Viso
3,841 m
Italy
Also known as Монте Визо, Monte Viso, +7Also known as
Монте Визо · Monte Viso · Monviso · Mont Viso · მონტე-ვიზო · Vesulus · Vísol · Brich ëd Viso · Визо
- Elevation
- 3,841 m
- Prominence
- 2,062 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Hut closedReported 6 Oct 2026 · until 20 Jun 2027
The Rifugio Quintino Sella is closed for the 2026 season and announces reopening in June 2027; the unstaffed winter room (21 places, blankets, no water or heating) is always open.
rifugiosella.itAdvisoryReported 1 Sep 2026
On the evening of 1 September 2026 a large rockslide came down the north-east face of Monviso near the Rifugio Quintino Sella and blocked part of the high path towards Pian del Re; a hiker was reported missing at the time. Check the current state of the path V13 and any ordinance with the hut or the Monviso Park before going.
open.onlineAdvisoryReported 1 Sep 2026
Camptocamp notes that rockfalls during summer 2026 have probably seriously affected the start of the east ridge (Cresta Est); verify on site. Exact date of the note not given.
camptocamp.org
Routes
2Sources differ: F+ (dry) / PD (snowy) (alpes-sud.net) · PD- (Gulliver)
A long rock scramble on the south face, usually done over two days from Pian del Re: up past the source of the Po to the Rifugio Quintino Sella (2,640 m), over the chain-protected Passo delle Sagnette, then 600 m of yellow-marked ledges, gullies and chimneys with short steps of III to the summit. No glacier, but serious rockfall and route-finding.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 9.9 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +2,056 m
- −232 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,841 m
- Time Up
- 8h 33m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 6h 07m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Pian del Re (2,020 m), at the source of the Po, path V13 climbs to Lago Fiorenza and traverses above Lago Chiaretto across the debris of the 1989 Coolidge glacier collapse to the Colle di Viso (2,650 m) and the Rifugio Quintino Sella on Lago Grande di Viso (2,640 m), about 2½ hours. The hut can also be reached from Castello in the Varaita valley (4–5 hours). In unstable conditions the traverse above Lago Chiaretto is replaced by a signed variant that drops to the lake shore. From the hut, go round the south end of the lake and climb to the foot of the gully below the Passo delle Sagnette (2,991 m); steep ledges with chains and cables lead to the pass in about 1½ hours (a short via-ferrata section). Descend briefly into the Forciolline basin and follow cairns over boulders and old moraine to the Bivacco Andreotti (3,225 m), an emergency-only shelter at the foot of the face. Above the bivouac, a slightly exposed ledge leads left into the south face. From here yellow paint marks the line every few metres through a succession of gullies, ledges and chimneys, joining the east ridge just below the summit. Most of it is grade II with several obligatory steps of III (a chimney above the first ledge, a dihedral with a fixed peg near the top, and some short blocky steps); the 'Fornelli' chimneys can be bypassed by side gullies. Allow 4–6 hours from the hut to the summit. Descend the same way (3–4½ hours to the hut, then 1½ hours to Pian del Re), or via the Forciolline lakes to Castello. The face is crowded on summer weekends and stonefall from parties above is the main danger; early-season snow makes crampons and an ice axe necessary.
Start
Pian del Re2,017 m
- Train to Saluzzo, Savigliano or Pinerolo; bus to Paesana and local bus or taxi to Crissolo; in summer a pre-booked shuttle runs to Pian del Re when the road is closed.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pian del Re → Rifugio Quintino Sella | 5.8 | 726 | 103 | 3h 22m |
| 2 | Rifugio Quintino Sella → Viso | 4.1 | 1,330 | 132 | 5h 12m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Pian del Re2,017 m
- Feature: Lago Fiorenza2,113 m
- Feature: Lago Chiaretto2,261 m
- Col: Colle di Viso2,653 m
- Hut: Rifugio Quintino Sella2,643 m
- Col: Passo delle Sagnette2,990 m
Chain-protected ledges on the east side
- Bivouac: Bivacco Andreotti3,318 m
Emergency use only
- Summit: Viso3,841 m
Key Passages
- Traverse above Lago Chiaretto (variant via the lake shore when unstable)
- Chains and cables to the Passo delle Sagnette
- Exposed ledge into the south face above the Bivacco Andreotti
- Steps of III: chimney above the first ledge and the pegged dihedral high on the face
- Fornelli chimneys (avoidable)
Equipment
0/8 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
The 3,841 m rock pyramid of the Cottian Alps, standing about 500 m above its neighbours and visible from Turin and the Po plain. The normal route is a long, glacier-free scramble on the south face (PD-, steps of III) from the Rifugio Quintino Sella, with stonefall the main danger.
Monte Viso, or Monviso, is the highest peak of the Cottian Alps and one of the most recognisable mountains in Italy: a near-isolated pyramid on the Italian side of the French border, between the Po, Varaita and (in France) Guil valleys. The Po rises at Pian del Re on its northern flank, and the mountain sits within the Monviso Park and a cross-border UNESCO biosphere reserve declared in 2013. Italians call it 'il Re di Pietra', the Stone King.
The rock is broken metamorphic greenstone, and the mountain sheds stones constantly. Large collapses on the north-east face since December 2019 have repeatedly forced changes to the path to the Rifugio Quintino Sella, and the classic approach beneath the face is sometimes replaced by a variant along the shore of Lago Chiaretto. Little glacier ice remains; the normal route is a rock climb on ledges and gullies with snow early in the season.
The normal route is technically modest but long: about 1,800 m of ascent from Pian del Re, a chain-protected pass, and some 600 m of marked scrambling with obligatory steps of III that must also be down-climbed. Its popularity is part of the hazard: on summer weekends dozens of parties on the face send stones down the gullies. The views stretch from the Po plain to Mont Blanc, the Écrins and the Monte Rosa.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for two long days (about 600 m to the hut, then about 1,200 m of ascent and the same descent on the summit day, much of it on loose ground) and confidence scrambling grade II–III unroped, up and down, are the main requirements. A short rope (20–30 m) for belaying or abseiling the harder steps, a helmet and a via ferrata lanyard for the Passo delle Sagnette are standard. In early summer or after snow, crampons and an ice axe are needed, and the route becomes considerably harder.
Typical itinerary: drive or take the shuttle to Pian del Re, walk to the Rifugio Quintino Sella (about 2½ hours) and sleep there; leave before dawn, cross the Passo delle Sagnette, summit in 4–6 hours from the hut and descend the same way (3–4½ hours back to the hut, then 1½ hours to Pian del Re). Alternatively approach from Castello (Varaita valley) via the Forciolline lakes. The Bivacco Andreotti below the face is for emergencies only.
Start early and keep moving: stonefall from parties above, afternoon storms and wet or iced rock are the main hazards. Avoid summer weekends if you can. Local mountain guides from Crissolo and the Varaita valley guide the route regularly; check conditions with the hut, as the approach path and some routes have been affected by rockfall in recent summers.
History
An expedition led by the Milanese abbot Valeriano Castiglione reached Lago Chiaretto in 1627 to estimate the mountain's height, and the surveyor Domenico Ansaldi of Saluzzo reached about 3,700 m in 1834. The first recorded ascent was on 30 August 1861 by William Mathews and Frederick Jacomb with the guides Jean-Baptiste and Michel Croz, starting from Castello in the Varaita valley, bivouacking near the Forciolline lakes and climbing the south face. French historians have argued that military surveyors reached the summit as early as 1751. In 1863 the minister Quintino Sella led the first all-Italian ascent, and the enthusiasm it generated led him to found the Club Alpino Italiano in Turin later that year. Alessandra Boarelli of Verzuolo was the first woman on the summit, in 1864. The Rifugio Quintino Sella was inaugurated in 1905. The east ridge was first climbed on 7 August 1902 by Adolfo and Elena Kind, Ubaldo Valbusa and Alberto Weber. A large part of the Coolidge hanging glacier collapsed in July 1989, leaving the boulder field crossed on the way to the hut.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- 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 ascent only for experienced alpinists; road to Pian del Re closed
- Feb
- Winter conditions; avalanche risk on approaches
- Mar
- Winter conditions
- Apr
- Ski-mountaineering on the lower slopes; face snowy
- May
- Heavy snow on the face and the Passo delle Sagnette
- Jun
- Rifugio Quintino Sella usually opens about 20 June; snow on the face requires crampons and axe
- Jul
- Main season; busy weekends and afternoon storms
- Aug
- Usually dry; most crowded, more stonefall in heat
- Sep
- Hut closes about 20 September; quieter, dry rock, shorter days
- Oct
- Hut closed (winter room only); early snow and verglas likely
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter conditions
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Rifugio Quintino Sella (CAI, about 90 places): book online via rifugiosella.it or by phone (+39 0175 94943); summer weekends fill early.
- Fees
- Pian del Re car park is paid in summer (EUR 10 per day)
- Shuttle to Pian del Re (when the road is closed) must be booked in advance via the Crissolo tourist office
- Hut overnight fees with discounts for CAI and reciprocal alpine club members
- Rules
- When the Pian del Re car park is full the road is closed and access is only by the pre-booked shuttle
- Sections of the path from Pian del Re to the Rifugio Quintino Sella have been closed by municipal ordinance after rockfall from the north-east face in past years; follow the signed variants
- The Bivacco Andreotti is for emergency use only
- The route lies within the Monviso Park (Parco del Monviso); park rules apply
- Getting There
Crissolo (Valle Po); Pontechianale/Castello for the Varaita approach
Turin (TRN); Cuneo (CUF) is smaller
- Car: A6 Turin–Savona to Marene, then Savigliano, Saluzzo and the SP26 up the Po valley to Crissolo and Pian del Re; or via Pinerolo, Barge and Paesana
- Train to Saluzzo, Savigliano or Pinerolo; GrandaBus to Paesana, local Dossetto buses from Barge/Paesana to the upper Po valley
- Summer shuttle from Crissolo/Pian della Regina to Pian del Re when the road is closed (book via the Crissolo tourist office)
- From the Varaita valley: road to Castello (Pontechianale), 1,550–1,600 m
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Weather
- Altitude
Huts & Shelters
2- 2,640 m
Rifugio Quintino SellaHutStaffedBooking required
90 beds · About 20 June to 20 September, depending on snow; winter room with 21 places always open
- 3,225 m
Bivacco AndreottiBivouacUnstaffed
6 beds · Emergency shelter only