Climb of Gran Paradiso
in Italy with Mountain Guide

The ascent

The Gran Paradiso National Park 

Situated between the Aosta Valley and Piemonte, the Gran Paradiso is the highest alpine peak completely inside the Italian border, within the first Italian National Park. Along with Monte Bianco, Monte Rosa and Cervino/Matterhorn, the Gran Paradiso is one of the four Giants in Aosta Valley: surrounded by the three beautiful peaks of Tresenta, Ciarforon and Becca of Montciair is one of the most sought after destinations in Valsavarenche.

The Gran Paradiso National Park, famous in Europe due to its high number of resident Stambecchi (Ibex) and immense area allowing the study of wildlife, Flora and Fauna alike. The Gran Paradiso National Park, officially established in 1922 and famous in Europe due to its high number of resident Stambecchi (Ibex), extends over 70,000 hectares of high mountain territory. Its history is closely linked to the protection of the ibex, an animal symbol of the National Park. In fact, in 1856 King Vittorio Emanuele II declared these mountains a real hunting reserve, saving the ibex from extinction.

There are many special inhabitants in the Park and it is quite easy to meet some along the trail: the ibex is very confident and it is not difficult to see it pasturing; there are also chamois, marmots, royal eagles, and lastly the gipeto (bearded vulture) and lynx, recent acquisitions of the Park thanks to an international project of reintegration into the Alps. Among the many species of flora in the National Park is the Linnea Borealis, which took its origin in the Antartic region, and the Aethionema Thomasianum.

There is no need to be experienced botanist or wildlife specialists to discover the beauty of these places and its inhabitants: the approaching hike along the mule tracks, ancient hunting routes and communication channels between the side valleys, will lead you to the Chabod hut (or Vittorio Emanuele if mentioned), at the feet of the Gran Paradiso glacier, where your adventure to reach the summit will begin!

The Program

Day 1
Valsavarenche - Night at the Rifugio Chabod (2710 mt)

The group will meet the guide at the hut Rifugio Chabod around 6:30 p.m. before dinner time. Briefing on the next days’ ascent, equipment check and a pleasant relaxing evening at the refuge.

Click on the Map below to see the departure point: you can park the car just aside the river.

We advise you to get to the hut 1 or 2 hours before the meeting time, in order not to rush.

Day 2
Rifugio Chabod - Gran Paradiso (4061 mt) - Rifugio Chabod

Departure from the Refuge between 4 – 5 am to begin the ascent to the peak of Gran Paradiso at 4061mt. The first hour is along a barely visible footpath, then the first easy steps on a snow covered glacier up to around 3800mt, at which point the conditions change to a mixture of easy rock and snow passages up to the peak itself. The ascent takes between 4 – 6 hours. At the summit is the awarding breathtaking panorama, unique due to it’s central high position.The descent will be on the same route and it takes between 2 - 3 hours depending on the group. Once back at the hut, you can enjoy a nice pasta before heading back down the valley again (you can also choose to spend one more night at the hut on yourself - to be organised upon booking). 

For a better acclimatization to the altitude and to take advantage of the summit, you can do a trek before the ascent, so you can discover the Gran Paradiso massif or the Valle d'Aosta depending on the trek you have chosen, here are the links to the Gran Paradiso Sauvage Trek and the Valle d'Aosta Sauvage Trek. 

Equipement

CLIMBING TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT

• mountaineerin goretex shoes suitable to crampons (example: Scarpa Triolet GTX)
• crampons, ice axe, harness and hemet (can be hired at the Refuge Chabod ) , please contact them)
• walking poles 

HOW TO DRESS for the CLIMB TO GRAN PARADISO

First layer on the skin:

• (merino wool) thermal/breathable long sleeve
• (merino wool) long thermal/breathable underwear
• woolen warm socks

Second layer:

• warm technical sweater
• waterproof & windproof hiking pants

Third layer:

• thin but warm down jacket

Last layer:

• waterproof & windproof Goretex jacket

Important Additionals:

• warm winter hat
• buff/head-neckband
• warm winter gloves
• sleeping sheet for the hut
• headlamp
• suncream (protection factor 50+)
• sunglasses (lenses protection 4)
• phone
• survival sheet

If you have any doubts or simply need clarification on what gear to take for your climb, you can take a look at our Blog page "What gear for mountaineering?"

N.B. Consider a change for when you are back to the hut (you can leave some stuff at the hut).

Tips for renting mountaineering boots:

Level

Difficulty and level required for climbing Gran Paradiso

Gran Paradiso is one of the easiest 4000 peak of the Aosta Valley and it is the one that best suits people who want to approach the mountaineering world.
The ascent does not present special technical difficulties, but it is mandatory to use harness and crampons.

In spite of the technical accessibility, the Gran Paradiso is a mountaineering ascent that requires to be good trained and have a very good level of fitness to be ok at walking between 8 and 10 hours, knowing that the altitude strongly influences your usual physical shape.

You should be in good physical shape without health problem, if you have any doubts contact us at 00 33 7 84 98 29 80 to discuss it, Mickaela or Jean Luc will be happy to explain more in detail the ascent to this summit.

Useful infos

Meeting on the first day

The group will meet the guide at the hut Rifugio Chabod  around 6:30 p.m. before dinner time. Briefing on the next days’ ascent, equipment check and a pleasant relaxing evening at the refuge.

Click on the Map below to see the departure point: you can park the car just aside the river.

IMPORTANT: We advise you to get to the hut 1 or 2 hours before the meeting time, in order not to rush do not wait until the last minute to get up to the refuge, thunderstorms at the end of the day are frequent during summer. We advise you to check the weather forecast to anticipate your hike at a time when the weather is good. In case of need, contact us at the following number +33 7 84 98 29 80.

For the hike up to the Refuge Chabod, we advise you to have a map to check the path. If necessary, you can ask us for the GPX track.

End of the trip

At the Chabod hut after you have come back from the ascent between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

Insurance

Cancellation and repatriation insurance is mandatory, as is mountain search and rescue insurance (minimum cover of 10,000 Euros).

Esprit Montagne offers the following insurance: https://www.assurance-multi-sports.com. You must get the “impact evasion multirisque” insurance. Other insurance policies may not cover you as well, so read your insurance policy carefully.

Booking

Once you have booked your place online, we will take care of booking the hut for you, no need to worry about it (places for online dates have been pre-booked in advance).

Organisation

The week before your departure, you will receive a reminder by email with all the information concerning the meeting and the guide in charge of your group.

Esprit Montagne / Esprit des Guides SA takes care of the hut reservation, you do not need to think about it.

Food

• Half board at the refuge is not included in the price
• Remember to bring some food to eat before you leave (cereal bars, dried fruit, chocolate, etc.)
• Once back from the climb, you can enjoy a nice plate of pasta at the refuge

Parking

You can park your car in Valsavarenche at the car park next to the river and before the bridge. 

Equipment

• Goretex mountaineering boots of very good quality, cramponable (type Scarpa Triolet GTX, possible to rent at Sport Du Pilier in Morgex, at Montura Store in Aosta or at Ravanel or Snell in Chamonix and at Intersport in Bourg Saint Maurice)
• crampons, ice axe, harness and helmet (can be hired at the Refuge Chabod , please contact them)

Guiding

French and English speaking local UIAGM mountain guide from our team.

Budget and currency

France and Italy are in the Euro zone, so the currency is the Euro (€).
Also, the refuge has an electronic payment terminal (TPE) but we advise you to bring cash anyway.

How to reach Aosta Valley

• Via Chamonix Mont Blanc – you can reach Chamonix by train from the main French airports or from Geneva airport – then you can reach Courmayeur – Aosta Valley through the Mont Blanc Tunnel (there are buses connections from Chamonix to Aosta Valley, but if you would like to be free to move it is advisable to rent a car).
• Via Geneva or Martigny (Switzerland) – you can easily reach Martigny by train from Geneva airport - then you reach Aosta city center via the tunnel of Grand Saint Bernard (there are buses connections from Martigny to Aosta Valley, but if you would like to be free to move it is advisable to rent a car).
• Via Milan/Turin airport:
  • Rent a car directly to reach Aosta via the highway;
  • By train: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
• Or via Bourg Saint Maurice (73700, France) - Col du Petit Saint Bernard - you can reach Bourg Saint Maurice by train from the main French airports. Once in Bourg Saint Maurice you will need to rent a car to reach the Aosta Valley via the Col du Petit Saint Bernard (2 hours drive). It's a slightly longer trip but you can save the toll at the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

If you are coming only for the climb, we can organize you a taxi to pick you up or the mountain guide can come to pick you up on the road nearby Aosta (organization upon booking).

Public transport in Aosta Valley

• Bus transport within the Aosta Region: https://aosta.arriva.it/en/timetables-and-routes/
• Bus transport from Chamonix to Courmayeur: https://aosta.arriva.it/courmayeur-chamonix/
• Bus transport from Courmayeur to Aosta: https://aosta.arriva.it/en/line/aosta-courmayeur-2/ (to directly take the bus to Valsavarenche, stop in the village of Villeuneuve)
• Valsavarenche Valley bus - departure from the village of Villeneuve and stop at "Valsavarenche - Refuge Chabod": https://aosta.arriva.it/en/line/villeneuve-valsavarenche-2/
• Bus transport from Milan to Aosta: https://aosta.arriva.it/en/aosta-milano/

Car sharing

When you register online, you can choose whether or not you wish to take part in the car-sharing scheme to get to the starting point of your course. Once you have made your booking, you can log back into your Esprit Montagne account to access a section dedicated to carpooling. Here you will find the contacts of the other participants who are interested in car-sharing, so that you can contact them directly.