Bivacco Gastaldi (2625m), trail 3

from Ondre Eselbode to Bivacco Gastaldi
(Continuation to Spillmansberg)

The Bivacco Gastaldi

Trail 3 starts from the hamlet of Ondre Eselbode (1635m) in Gressoney La-Trinité and arrives at Bivacco Gastaldi (2625m). It is 3598m long and the total positive elevation gain is 1000m.
The approximate time for the climb is 2h59. The trail is rated EE difficulty.

The Bivacco Gastaldi is a picturesque red-and-white bivouac, built in 1949 on the edge of the stony basin that is home to the 3 Nétschò ponds and a few sparse snowfields, at the base of the severe wall of Punta Ciampono.

It is dedicated to the memory of Colonel Carlo Gastaldi, about whom the only information found online is on page 10 of the January 2017 Aosta Valley CAI newsletter: “A gallant officer of the 4th Alpine Regiment Ivrea Battalion, decorated with three silver medals for military valor already in the 1915/18 war. He then participated in World War II and was deported to Germany during the war of liberation, dying in a Nazi camp without a trace of himself, despite meticulous searches by family members (in 1950 he was declared presumed dead)“.

The route to the Spilmannsberg

The bivouac is the base for several mountaineering routes(Punta dell’uomo storto, 3014m; Punta di Nétschò, 3280m; Punta di Ciampono, 3233m; Corno Bianco, 3220m).

In the bivouac (4 beds) you can stay overnight, provided you find a place (impossible to reserve): the cost is 3€which can be paid afterwards by bank transfer, for more information contact the Gressoney CAI (+39 331 7893125, caigressoney@gmail.com).

From the bivouac we connect to the Alta Via Tullio Vidoni, a loop trail around Corno Bianco, designed by the CAI of Varallo. Following along the red and white bolts a section of this route, one can quite easily reach a small saddle in the ridge to the right that allows one to reach the nearby Rissuolo Pass, or to reach the summit of the Spilmannsberg, 2791m, last knoll at the end of the west ridge descending from Ciampono Point. Rather unfamiliar peak, but an exceptional balcony over the 4000-meter peaks of Rosa and the peaks on the opposite side of the Lys Valley.

More information on level of difficulty, ascent times, maps and GPX tracks

Photo Gallery

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At the beginning of the trail, some wonderful balconies

Tschie Alp, visible above are the Spilmannsberg huts

We leave the Spilamnnsberg huts and continue along the southern side of the valley

The stream you cross in the small valley

The first fork to the 3A trail leading to the Gabiet

The second fork to the 3A trail leading to the Gabiet

The point where the path is interrupted and you have to turn left

Gastaldi bivouac and the Spilmannsberg to the right

The route to the Spilmannsberg as seen from the bivouac

From the bivouac the peaks of the Testa Grigia range

From left: Calf Horn, Testa Grigia, Bec Forcü, Rothorn and Little Rothorn from Spilmannsberg

Beyond the Netscho Pond sprout Testa Grigia, Rothorn and Little Rothorn

The path to the notch in the ridge, the Spilmannsberg is above us

The scree leading to the notch on the ridge

The short gully that allows you to exit onto the ridge

From the notch on the ridge, the route to the summit of the Spilmannsberg

The Rose from the summit of the Spilmannsberg

Zoomed in on the Gastaldi bivouac from the Spilmannsberg

The face of Punta Ciampono, with remnants of the Ciampono Glacier

The Netscho ponds from the Spilmannsberg

The small lakes of Netscho and Punta Ciampono from the Spilmannsberg

Rothorn and Little Rothorn from the Spilmannsberg

1. Start and finish

Trail 3 starts from Ondre Eselbode, in Gressoney La-Trinité, the elevation is 1635m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.8277277979, 7.82598178087

The arrival location is the Bivacco Gastaldi. The altitude is 2625m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.8267628224, 7.85236876651

As soon as you enter Gressoney La-Trinité, past the bridge over the Lys, after a hundred meters you will see a sign with a wooden canopy on the right indicating the Walserschild restaurant-pizzeria .

In that small road you can see the pole with the markers for the various trails that start here (the first section is in fact shared by trails 3 to the Gastaldi bivouac, 4 to the Zube Pass and 5 to the Gabiet Refuge). You can park on the left, along the Lys.

2. The route

The trail climbs through a larch forest, rather steeply and with a few turns. It comes out of the forest at about 2040m, atAlpe Tschie.

Tschie Alp, visible above are the Spilmannsberg huts

At the Tschie Alp, the trail turns northeast: cutting across the meadow to the nearby Spilmannsberg huts, 2090m…

Spilmannsberg lodges

…after which the trail turns sharply to the east, and continues by turning onto the north side of the mountain, entering the Nétschò valley, which descends from Gabiet.

We leave the Spilamnnsberg huts and continue along the southern side of the valley

Continue to climb up the side of the slope until you reach a small valley to the right of the Nétschò valley whose central stream(Netschòbach) you cross at about 2300m. We continue to climb, the trail is always excellently marked.

The little valley seen from above

At about 2280m you meet a first fork in the road that, on the left, leads to path 3A leading to Lake Gabiet, and you meet a second one at 2450m: in both cases you must always go straight.

The second fork to the 3A trail leading to the Gabiet

At about 2500m the trail would go straight ahead, but rocks and a yellow arrow indicate that you have to turn left: be careful not to pass carelessly over the rocks mistaking them for a step, as foolishly happened to me, because after about 20 meters you are faced with a small rocky ravine, with trail marks on the other side. If one does not realize the mistake and stubbornly wants to try to pass, one could be really hurt.

The point where the path is interrupted and you have to turn left

This is reached by turning left to a very short section equipped with a wire rope, without any technical difficulty.

The wire rope in the equipped section

Past this section, the trail passes several rocky shelves that do not make the colorful Gastaldi bivouac visible until you are practically there.

Gastaldi bivouac and the Spilmannsberg to the right

Continuation to the Spilmannsberg (2791m)

To continue to the top of the Spillmansberg one must descend into the basin where the Netscho Ponds are located, and ascend to the large scree at the base of the mountain, along which one ascends until reaching a small notch in the ridge, upon reaching which one reaches the summit without any difficulty. The section from the bivouac to the notch in the ridge is part of the trail called the“Alta Via Tullio Vidoni,” a loop trail that goes around Corno Bianco: for this reason you will find several and frequent white and red trail markers, either painted on the rocks or on signs embedded in the ground.

The route is completely rocky, but other than that it has no technical difficulties.

Leaving the bivouac, one must descend into the basin of the small lakes to the left, looking for a trail that heads to the opposite side of the basin, below the slope of Punta Ciampono. The trail passes to the left of the Netschò ponds, never reaching them.

In the photo below, the trail follows the rock-grass margin on the left, then continues along the scree until it reaches a notch in the ridge, in the middle of the photo, at 2768m . The summit of Spilmannsberg (2791m) is to the right .

One of the Netscho ponds and the Spillmansberg to the right

These two images processed with Google Earth are intended to show this section of the route clearly:

This image shows the route from another angle:

The section on the scree at first glance looks like a maze, but the Alta Via markers are really frequent and with a little attention you manage not to lose your way.

The path to the notch in the ridge, the Spilmannsberg is above us

Here we are already halfway up the wall, immersed in the rocks along which the path meanders.

The scree leading to the notch on the ridge

The small gully up to the ridge tooth is very short and all in all easily passable.

The short gully that allows you to exit onto the ridge

Once on the ridge, the terrain changes completely. You reach the not-so-distant summit of the Spillmansberg by walking on an easy grassy slope on the left side of the mountain that descends to the Rissuolo valley.

From the notch on the ridge, the route to the summit of the Spilmannsberg

The summit of the Spilmannsberg

This is the map of the trail, according to the SCT Trail Cadastre of the Aosta Valley.

Download the trail in GPX format

3. Personal excursions

18/9/2021

Beautiful day, I climbed the Gastaldi and, for the first time, the Spilmannsberg. A few ibex at the Nétschò ponds, a few people at the bivouac on my return, engaged in a chorus of mountain songs that accompanied me for the first few meters of the return.

Download the trail in GPX format