good fitness, basic glacier travel and crevasse-rescue skills, and confidence on crampons on hard ice for the short steep slope onto the ridge. Parties without glacier experience should hire a guide.
The season runs from late June to September. Early in the summer snow bridges cover the crevasses and snowfields make the moraine easier; by August the glacier is often bare black ice and the crevasses are open. Start early to cross the glacier on frozen ground and to be off the summit before afternoon storms. Navigation needs care beyond Pian Gias (faint path, cairns, faded red marks) and on the SW face, where side tracks lead off the line.
History
The first ascent was made on 31 July 1857 by Antonio Tonini, a land-registry engineer from Susa, with his assistant Ambrosini, during survey work, by the south-west side that is now the Italian normal route. The first mountaineering ascent was by Paolo Ballada di Saint Robert with Antonio Castagneri, Giovanni Battista Abbà and Domenico Aimo on 17 August 1867. The first winter ascent was on 23 January 1877 by Antonio Bogiatto, Antonio Castagneri, Lionello Nigra and Luigi Vaccarone. Castagneri and Leopoldo Barale climbed the east ridge on 22 October 1877, and Jean-Joseph Blanc 'le Greffier', Alphonse Payot and George Yeld the WNW ridge (the French normal route) on 5 August 1878. Part of the old Rifugio Gastaldi has housed an exhibition on the history of Piedmontese mountaineering since 1983.
Season
Best Jul- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Possible
- June: Good
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Good
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; hut winter room only
- Feb
- Winter; ski mountaineering for experienced parties
- Mar
- Ski mountaineering for experienced parties
- Apr
- Ski mountaineering; avalanche risk on the approach
- May
- Late ski season; avalanche risk
- Jun
- Hut opens mid-to-late June; good snow cover on the glacier
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon thunderstorms
- Aug
- Glacier often bare ice with open crevasses
- Sep
- Hut closes mid-September; bare ice
- Oct
- Hut closed (winter room); early snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Gastaldi: book via rifugiogastaldi.com or by phone (+39 0123 565008, altraquota@rifugiogastaldi.com). A 10-place winter room is open when the hut is closed.
- Rules
- The meadows around Pian della Mussa and the trailhead are private grazing land: stay on the marked path and do not disturb livestock (CAI Torino)
- Getting There
Balme (Val d'Ala); Lanzo Torinese
Turin (TRN)
- By car: from Turin to Lanzo Torinese, then up the Val d'Ala through Ala di Stura and Balme to the end of the road at Pian della Mussa
- Public transport to Balme and Pian della Mussa was not verified
Hazards
- Glacier
- Crevasses
- Rockfall
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,659 m
Rifugio GastaldiHutStaffedBooking required
58 beds · Summer 19 June – 15 September 2026 (CAI Torino); winter room with 10 places