Hiking trails of Gressoney
  • Italiano
  • Choosing a trail
  • Trails
    • Gressoney-Saint-Jean
    • Gressoney-La-Trinité
  • Refuges
    • Refuges description
    • Table of refuges
  • Meteo
  • Lifts
  • Bus
  • Other
    • Tips for hikers
    • Information
    • Books on Gressoney
    • QR Codes
    • The Città di Mantova Refuge
    • Bivouacs of the past
    • The Castor tragedy of July 20, 1970
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
You are here: Home1 / Gressoney-La-Trinité hikes2 / Piccolo Rothorn (3014m), trail 10
  • General description
  • Departure and arrival
  • The route

Piccolo Rothorn (3014m), trail 10

from Gressoney La-Trinité to the Piccolo Rothorn
(you can continue on to the Rothorn)

Rothorn and Piccolo Rothorn from the Splimannsberg

Trail 10 starts from Gressoney La-Trinité and arrives at the Piccolo Rothorn (3014m). It is 5395m long and the total positive elevation gain is 1403m.
The approximate time for the ascent is 4h11. The trail is rated EE difficulty.

The Piccolo Rothorn is a mountain that towers above Stafal: from below, its appearance is awe-inspiring because of the sheer cliffs that fall away. Instead, the upper part presents itself as a harmless hill, which is reached without any problem from a barren plateau that on the opposite side is dominated by the silhouette of Testa Grigia.

The view of Mount Rosa from Piccolo Rothorn

The view of Mount Rosa from Piccolo Rothorn

To reach the Piccolo Rothorn, the trail is almost always well marked: below the summit, the vast plateau that you traverse is completely devoid of vegetation, so there is no real path but a series of cairns and markers on rock that you follow without problems. The only technical difficulty is a very short section (about 20 meters) equipped with a wire rope, not particularly worrisome, which is faced just before climbing the final plateau.

Once you reach the Piccolo Rothorn, if you are an experienced hiker, you can continue along the rocky ridge until you reach the very nearby Rothorn (3152m, about 30 minutes from the Piccolo Rothorn), whose first ascent (August 17, 1789) is officially attributed to the man who is considered the father of mountaineering: Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (although in reality all he did was follow existing hunting trails marked out by a Gressoney prelate).

There is no path: you have to scout the route by following several stone cairns that are fairly easy to spot. For this section, one needs to have what is called a “firm footing,” that is, not to be afraid of having to pass through slightly exposed points (not on vertiginous precipices, but on jumps of a dozen meters or so – certainly not harmless). There are also a couple of short (easy) passages where you have to hold on to rocks to proceed. It is certainly worth pushing up to the Rothorn: to the already extensive panorama is added the Ayas Valley side and all the distant peaks of the Aosta Valley.

More information on level of difficulty, ascent times, maps and GPX tracks
PreviousNext
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
The junction with trail 11
Once past the valley step, the path climbs steadily into the open
One of several streams that line the trail
The lodges of Hockene Stei
After Hockene Stei, the trail continues to climb northward.
Hockene Stei moves away but remains mostly visible
At one point from behind the slope emerges the Monte Rosa
The section equipped with fixed ropes
Once past the fixed ropes, Hockene Stei is seen for the last time.
Access to the final plateau, where Testa Grigia (3314m) towers to the left.
Looking northward, the plateau at the base of Rothorn and Piccolo Rothorn
On the left Rothorn (3152m), on the right Piccolo Rothorn (3035m)
The final slope to the Piccolo Rothorn
The view of Mount Rosa from Piccolo Rothorn
From the Piccolo Rothorn, from left Testa Grigia (3314m), Bec Forcù (3106m), Rothorn (3152m)
The lakes of Salero
Bettaforca Pass: top center the Guide di Ayas hut
Looking toward the summit of the Rothorn, someone is waiting for us
Punta Gnifetti from the Rothorn
Western and eastern Lyskamm from the Rothorn
The summit of the Rothorn
Ayas Valley Overview
Chamois Horn (3024m), Rothòre (3023m), Foric Horn (3018m) and Straling Peak (3115m)
Some people who have joined me admire the Pink
Testa Grigia (3314m) on the desolate plateau. The path descends to the left
Descending to the Piccolo Rothorn
The flagpole that serves as a reference in the ascent from the Piccolo Rothorn to the Rothorn
Coming down, here's Hockene Stei again.
The last stream greets our descent

Trail 10 starts from Gressoney La-Trinité, the elevation is 1640m.

See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.8297821054, 7.82269406959

The arrival location is the Piccolo Rothorn. The altitude is 3041m.
See on Google Maps.

Latitudine e longitudine (WGS84 - EPSG 4326): 45.8452604536, 7.79140731626
From Google maps: the bridge and the parking lot

From Google maps: the bridge and the parking lot

When you reach La-Trinité, turn left at the bridge over the Lys that is almost at the end of the children’s playground. You can already park, the start is very close.

From Google Maps: the yellow marker post in front of the white chapel

From Google Maps: the yellow marker post in front of the white chapel

The trail starts a short distance away, in front of the small white chapel: look for the usual yellow marker.

2. The Pathway

As soon as we leave civilization, the trail starts cheerfully steep to remind us that the Gressoney Valley is for real walkers…
Some forks will be encountered in the initial part of the route. Immediately after the start we meet a first fork with markings: to the right we go to“Dem Bino Alpelte” (WE trail), we go up to the left.

Junction with the detour not to follow

Junction with the detour not to follow

After that you meet a second fork indicated by two signs placed on the ground: left… it says neinte, instead you have to take a right towards the“Ferrata” (which you will never see).

Crossroads at which one must follow the direction

Junction at which you must follow the direction “Ferrata”

Indi you meet a third fork with trail markers, at about 1870m, with the very short trail 11 to Bodma: continue along 10 to the right.

Junction of trail 11 and trail 10 and 10C

Junction of trail 11 and trail 10 and 10C

You reach a cliff face, turn right and climb steadily northward until you exit the forest (at about 2100m), and pass the infamous valley step at about 2200m. From here the slope of the trail softens slightly, and there is nothing left to do but enjoy it. At 2238m, after passing a couple of streams that cut across the trail, you come to a sign indicating the point where trail 10C breaks off from 10, continuing left toward the summit of the Testa Grigia. We continue straight ahead, still heading north.

The crossroads between 10C and 10

The crossroads between 10C and 10

After climbing a further step, we arrive, at 2317m, at the beautiful Hockene Stei/Hòggene Stei hut, located in such an extremely scenic position that it is a worthy destination for a more affordable family outing. Watch out because it is in use, so you may find flocks vying for the place to spread the picnic sheet….

The lodges of Hockene Stei

The lodges of Hockene Stei

Once past the batia, you pass into a new mountainside, which you overcome by proceeding with dogged constancy northward, until you reach 2760 meters at the only equipped section of the climb.

The section equipped with fixed ropes

The section equipped with fixed ropes

As you can see from the photo, the section is not challenging at all: the cable is not needed for progression, it is certainly useful in case of slippery terrain.

In this video the wire-rope section (August 12, 2022).

A few hundred meters after this stretch you finally come out, at about 2,800 meters, on a barren plateau: an almost lunar setting, certainly unique in the entire valley. Crowning this plateau from the left are the imposing Testa Grigia, Bec Forcù, the Rothorn and the Piccolo Rothorn.

From the Piccolo Rothorn, from left Testa Grigia (3314m), Bec Forcù (3106m), Rothorn (3152m)

From the Piccolo Rothorn, from left Testa Grigia (3314m), Bec Forcù (3106m), Rothorn (3152m)

The Piccolo Rothorn is on the far right of the plateau, and from looking at it from here it looks like a harmless, mule-backed mound. Quite different is its northern slope, which plummets steeply to the Rothorn valley below and its Salero lakes.

The final slope to the Piccolo Rothorn

The final slope to the Piccolo Rothorn

Below is a 3d view from a point above Gressoney La-Trinité, in which the plateau and the four peaks surrounding it are clearly visible:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1

Hockene Stei huts (2320m) are located in this direction

2

The trail ascends from this slope. At about this point is the equipped section

3

The barren lunar plateau

4

The Piccolo Rothorn (3014m)

5

The Rothorn (3152m)

6

The Bec Forcù (3106m)

7

The Testa Grigia (3314m)

Here the terrain is completely devoid of vegetation: follow the path moving along the cairns, which are many and perfectly visible. The whole plateau is silhouetted by climbing several steps, and you arrive from the left on the ridge that leads in a few steps to the gentle summit of the Piccolo Rothorn (3014m), upon reaching which the view is truly breathtaking: Rosa can be seen in its entirety, there is no obstacle in between us and it; Quintino Sella, Capanna Gnifetti and Rifugio Mantova can be seen with the naked eye.

The view of Mount Rosa from Piccolo Rothorn

The view of Mount Rosa from Piccolo Rothorn

In this video the spectacular view from the Piccolo Rothorn (August 12, 2022).

Continuation to the Rothorn

From here you may decide to continue to the Rothorn, provided you are not hesitant about a few passages of very easy elementary climbing. There is, of course, no path, the route being almost entirely rocky, but vague tracks and a series of fairly closely spaced stone cairns that make it possible to reach the top of this 3,000 in about 30 additional minutes without too much effort.

In this video one of the delicate points in the ascent to the Rothorn (August 12, 2022).

The view from the Rothorn (3152m) worth the effort: we are almost at the height of Testa Grigia, Rosa seems (though imperceptibly) even more within reach, on the Ayas side the entire Contenery valley is overlooked, in the midst of which the cliff of Mount Sarezza towers (note on its slopes a section of the winter ski slope-the steepest-covered with white tarpaulins, to preserve its ice for the winter season).

Overview of Val D'Ayas from the Rothorn

Overview of Val D’Ayas from the Rothorn

In this video the view from the Rothorn (August 12, 2022).

The only tricky part of the return is the descent from the Rothorn, which must be done with the same care as done on the way out. As soon as you return to the “mule back” of the Piccolo Rothorn, you can relax and enjoy the long ride back to the hot shower.

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

Download the trail in GPX format

This, on the other hand, is the trail of the only continuation from the Piccolo Rothorn to the Rothorn, traveled on August 12, 2022.

Download the trail in GPX format
Share this page
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
2022 - Gressoney Hikes - info@gressoneyhikes.com - privacy policy - sitemap
Quintino Sella Refuge (3591m), trail 9Close-up of the Quintino Sella RefugeThe Rose from the summitTesta Grigia (3315m), trail 10C
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies to ensure functionality and improve the user experience. You can accept with "Accept", decline with "Decline" or deny consent to certain cookies in "Settings". For more information, see the privacy policy


AcceptDeclineSettings

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

AcceptDecline
Open Message Bar