Gran Paradiso - Pont to Rif Vittorio Emmanuele

Rif. Vittoria Emmanuel (2732m)

It had rained during the night so we waited for the tent to dry before leaving as we only had a short walk today.

Delivering supplies to Rif. Vittoria Emanuele

We were also meeting our son and his friends who were on an Alpine Club meeting in the area.

By the time they arrived it had started to rain heavily so we retreated into the Auberge for a hot drink.

The path headed south up the Vallone di Seiva to Rif. Tetras Lyre then east via a endless series of zig zags to Rifugio Vittoria Emanuele, an ascent of about 770m. 

We arrived early in the afternoon. it had been cool but windy and dry. The hut is a modern structure with a large and light conservatory on the side. We had some tea and watched the helicopter deliver provisions that seemed to be mostly beer. The refuge become very busy as it is one of the main starting points for Gran Paradiso.

Later that afternoom we all went for a walk up the boulder scree that leads to Gran Paradiso as our son and his friends were going to make an attempt on the summit the following day. This required a very early start, so he wanted to check out the first part of the route that he would be doing in the dark.

The evening meal included minestrone soup, followed by a beef casserole and tinned mixed veg. Lindsey had the better vegetarian option; spinach tart, that everyone looked at enviously as the meat was full of gristle. For desert we had a mixed fruit salad.

Ascent 773m
Descent 80m
Dist. 2km