Levanne

Overview

Located between Piemonte (Italy) and Savoie (France), Levanne are composed of three summits dislocated in a 3 Km long ridge. Their names are: Levanna Occidentale (3593m), Levanna Centrale (3619m), and Levanna Orientale (3555m), moreover the last two of them are divided from a deep pass called Col Perdù (3271m).

It's one of the classic "giants of the Graian Alps", massive peaks relatively isolated and thus very visible in the distance. Other "giants" include Pte Charbonnel, Uja di Ciamarella, Grande Sassiere, Grande Casse, Mont Pourri at some other.
The italian side appears as a large escarpment with a small glacier, in French territory is constituted of glaciers and stony grounds.

Its lofty position and immense visibility from the Padana Plain in Italy makes it, along with Gran Paradiso, as a prime candidate for the indentification of the mythical "Mont Iseran", a legendary mountain described by many authors from the Renaissance to the early XIX century, but whose exact position was never precisely pinned. This "Mont Iseran" (long listed as a "lost" 4000m peak) as nothing to do with the mountain of the same name near the Col of Iseran (itself not far away from the Levanne Group)

The origin of the name are still uncertain - some author believe its derived from Latin "levare" (to rise), making it "the mountain of the raising sun" (the sun seems to rise behind it if seen from most of the Maurienne.

This ridge, in addition to constitute a borderline between two countries, represent the contact line between two national parks: National Park of Gran Paradiso (It) and National Park of Vanoise (Fr).  

Getting There

From Italia

• From Torino. Road “S.S.460” to Cuorgnè, then Ceresole Reale
• From Milano. Motorway A4, then A5, exit Ivrea, road to Cuorgnè, then Ceresole Reale
• From Torino and Milano. Road to Caselle Airport, Lanzo, Groscavallo then Forno Alpi Graie

From France

• From Lyon. Follow to Chambery, Lanslebourg then Bonneval

Red Tape

National Parks of the Vanoise and Gran Paradiso are open year round and admission is free.

Rules :
-No picking, no collecting the animals, plants, rocks and fossils all belong to the environment.
-No loud noise, no disturbance, for the tranquility of all.
-No dogs, not even on a lead, so as not to disturb wild and domestic animals alike.
-Leave no rubbish, no trace of your passage.
-No camping, no bivouacking (except for emergency from sunset 'til dawn).
-No fires. To reduce the risk of wild-fires and to avoid damaging the soil.
-No paragliders or other means of air-transport. Overflying at less than 1000m is also forbidden for the tranquility of the animals.

Camping and Huts

Campings

Ceresole Reale: CAMPING "VILLA" - +39 0124.95.32.12 - fabiorolando1@virgilio.it

Camping Piccolo Paradiso - 0039-0124-953235

Cantoira (close Forno Alpi Graie): Camping "La Roccia" 0039-0123-585730

Bonneval sur Arc: Camping l'Illaz - 0479058331 - bessanscampingillaz@wanadoo.fr

Huts

Refuge Carro 2.759m (Bonneval)

Rifugio Muzio / Alpinisti Chivassesi – Chiappili inf. (1667m) - 0039-0124-953141 or 0039-011-9173237 

Rifugio Leonesi 2909m - unguarded

Rifugio Daviso 2280m - 0039-0123-506749

Rifugio Massimo Mila - Ceresole Reale (1612m) - Tel. +39 0124.95.32.30

Rifugio Guglielmo Jervis 2250m

History

Levanna Occidentale: first ascent 10 September 1860 by J.J. Cowell, J. Culet, M.Payot

Levanna Centrale: first ascent 17 August 1875 by A. Gramaglia, L. Vaccarone

Levanna Orientale: first ascent 1857 by Ing. Tonini

First complete ridge-crossing: 1901 by W. Flender, J.M. Blanc

When To Climb

From June to September 

From April to June as skitour

Principal routes

Levanna Occidentale

From Italy - Valle Orco (Ceresole Reale)

Level difference: 1793m + 300m
Difficulties: PD+ (steep snow/ice at Colle del Carro, easy bad rocks)
Itinerary: Chiapili di sopra (1800m) > Vallone del Carro > Colle del Carro (3109m) > go down 150 meters > join the french normal route.

From France - Val de l'Arc (Bonneval sur Arc) - Normal way

Level difference: 1578
Difficulties: F (easy snow)
Itinerary: 1st day: Bonneval 2015m > Refuge du Carro - 2 hours
2nd day: Refuge du Carro > direction Col de Patriotes > turn left > reach the glacier at 3100m > final ridge - 4,30 hours


Levanna Centrale

From Italy - 1) Valle Orco (Ceresole Reale) - By Rifugio Leonesi, through Col Perdù and then south side.
Level difference: 2034m
Difficulties: PD+ (200 meters of steep ice below the Col Perdù and easy bad rocks)
Itinerary: 1st day: Lake of Ceresole (1585m) > Rifugio Leonesi
2nd day: Rifugio Leonesi > Col Perdù > Glacier des Sources de l'Arc > S face

2) Val Grande di Lanzo (Forno Alpi Graie)

Level difference: 2400m
Difficulties: F+/PD- (bad rocks, easy snow)
Itinerary: 1st day: Forno Alpi Graie (1219 m ) > Rifugio Daviso - 3hours
2nd day: Rifugio Daviso > Col Girard > Glacier des Sources de l'Arc > SSE face - 5,30 hours

From France - 1) Val de l'Arc (Bonneval sur Arc) - Normal way

Difficulties: F

2) Val de l'Arc (Bonneval sur Arc) - Ridge ESE
Difficulties: D (1 step of A1 or 6a max)

Levanna Orientale

From Italy: - 1) Val Grande di Lanzo (Forno Alpi Graie) - Italian Normal way

Level difference: 2336m
Difficulties: PD- (bad rocks, easy snow)
Itinerary: 1st day: Forno Alpi Graie (1219 m ) > Rifugio Daviso - 3hours
2nd day: Rifugio Daviso > Col de la Fea > SSE face - 5hours

2) Valle Orco (Ceresole Reale)

Level difference: 1970m
Difficulties: PD+ (steep snow/ice, easy bad rocks)
Itinerary: 1st day: Lake of Ceresole (1585m) > Rifugio Leonesi
2nd day: Rifugio Leonesi > Col Perdù > NNO ridge

From France: - Val de l'Arc (Bonneval sur Arc) ) - Normal way

Difficulties: F+ (easy snow/ice, easy bad rocks)

Mountain Conditions

France
Meteo France
Météo Savoie 08 92 68 02 73

Italy
Nimbus(Piemonte and Aosta Valley)
Piemonte

Maps and Books

Italian maps: IGC 103 - 1:25000 - "Rocciamelone - Uja di Ciamarella - Le Levanne" 
IGC n.3 – 1:50000 - “Gran paradiso” and “Valli di Lanzo e Moncenisio” 

French map: IGN 3633 ET Tignes - Val d'Isère

Books: Guida dei monti d'Italia "Alpi Graie Meridionali" by Club Alpino Italiano and T.C.I.

External Links

• Ceresole Reale home page
  
  

Additions and CorrectionsPost an Addition or Correction

Viewing: 1-5 of 5

andreaperino - Aug 26, 2005 4:30 pm - Hasn't voted

Untitled Comment

Nulla in contrario se la aggiungo alla pagina?

signorellil - Aug 26, 2005 5:51 pm - Voted 10/10

Untitled Comment

Ovviamente puoi usare tutto come voi!

signorellil - Aug 25, 2005 6:02 pm - Voted 10/10

Untitled Comment

- It's one of the classic "giants of the Graian Alps", massive peaks relatively isolated and thus very visible in the distance. Other "giants" include Pte Charbonnel, Uja di Ciamarella, Grande Sassiere, Grande Casse, Mont Pourri at some other.

- The origin of the name are still uncertain - some author believe its derived from Latin "levare" (to rise), making it "the mountain of the raising sun" (the sun seems to rise behind it if seen from most of the Maurienne.

- Its lofty position and immense visibility from the Padana Plain in Italy makes it, along with Gran Paradiso, as a prime candidate for the indentification of the mythical "Mont Iseran", a legendary mountain described by many authors from the Renaissance to the early XIX century, but whose exact position was never precisely pinned. This "Mont Iseran" (long listed as a "lost" 4000m peak) as nothing to do with the mountain of the same name near the Col of Iseran (itself not far away from the Levanne Group)

andreaperino - Aug 26, 2005 4:30 pm - Hasn't voted

Untitled Comment

Nulla in contrario se la aggiungo alla pagina?

signorellil - Aug 26, 2005 5:51 pm - Voted 10/10

Untitled Comment

Ovviamente puoi usare tutto come voi!

Viewing: 1-5 of 5