Photo: Alessandro Simonetta ↗THE JOURNEY IN DETAIL
A first four-thousander, unhurried.
Gran Paradiso is the only four-thousander that lies entirely in Italy and the most approachable of the big Alpine peaks. The glacier is gentle and there is almost nothing technical beyond a short rock scramble to the Madonna on the summit. Four days in Italy’s oldest national park make the right start for anyone curious how their body behaves above 4,000 m.
- A summit above 4,000 m with no technical ground
- A night at the Vittorio Emanuele II hut, 2,732 m
- Ibex and Italy’s oldest national park
- Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa in view from the top
With old friends or new ones
Join a group or arrange a separate departure for your own team. Before travelling, we get to know each other, discuss everyone's experience and find suitable dates. You can also prepare together.
DAY BY DAY
Your daily itinerary.
A provisional itinerary. Weather, group readiness and local conditions may change the order and length of the stages.
- DAY 1 · Skills session, 3 hours
Aosta and the Valsavarenche valley
We meet in Aosta and drive an hour into Valsavarenche. The afternoon is a skills session near the hotel: crampons, ice axe, knots and moving as a rope team. In the evening we pack for the hut.
Overnight: Hotel in Valsavarenche - DAY 2 · 770 m of ascent, 3 hours
Walk in to the Vittorio Emanuele hut
From Pont (1,960 m) a good path leads to the Vittorio Emanuele II hut (2,732 m) in two and a half to three hours, 770 m up. A short walk onto the moraine in the afternoon helps acclimatise and settles the pace. Dinner at 6.30 pm, early night.
Overnight: Vittorio Emanuele II hut, 2,732 m - DAY 3 · Summit 4,061 m, 10–11 hours
Summit and back to the valley
Off at 4 am. Moraine, then the Gran Paradiso glacier, 1,330 m of ascent in five to six hours; the last 30 m is a protected rock ridge to the Madonna at 4,061 m. Down to the hut for lunch and on to Pont, ten to eleven hours in all.
Overnight: Hotel in Valsavarenche - DAY 4 · Reserve, transfer
Reserve day and return to Aosta
If the summit is done, a gentle morning walk to the waterfalls and a transfer to Aosta by noon. If the weather held us back the day before, this becomes the summit day with a later departure.
Overnight: —
Included in the estimated price
Hotel in Valsavarenche, 2 nights, half board
Vittorio Emanuele II hut with dinner and breakfast
IFMGA mountain guides, 1:3 on the glacier
Transfers from and to Aosta
Ropes, ice screws and the group first-aid kit
Crampon and rope-work session
Not included in the price
Flights to the meeting point
Personal travel insurance and visas
Personal equipment
Single-room supplements and personal expenses
Crampon, axe and harness hire (about €50)
Lunches in the mountains
Travel to Aosta
YOUR PREPARATION
Arrive ready for the route.
Good hill-walking fitness is enough: six to seven hours with 1,300 m of ascent. Crampon experience is not required; the guides teach the basics on the first day, and Ivan sends a simple eight-week training plan in advance.
Prepare with IvanROUTE QUESTIONS
BEFORE WE MEET ON THE TRAIL
What to prepare in advance
- Footwear and warm layers for the specific mountain and season
- Sunglasses, gloves and spare mittens
- A headtorch and personal equipment from the guide's list
- For Kazbek: agreed crampons, harness and ice axe
Once we choose a date, we agree on the equipment list, meeting point and transfer time. Please wait until the programme is confirmed before booking flights.