A high summit with changeable weather, but achievable with the right route!
This activation followed an aborted attempt 2 days earlier. I had taken the most "direct" route only to discover a mini glacier in the way (marked X on the map). The risk of a rapid slide downwards persuaded me to retrace my steps and re-plan the activation.
The route chosen started from the Campanelle skiing resort which is well signposted from the main road.
The road then winds uphill for about 30 minutes and the skiing base provides plenty of parking spots.
I chose not to start from the Refuge site (straight on at the junction) as this is a bit lower, so saved a bit of climbing. The ski base is a right hand turn on better road at the top of the winding road.
The path is well signposted from the skiing area and proceeds over rocky terrain. It is well marked with Cairns and yellow marks on rocks.
At the half way point (marked S on the map above) there is a signposted junction. I chose the left hand option, to climb the shorter steep section up to the lake, but returned on the other longer but less steep route later.
From the lake I had previously proceeded up towards point X and had to return, but today I took the grey dotted route up to Punta Bacinello first from where was just a gentle walk of a km or so to the summit.
The weather had been quite changeable. I set out in shorts and t-shirt, but it became increasingly cold with fast moving cloud and at the summit I wore long trousers and 4 layers including a cagoule.
There was even a bit of rain at the top, but it was the high winds that made the actual activation challenging.
The summit is very rocky with no obvious flat area nearby for activation. I chose a spot just under the Cross which provided some wind shelter and strung the 20m section of my dipole beween the summit's Cross and another rock using bungees to keep everything in place,
I used my Sotapole to prop up the dipole's centre and restrain it against the wind with the back string tied to a rock. The wind was strong and gusty, and with splashes of rain I wanted to achieve a speedy activation and then start my descent.
I self spotted and made 12 QSOs on 20m including 2 S2S on Italian summits. Signals were strong (many 5/9 reports) so I think the summit's height really compensated for the compromise antenna strung between rocks and adopting strange shapes in the wind.
The ascent took me about 2 hours from the skiing car park and 1.5 hours to return. Just beware taking the Glacier route - you can see the snow and ice on the shady sides of the mountain, and this was mid June.
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