UKC

We're climbing Gran Paradiso in the first week of September and wondering what gear should we take / will we need.

Not familiar with the place and in youtube videos I've seen everything from no helmet/rope to full glacier travel equipment so wondering if anyone climbed GP what they've been using ?

We'll climb the normal route from Vittorio Emanuell hut.

Thanks,
Viktor

In reply to vberg:
The glacier will be very crevassed so you'll need rope and crevasse rescue kit. Other than that, it is straightforward with some scrambling on the summit ridge. I'm sure I read a few weeks ago that the route from the VE hut was dropping down onto the Chabod route to avoid crevasses at the moment- the hut warden will give you the updated info when you get there. Enjoy, it's a great mountain.

In reply to vberg:

Basic crevasse rescue kit, a 30 or 40m rope and 1 axe are all you need though I'd also wear a helmet if only for the approach in the dark when people above might knock stuff down on the scrambly bit, though the risk is minimal.
There's a couple of neighbouring peaks to the right of Gran Paradiso, La Tresenta and Ciaforon which make good acclimatisation peaks, save you doing extra hut walk ins. The routes are obvious, what you see (from the VE hut) is what you get, just follow your nose.

In reply to pec:

Yeah, we gat the harness / rope etc. part but was wondering if a helmet is overkill ? Not sure how crowded it will be in September once the summer holiday is past. I guess we can't go wrong with having all gear with us, our lightweight helmets won't add much weight anyways.

In reply to vberg:

You might appreciate 3 quickdraws for the scramble at the top - it has bolts in but is reasonably exposed

In reply to vberg:
I did it the first week of Sept and the hut was full but the route didn't feel overcrowded. May be a bit busier since almost everything in Cham is out of condition

In reply to 1philjones1:
Thanks for this update Phil, at least we won't be alone on a new route We'll see the conditions in a week.

At this time of the year two years ago arolla was pretty empty but I guess GP is more connected to Chamonix so it must be quite different.

In reply to vberg:

You're going up the facile route. Just the usual gear you take for glaciers will be fine.

In reply to joeramsay:


You'd have them anyway to carry your ice screws for the glacier, though to be honest I don't remember ther being any bolts. Perhaps they weren't there when I did it or I just missed them?

In reply to pec:

There are a couple of bolts but I think they're really for guided parties as it's really straightforward for anyone with even the most basic of climbing skills.

As pec says there isn't much need for a helmet but by all means take one if you feel more comfortable with it.

I did it at the end of July this year and crevasses were not a problem on the VE route then.