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Description:
After four days of training and acclimatization on Monte Rosa in tent ⛺, doing routes up and down almost all over 4k, including Capanna Osservatorio Margherita. My base camp in tent on Garstelet glacier at 3650m. So the plan is to do Monte Bianco via the hardest of all routes, hence all that was necessary. So time to transfer to Courmayeur for the big adventure. I hadn't even booked Rifugio Gonella, the idea was to arrive at the refuge without booking as 'alpinist in difficulty' (a bed is always found). That said, arrived in Courmayeur I went straight to a pizzeria, desire for pizza and beer was immense after days in tent on Rosa eating stuff hidden in bags, then I went to sleep in the car in the SkyWay parking lot. Next day wake up around 6 I thought to call my dear alpinist friend Angelo (Henghel) for some info on how his trip to Monte Bianco went a few days before, between one story and another he told me: look the Rifugio Gonella is closed, for a moment I was speechless, my plan vanishes, maximum worry, anxiety, anger, nervousness, curses, meanwhile Angelo tells me: Pietro, there's a possibility of overnight in the winter bivouac, then I recovered a bit and started restoring my program. P.S. friend Henghel was of certain importance to me, otherwise I would have gone adrift. Well, that said, I set off determined to have my breakfast at the bar pizzeria just below the parking where I overnighted. So, I had decided to try anyway, accepting the idea of overnighting in the unmanaged bivouac. That said I got to the facts. Off we go, towards Val Veny, park in a campsite park parking at 1650m, start preparing the backpack with the last things to add, and decisively off for the big adventure, it's noon thirty, 6 hours time to reach Rifugio Gonella. In an hour and a half I reach Cabane du Combal (1968m), from here continue on the moraine on Miage glacier covered with scree of every type and size for about five kilometers, an infinite passage like Himalayan environment, once at the valley bottom head right towards a partly equipped path with ropes and ladders, and finally perched on rocks and slabs reach rifugio-bivouac Gonella after about six hours. So, what is my immense idea? what is my diabolical plan? Yesss, CONQUER the summit of Monte Bianco climbing via Ratti (or via del Papa), the Italian normal route. Knowing the difficulties I will face, the Dôme glacier, the climb of Aiguilles Grises and the sharp Bionassay ridge at night, before emerging at Dôme du Goûter and reaching capanna Vallot, I am very worried. I am trained, but the trip is decidedly demanding physically, mentally and, being Europe's roof, for the altitude. Will I be able to manage everything? At the winter Rifugio Gonella, 3071 meters, I set up my things, dinner and at 20:30 to bed: the program calls for wake up at midnight-thirty and departure at 01:30 hours.
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Video length: 1:35:15
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