Monte Vioz is one of the tallest summits in the whole Alps that can be reached easily and, in the summer, without any technical equipment. This undoubtbly makes it somewhat of a tourist attraction, attracting experienced hikers from all around the world. In this blog, I’m going to describe a circular version of the walk, and I will include the summit of Cima Linke, which is slightly harder than Monte Vioz and requires a little more mountaineering experience.
Let me start of by saying that whilst these mountains do not normally require any special equipment, you should check the latest conditions before you attempt to summit Monte Vioz. The Rifugio Vioz website has a webcam which updates frequently which you can use to get an idea for what the conditions will be like. It is imperitive that you check this, as even in August, we found that we needed crampons and ice-axes from about 3200m after a few days of snowfall. I also think it is important to remind you that Monte Vioz is at a very high altitude, and the weather can change very quickly. Please do not attempt this mountain without adequete clothing, equipment, and most importantly, experience.
Now on to the route. There are two main routes to the summit, one starting from Dos del Cembri (2300m) and the other from Pejo 3000 (3000m). Despite the significant altitude difference, both routes take roughly the same amount of time to complete. In this blog, I will describe the circuit, ascending from Pejo 3000 and descending to Dos del Cembri.
The route starts with a cable car ride up to the Pejo 3000m. From this cable car, you can see absolutely fantastic views accross to Adamello and Presanella, which makes the early start seem worth it already. Once you arrive at the cable-car station, you initially descend down to 2800m. Here you will spot a signpost. There are two paths leading towards Rifugio Mantova Vioz (just below the summit of Monte Vioz). One path, helpfully labelled “Sentiero per Alpinistico” traverses round to the left, where it passes a small lake and climbs up an extremely steep and loose scree slope. There are also several snow fields to contend with, and although none of them have a particularly steep run out, I would advise you to bring ice axe and crampons. The other, better, route continues round to the right, where it crosses a small stream and then you meet another signpost which directs you across a steep slope towards Rifugio Mantova.
Both of these paths join the path that ascends from Dos Del Cembri. This path is relatively straightforward. There are a few easy cabelled sections but nothing noteworthy. You reach a section labelled Brik, which helpfully tells you that you are at 3200m. After this there are a series of steep zig-zags towards Rifugio Mantova.
Once at Rifugio Mantova, you can continue along a simple ridge towards the cross just below the summit of Monte Vioz. The ridge is generally simple, however, once again, after fresh snow, it can be transformed into a more serious mountaineering challenge. Once at the cross, a traverse across a snow arete and an easy scramble brings you to the top of Monte Vioz.
The views from the top are spectacular. You can see across to Piz Bernina, Adamello, Presanella, the Brenta Dolomites, and the whole of the Ortles-Cevedale group. It makes the long walk to the summit seem more than worth it.
From the summit of Monte Vioz, a short walk across a glacier can lead you to Punta Linke. However, this is a much more serious objective. Although the glacier section is short, and we crossed it without a rope, it is essential that you have sufficent experience and knowledge to accurately assess the conditions of the glacier and make a decision about if it is safe to cross. Furthermore, the descent from Monte Vioz onto the glacier, although simple, is farily run-out. A slip here would have reasonably severe concequences so having an ice-axe and crampons would be a very sensible idea.
Once you cross the short glacier, you arrive at a short but steep snow slope which takes you towards the summit of Punta Linke. To reach the summit, ascend the snow slope and then go to the right, where you can follow and easy ridge to the top. One harder alternative is to get to the top of the snow-slope and go to the left, where you can climb to the top on a short but very exposed scramble to the summit. This could be a good option for more experienced mountaineers.
To descend, reverse the route, back to the hut. Then remain on the path leading down to Dos del Cembri, avoiding the two other paths that you could have ascended on. Upon arriving at Dos del Cembri, enjoy a refreshing drink and a slice of cake at the rifugio and celebrate an amazing achievement 🙂
Oscar Outdoors 