Grand Nomenon - 3488 mt - Via normale da Sylvenoire (Cogne - AO) 4K

The queen of debris, I would dare say one of the most dangerous I have ever climbed for objective dangers. The poor quality of the rock and the precariousness of the holds (even the big ones) is frightening. But what a wonderful mountain! Located right in front of the wonderful Grivola and thanks to its central position in the Aosta Valley it enjoys an exceptional panorama. You start from the small village of Sylvenoire and leave the car in a clearing where the asphalt road ends. From the parking lot you immediately start climbing towards the Bivacco Gontier (which is private, but if you call they give you the keys - info in the video). With a long traverse and a few ups and downs you reach a large mountain pasture and rejoin the path that goes up from Vieyes. This is where the real climb begins; with little development the path climbs steeply into the beautiful forest and never lets up until it reaches the small village where the Bivacco Gontier is located. The place is idyllic: rarely visited, crossed by green meadows and streams with the bastion of Trajo, the Grivola and the Grand Nomenon closing the amphitheatre. Shortly after the village the path ends but the road to follow is logical: in fact, you cross by climbing diagonally towards the Charbonnière pass, passing right under the north face of the Nomenon. The heat has already exploded but there is still a lot of snow and unfortunately there is not even a hint of refreezing, it is all firm as is the rock that we will find during the climb. We decided not to reach the pass (true normal route), but to climb alternating snow, debris and some short sections of climbing more towards the centre of the face. Then realizing that it is better to return to the crest we cut to the right (in any case where we climbed there were some sporadic cairns, a sign that evidently someone has passed through there). From the ridge begins the purely mountaineering part of the trip, which we decided to tackle in a day. Paying attention to everything you touch and avoiding rotten snow as much as possible, you make your way through a wild environment with absolutely no protection. We basically followed the ridge. You pass some gendarmes and then you reach the last 150 meters or so, where a sort of fixed rope has been left, all frayed and ready to give way. Here a few sections of third-grade climbing and you are on the summit. It goes without saying how beautiful the Grivola is seen from here. A short break and then the descent begins, which will be even more challenging than the climb. At the slightest stone that detaches, half the wall between rock and snow comes down, truly impressive. I actually recommend going only if you are sure you are the only roped party on the route, as per the reports found online. Mountaineering difficulty: AD- Required equipment: Helmet, harness, 30-meter rope, ice axe and crampons, equipment for rappelling and for securing some passages along the route (slings and a couple of quickdraws). Also bring some abandonment pieces because there is practically nothing on the ridge and it may be necessary to re-equip some abseil stops. For the track of the trip look for me on Strava or Garmin. Total Trip: about 17 km round trip and 2250 meters D+ Trip of 06/14/2025 Enjoy! Subscribe to the channel, like the video and, if you want more info, comment below! :) You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook: Follow me on Facebook   / fabio.mochettaz   Follow me on Instagram   / fabio_mochettaz