CORNO GRANDE

2,912 metres

The highest mountain in the Italian Apennine Mountain range.

On the 10th October I had the chance to final make a visit to Corno Grande in the Gran Sasso Park, Abruzzo and have a go at Direttissima, a climb of around 325 metres directly up the south face of the mountain.

Unfortunately the clear day that was promised in the weather report was not applicable at our starting altitude of 2000 odd metres. We stood being battered by strong winds outside the Campo Imperatore hotel, once prison of Mussolini before he was freed in a raid by German airborne glider troops in 1943. It was this raid that propelled Otto Skorzeny to fame. Being the first officer to successfully breach the Italian defences, he then jumped into the Fieseler Storch aircraft that whisked Mussolini off the mountain on his journey to Berlin.

Off we set into the mist following a walking route up the side of the mountain past the Space Observatory that also occupies this remote location.

After about an hour we came to a split in the path. Following the signs bought us a short while later to the start of the painted green triangular markers that point the way on 'Direttissimo'.

Once on the route proper we found we were sheltered from the wind for pretty much the entire climb. Every now and then we would scramble past a well positioned piton, a useful anchor if a rope was needed.

The rock was dry and the handholds plentiful (and in the right places two!) An hour or so's solid movement bought us abruptly to the summit cairn. 

We sat, surrounded by the mist and eat our lunch, pondering on what we had achieved.

To me the route seemed one of pure logic. It felt like it was naturally divided into 5 pitches. You'd get a concentrated vertical section which always seemed to have one difficult maneuver or or some section of exposure, bordering on vertical, before you would arrive on a relatively flat area with a large rock on which to pause and rest. A satisfying climb, even if it was completed in zero visibility!

After lunch we descended back to the hotel, passing the Duke Della Abruzzi hut on the way...

Monday Morning

Interesting diagram outside the front of the Monte Rosa Hutte. 

This morning we have had snow, a spell of clear blue and then a dark grey cloud descended bringing more snow! That settled we beat a retreat down from the hut and had an uneventful return trip across the Gorner Glacier. We decided to trek all the way into Zermatt. At least for this part of the journey I could be certain that we were likely following in the footsteps of WW2 evaders that had made it down the glacier system from the Italian side.

The path is picturesque, if still quite steep in places. Now and then we would hear a marmot call and on one occasion came across two hunters out with rifles stalking the poor creatures.

After a total of about 5 hours we found ourselves permanently away from snow and ice and once again passing through alpine pasture. Many of the communes still had some very old traditional barns. The circular stones at the base of the timber walls were placed there to stop rats getting into the barn and eating their way through the crops stored within.

We arrived in Zermatt high street about 5 pm. We passed a hotel which had been completed in 1943 ad so would have been shinny and new to all those allied POW's that made the journey to arrive here.