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Holidays

Gran Paradiso Weekend

France, Italy
3 reviews
Mountaineer
Guided Group
CHALLENGING CHALLENGING

Climb Gran Paradiso, the highest peak in Italy, in just a long weekend holiday

Trip Code: GPW
Holiday Grades
          

Our Holiday Grades Explained

To show the relative difficulty of our holidays, each trip is graded on a scale of 1 to 12, with 12 being the most challenging. Although we have tried to make our grading system as clear as possible, it cannot take into account your personal interests, abilities or experience. If you have any questions about the nature of a particular trip or its suitability for you, please read the 'Is this holiday for you?' section or contact us.

 1 - 3 LEISURELY
1 - 3 LEISURELY

Suitable for most people in good health, holidays at this grade include only limited amounts of activity.

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4 - 6 MODERATE
4 - 6 MODERATE

Suitable for reasonably fit individuals, such as weekend walkers and cyclists. There can be the occasional more difficult day.

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View moderate holidays
7 - 9 CHALLENGING
7 - 9 CHALLENGING

Physically challenging holidays, where you need to be prepared before you go.

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View challenging holidays
10 - 12 TOUGH
10 - 12 TOUGH

Our toughest holidays, involving many long days, often in isolated areas. A high level of fitness and previous wilderness and mountain experience is essential.

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Gran Paradiso Weekend

Highlights

At a Glance
  • Group Size 3 to 4
  • 4 days trekking and climbing
  • Max altitude - 4061metres
  • Join In Chamonix Valley

Accommodation & Meals
  • 4 Breakfasts
  • 4 Dinners
  • 2 nights Hotel
  • 2 nights Mountain Hut / Refuge
Overview

Our 5 day adventure holiday begins in the Chamonix Valley. From here we transfer over the border to Italy and begin our trek up to the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele, where there is the opportunity to do some crampon skills training after lunch. A true alpine start is a rude but amazing awakening the following morning as we make our way to the top of Italy. From the Rifugio Vittorio Emanuele, we make the classic, easy ascent across the snow face and via a rocky ridge to the summit of Gran Paradiso (4061m), where the views extend over the Alps to the prominent peaks of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.


The aim is a traverse of Gran Paradiso and so we descend to the Rifugio Chabod on the northern side of the mountain. Our final day in the mountains is another alpine classic, the trek across the Vallee Blanche; a stunning warm down from yesterday’s high – finally stepping off the snow via the famous alpinist's tunnel at the Aiguille du Midi. This final day can also be used as a contingency day if we were not able to attempt the summit the previous day. Are you short on time, but still want a big adventure? Then look no further...

Is this holiday for you?

This is real mountain travel, following good trails to the snowline and also involving sections of scrambling, snowslope climbing and glacier travel, where ropes, crampons and an ice-axe will be used.  Given the non-technical nature of this mountaineering holiday and the fact that the group will be led by IFMGA guides, this trip should be feasible for novice alpinists, providing they …

This is real mountain travel, following good trails to the snowline and also involving sections of scrambling, snowslope climbing and glacier travel, where ropes, crampons and an ice-axe will be used.  Given the non-technical nature of this mountaineering holiday and the fact that the group will be led by IFMGA guides, this trip should be feasible for novice alpinists, providing they have a very good level of fitness.  Guiding is at a ratio of 1:4 during the trip.

It is not practicable to provide vehicle support for this holiday, with two nights being spent in inaccessible mountain refuges. So, the trekking section of this trip is unsupported. You will have to carry all of your own equipment whilst trekking. In practice, especially considering that neither sleeping bag nor camping mattress are needed for this trip, you should be able to keep the packed weight of your rucksack to as little as 10kg.  The first and forth nights are spent at a hotel in the Chamonix valley, where you can leave any travel clothes etc that you don't want to take up the mountain with you.

 

Please be aware that routes in the high glaciated mountain regions are subject to changing conditions and difficulties. The Alpine Guides may need to make changes to your planned route at very short notice.

Why KE?

By having 3 days in the mountains, we give you two chances to reach the summit of Gran Paradiso, all in just one long weekend.


It is very easy for us to arrange private groups on your preffered dates for this holiday (from 2 people upwards) -  contact the KE office for a quote.

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