Grey Head

Submitted by giocons on Fri, 26/09/2008 - 09:25

Scheda

Autore:

Giovanni Consigli

Report gite:

Ci sono stato!

Foto di copertina:

Comune:

Ayas

Montagna:

Testa Grigia

Tipologia Percorso:

A/R

Difficoltà:

EEA (Escursionisti Esperti Attrezzati)

Grado Alpinistico:

Segnavia:

12, 1, 6

Periodo Consigliato:

giugno, luglio, agosto, settembre

Tempo Complessivo:

6h00'

Tempo di Salita:

3h45'

Tempo di Discesa:

2h15'

Esposizione:

Ovest

Quota di partenza:

2390 m

Quota di Arrivo:

3315 m

Dislivello:

925 m

Pericolo Oggettivo:

Brevi tratti attrezzati

Tratti Esposti:

Cresta finale

Acqua:

Sì, fino al Colle Pinter

Accesso:

Driving the motorway A5 from Torino to Courmayeur, exit at Verres e then enter the Regional Road nr. 45 of the Ayas Valley. Follow this road to the Km. 28 where the valley station of the cable railway taking to Crest is located. From Crest go ahead to the cable railway offAlpe Ostafa, where the path to Pinter Col starts.

Introduction

The climbing to this top, situated at the middle top of the two valleys of Gressoney and Ayas, is extremely profitable from the landscape point of iew. TheTesta Grigia is one of the highest among the "minor" tops of this zone, second only to the Grand Tournalin e the Roisettaz. The access to the top can be made easier thanks to the possibility of using the two cable railways from Champoluc to Crest and from Crest to Alpe Ostafa.

Description

The path (12) starts from the arrival station of the Ostafa cable railway and goes ahead halfway up the slope mainly, but with some steep stretches, staying high on the deep Cuneaz Valley. After crossing small torrents, with pleasant way, paying attention to some narrows passages, you go on until you meet the path number 1 (Aosta Valley's Highway) which comes directly form Crest. A little later you leave on your right a small trace leading to the beautiful Pinter Lakes gaining then the Pinter Col (m. 2777) through a steep way among big blocks. The col put in touch the Ayas Valley with the Gressoney one and it is marked with a rocky pyramid. It offers a beautiful retrospective view of the Mont Blanc.
Turning left, you follow a very tiring path, marked with number 6, which climbs uphill in direction of the Testa Grigia “Spallone”. The ground layout is composed at first with turfs among which the path meanders with hairpin bends, then with broken and lightly unstable rocks.
Again with deep incline, and going round some big rocks you reach the summit of the “Spallone” at left of a big open space that corresponds to the top of Monte Pinter (m.3112) where the Bivacco U. Lateltin is built. You ignore a track on your right that leads to the Bivacco itself and come back on a more easy road always alternating rocks with turfs and making for the ridge which is reached nearby a pile of stones. From here onwards, going ahead more ad more steep and exposed especially on the Gressoney side (right), with the view becoming wider, you continue to the base of the “Dice” that is a short little fissured rocky face. For gaining the top of it a metal chain gives help. From the top of the dice the crest continues more and more narrow with big exposition on the right until it reaches the below of the final peak. Crossing horizontally this peak on the Gressoney side, you reach at the end a canyon equipped with metal chains and ropes which leads directly to the top of the mountain near a little statue of the Virgin Mary. Wonderful circular view of all the mountains of the Aosta Valley.

Bibliografia