Colle di Balisio - Rifugio Brioschi

General Notes:

Altitude Difference: 1570 m

Time: 3h e 30'

Phisical Effort: High

Difficulty: E

Description:

To climb the Grignone there are many routes,however in the autumn and winter months the best and most beautiful route starts from the Colle di Balisio.

To reach the starting point we must arrive by our means up to Ballabio, we will pass it following the road to Barzio and Pasturo, we will follow this road up to the Colle di Balisio, where we will have to turn left following a dirt road to the church of Sacro Cuore.

The detour that we will have to take is just past the Tamoil gas station and a moment before the ALVA Market;the detour is very visible thanks to multiple signs that show us the way to take.

We will walk this dirt road for about 3km to the Church of the Sacro Cuore, where we will be forced to park our car,during the approach we should pay close attention to the road full of holes.

Once parked in the available spaces, we could begin our ascent to the Grignone.

We will walk in the beginning a cobblestone mule track for about 20', during which we will pass some farmhouses/huts present here.

At the end of this first section,which does not have high slopes,however it rises regularly and decisively,we should turn right entering a deciduous forest,where the path becomes much harder.

This detour is clearly visible as well as well signposted by an indicator sign,and the path we were following until a moment earlier is divided into two bifurcations,the one we should follow,and a path that atrversando the river Pioverna in a fairly simple point will reconnect to the Low Crossing of the Grigne.

In about another 20' we will arrive in Pialleral, where our path will join with the cemented road that goes up from Pasturo.

Now we should follow this section cemented inside the town and the various shelters until its conclusion,at the beginning we should cross a bar that prevents unauthorized cars from continuing their march.

After passing the various shelters, the cemented road turns into a path again, we will face a couple of steps and we will start climbing again after crossing the detour to San Calimero and the Riva refuge

The path now, after leaving the village rises in the middle of meadows and rocks in a typical high Alpine environment; compared to the previous sections the slopes now become quite high, and a point that does not favor us is the fact that the Brioschi Refuge and the summit of Grignone we can clearly glimpse them and the distance that separates us seems to be low.

On hot summer days, this section of the route could create many problems,in fact the sun" beats " incessantly throughout our journey and the heat strokes are not so random.

Another problem is due to the complete lack of fountains or streams,if we decide to go up,the water supplies that we should have with us are essential.

In about 45' from the Pialleral we reach the Bivouac Riva-Girani (1862m.a.s. l.) where we can stop to rest, and maybe admire on clear days the beautiful landscape below.

A break at the bivouac is a must, especially for what awaits us, if so far the route had had high slopes now they become even more.

Begins the stretch that I define, "Death", in the sense of the effort we will do,in fact in addition to having just completed 1000 meters of altitude difference the stretch that awaits us is really hard: in addition to the extremely high slopes, we will have to pay close attention to the path,in fact it is very gravelly with medium-sized stones and dropping a stone involves risks to other hikers,in fact because of the very steep slopes the stones become real prioeptiles that could cause.

After about 1h we arrive almost on the ridge of the Grignone,the path becomes much easier turning left.

We follow this stretch on the ridge for about 20', until we reach the Refuge;the very panoramic stretch allows you to observe the Valle d'esino and the famous scree that is present on the northern side;in the most delicate points we will find some wires that can help us,however they are only used in case of wet soil or in the presence of snow, in other case is not necessary to use it.

The route especially in its last part from the bivouac Riva-Girani up is famous for being the winter route of ascent,there is the possibility of using a second route of ascent always challenging but with lighter slopes in its final part.

As soon as we have passed the Pialleral we will have to keep the left of the valley, following the paths that go up to the left of the valley, we will not reach the Bivouac Riva-Girani,in fact we will go up towards the bivouac Merlini, facing in some points of the hairpin bends,we will then arrive along the ridge of the Grignone, which unlike the other way presents itself with higher slopes,we will meet along the way the paths that come from Bietti,from the via ferrata and from the caminetto, and we will reach the Brioschi without any problem,this path is ideal for those suffering from vertigo previous,however in the winter months it is dangerous because of the slavines that often break off in these places.