Croda of Cengles
Description
From the arrival station of the chairlift takes immediately on left a trail that goes up a short slope and heads straight for the Valley of Zay. The trail stays on the right side (direction) of debris, skirting the base of Top Vertana. After a ten minute walk away, leave the path that continues on the high side of this valley and has been declared dangerous due to numerous landslides from the peaks above. We must then first go left and continue downhill until you reach the center of the valley and a beautiful wooden bridge for crossing the torrent. Beyond the river the trail continues to your left to climb the left side (looking at) of the valley with numerous switchbacks trails. On top of a step in front, you see the refuge which is then reached with a crossing horizontal and then with a quick hard pull (about 1.30 hours to reach the Refuge Serristori).
Immediately behind the hut a path crosses a moraine (reports) and, left to right, a branch that leads to the Great angel, goes to reassemble a rounded off at whose summit you are on a short shelf which is a prelude directed to the glen to the Zay Pass which is just opposite. You follow the plan of flat stones, large rocks and then slip into the valley in large blocks of stone (follow the signs!)This course is sometimes uncomfortable for the need to jump from one rock to another,just keep mainly on the left. After this exercise of equilibrium a moraine dam is reached. Climb on it in tight bends and more alive with a slope of dark soil until you reaches a plateau occupied by a milky glacial lake (altitude m. 2886). Bypass the bank to its left and, still walking on large blocks, approach the looming wall of Croda Tschengls, whose extreme left sides a steep canyon that culminates in a range which divides the Croda from a castle rock (m 3181), northern foothills of the ridge, to the west, then goes to culminate with the two peaks of Dossobello. The gully is climbed on the first track on your right (very steep!). About half of it you can see some metal ropes who drive on an open wire and highly exposed wall (this direct way to Croda is for very experts only, much exposed and difficult!) Then the track runs out against a vertical black wall near a junction marked by a metal sign. To the right starts another via ferrata (the "classical", less difficult than the previous one), while the normal route goes left across the channel and then back to the fork with toilsome journey (very steep!) And difficult but safe thanks the alerts.
From the saddle, turn right where it appears the final part of the climb and the summit crowned by classic large white cross so common on the summits of South Tyrol. The ridge is followed taking fully care of signs. Short sections are not difficult to help in the most difficult, the slope is kept alive up to the spacious summit, being the most northerly of this undergroup of the secondary ridge Angel - Vertana, dramatically and directly overlooking the Valle Venosta (Vinschgau) which is dominated for a large portion. In the distance you can see the northernmost peaks of the Ötztal Alps among which the Weisskugel, a very interesting view of the surrounding peaks of the Great Angel and Top Vertana as well as the great triad Grand Zebrù - Zebrù - Ortler with the head of the Solda Valley that dominates in the west. Further back, beautiful views of the Bernina group, while to the south, behind the great Vedretta Lasa is the beautiful North side of the Presanella.
The return takes place via the same route.
Author
- Check the page of Giovanni Consigli
Bibliography
- Gino Buscaini: Ortles Cevedale - Guida dei monti d'Italia CAI-TCI Club Alpino Italiano, 1984
Cartography
- Ortles-Cevedale 1:25.000 - foglio 08 Editrice Tabacco - Udine, 2006
Photo gallery
- Add new comment
- 0 Votes
