Me, Claudio and Antonio at the Madonna summit of Gran Paradiso (4058m) on Aug 2, 2024, at 8:35 (see my quick trailer video on YouTube). Videos and editing by Aki Kärkkäinen. (Subscribe to my YouTube channel.)
Planning
One of my goals this year was to do a glacier trip to a new (and relatively easy) 4000+ metre peak in the Alps. After some planning and re-planning, I picked the Gran Paradiso National Park in the Italian Alps as a base destination.
Gran Paradiso is the only 4000+ metre mountain entirely within Italian territory. It’s also a National Park full of beautiful flora and fauna, offering many scenic and uncrowded trekking routes. For example, check routes 2A-3 from Le Pont to Grand Collet and Nivolet, or route 5 from Pravieux to Rifugio Federico Chabod.
During the week, I even saw a huge golden eagle with a wingspan of about two meters flying over my head, very close. That served as a reminder to stop and look up once in a while!
The beautiful trail to Rifugio Federico Chabod (2710m), with Gran Paradiso north-west face in the background. Photo by Aki Kärkkäinen.
The Ascent
Our group of three clients, guided by a local mountain guide, started the ascent before the sunrise at 4:45 on Friday, August 2, 2024 from the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele II (2735m).
Going up the glacier, towards the summit, on Aug 2, 2024. Photo by Aki Kärkkäinen.
We reached the top almost four hours later, at 8:35. By 12, we were back in the hut. The whole trip, 1300 vertical metres up and down took about seven hours in all (not including the walk from and to Pont in the Valsavarenche valley). The weather and glacier conditions were very good, with clear blue sky and some light wind.
Me and Claudio (another client) at the Madonna summit at 4058m.
The Madonna summit at 4058m—where these summit photos are from—is actually not the highest point. The real summit is three metres higher on the same ridge, at 4061m. Most people (including us) skip that section, as it requires some exposed rock climbing. I knew this beforehand, so I’m fine with it. The views were amazing in all directions from where we stood.
Gran Paradiso is my fifth four-thousander in the Alps, after Punta Giordani (4046m), Punta Gnifetti (Signalkuppe, 4554m), Castore (4223m), and Piramide Vincent (4215m).
Finding the Rhythm
One thing to note, though: it is often hard to find a group and a guide for just one person. This time, the trip itself was quite a stressful experience. It was because the guide and I had differing views on how fast the group should move up the mountain.
According to the etiquette, the group should adapt to its members’ capabilities, and find a suitable speed for everyone. Not so with this group: we went up faster than almost any other group I saw that day. There was no time to stop and drink water, have a snack, or simply admire the views. I don’t know why our guide was so hard-pressed and stressed with time. Granted, I could’ve been in better shape, but that’s not the point here. All in all, it was an interesting field study in group dynamics 🤔.
Gratitude
With that said, I’m grateful that I can visit and enjoy these special places and be in the moment—not as an expert alpinist, but as a curious outdoor enthusiast and a mountain lover exploring his limits. It helps me be better next time 🙏.
Watch the full video edit below on my YouTube channel.
View towards south-east, showing ascent/descent route below the summit on the glacier, on the right hand side. You can watch this longer video edit of my trip to the Madonna summit of Gran Paradiso (4058m) in the Italian Alps, on Aug 2, 2024, on my YouTube channel (Subscribe). Videos and editing by Aki Kärkkäinen.