Vioz - Cevedale crossing
It's June and the time has come to acclimatise a bit to tackle the high mountains and what better place than
the Vioz refuge, the highest in the Eastern Alps, a support point for those who make the crossing of the 13 peaks but also a popular destination for those who decide to climb from Pejo.
This time it is Francesca who suggests the route of the 13 peaks, fascinated by this crossing, I as usual already have my backpack ready and I also invite my dad to come with us.
I would really like to tackle the entire 13 peaks route but unfortunately Francesca can't take more than 2 days off work. I explain to her that in just two days it's a bit too long in my opinion and we decide to do a bit of the tour anyway.
The idea is to go up to the Vioz refuge, and the next day set off towards Cevedale and then descend towards Malga Mare, then stop at my uncle's campsite for the most important part of the undertaking, that is, eating everything he cooks for us.
We check the weather forecast before leaving, it won't guarantee us clear skies for the entire duration of our journey but we decide to try anyway, I also want to do this crossing also because I always find it exciting to return to one of the places where as a child I spent my holidays with my grandparents.
I share these memories with dad and in the meantime we set off finding snow only near the refuge.
Unfortunately, along with the snow we also find a thick fog, the temperatures drop forcing us quickly
to get dressed.
Once we arrive at the Vioz refuge we relax and start trying all the types of tea that the friendly manager offers. I am excited to be up here once again, I have many memories in this refuge, the first time I went up there I was about ten years old, unfortunately the only memory I have of that day is a bad headache due to the altitude. Since then I have returned to Vioz almost every year, sometimes in company other times alone.
The evening is calm, the weather a little less so: outside the storm is certainly covering the tracks and hiding the most treacherous crevasses.
In the morning the weather is not good but we still reach the top of Vioz, take some photos, and tie ourselves up before continuing towards Palon della Mare. As expected the trail is absent, we descend from the top paying attention to the numerous crevasses that surround us, meanwhile the weather seems to have improved but the respite does not last long.
Here we are at the foot of the easy ridge that leads to Palon della Mare, after having climbed a few meters we find ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm, we evaluate the situation and decide to reach the top anyway hoping for an improvement already announced by the forecasts.
Unfortunately, despite the forecast, the weather is really bad and from the top of Palon della Mare there is no chance to continue. Wisely we decide to return to the Vioz refuge, in the meantime the weather has worsened further and visibility is reduced to a couple of meters. We descend the ridge following the rocks ruined by the passages of the crampons and once we reach the glacier I am forced to turn on the GPS.
Thanks also to the precious instrument we reach the refuge, the still terrible weather makes it easier for us to decide to stop one more night to relax in the mountains, convincing Francesca that, the next day, at work her presence would not be essential...
Of course, following the path we could have definitely gone down even in the middle of the storm, but this hasty way of going to the mountains is not our style and the idea of another evening in a refuge far from the social life appeals to us much more.
The manager has taken a liking to us, the atmosphere is welcoming and the family management makes us feel at ease. The next day the weather improves but I have to drive to Chamonix while Francesca and dad have to go back to work, too bad because the sun is shining and the crossing to Cevedale would have certainly been possible.
