"Climbing Monte Viso (MonViso) 3841m I climbed MonViso on my birthday 28 sep 2018 which turned out to be a spectacular warm autumn day with exceptional clear skies. I did the normal (sud) route which is indeed just a scramble albeit a long exposed one and subject to objective dangers such as rockfall. The SE ridge is shorter and more attractive in many ways. However it involves some grade 3 climbing and good rope work is required. We parked in Plan de Rey in Crissolo which is the end of the narrow road in the Valley del Po. There is a charge of 10 Euros a day for parking here and there seems to be no way to avoid the parking attendants! The place is popular because the source of the river Po is just above the parking place. It took us two and half hours of steady walking to reach the Refugio Quintino Sella which is a good base from which to climb the mountain. It is a CAI hut with standard bunks and half board manned by very friendly and knowledgable staff. There is plenty of water and a spectacular view. We slept very well despite the relatively high altitude of just above 2600m. We left at 6.30 am which is a little late for our climb. At the beginning there are some s..." — chrispatient • Sep 28, 2018

"I went up from Colle dell'Agnello in fantastic , hot morning . Between the north and south summits, I jumped on the nearby Punta Alp . Wonderful panoramas from the twin peaks ." — daniele64 • Aug 27, 2018

"I went up from Grange del Rio ( Chianale ) in a good , cold morning . Wonderful views all around , especially on the great Monviso . In fact, I waited a long time at the summit to wait for the best light conditions for the photos ." — daniele64 • Aug 26, 2018

"Wondeful loop hike from Pian Marchisio crossing the lonely and wild karst area over Gias Gruppetti and returning along the Pian Comune and Passo delle Saline path, full of alpine stars. Very hot day in the morning, but then the clouds reached me." — lovi1984 • Aug 11, 2018

"Tuesday 7th August 2018. An ascent of Punta Colomion 2054m/37m, Cottian Alps, from Pian del Sole, above Bardonecchia, Piedmonte, Italy. 9.5km, with 550m of ascent. 2 hours 10mins. For a change of scene, and seeking better weather, we took a trip into Italy over the Col de Montgenévre (1849m) (see at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col_de_Montgen%C3%A8vre) to the town of Bardonecchia. A short chairlift (10 Euros each) sped us up from the recreational part of the town to the grassy plateau of Pian del Sole (1557m), a sunny spot living up to its name. From there, a grit track wound up through the open fir forest in a series of zig-zags to a restaurant/bar close to the summit, with occasional views of the border ridge opening up through the trees. We found a steep overgrown path to take us up the summit knoll to the top, where a shrine to the Madonna had been erected in recent times. The summit afforded a good view of Bardonecchia beneath our feet, and across the Susa Valley to the complex ridges of Punta Nera 3046m on the Italian/French border. We descended to the restaurant for a hearty lunch of polenta and local cheese before heading down by our outward route." — marktrengove • Aug 7, 2018