Monte Emilius - 3559 mt - Via Cresta dei Tre Curati da Grand Brissogne (AO) 4K

I only needed the Cresta dei Tre Curati and the East Ridge to complete this beautiful rock pyramid, the symbol of Aosta, on all its routes and in all seasons. So we decided to take advantage of our excellent late-summer training and climb the most elegant ridge of the Emilius in a single day! Leaving the car in Grand Brissogne, we climb the dirt road that leads to a hydroelectric power plant (you can reach this point with a moderately low car, with prior permission, as there is a traffic ban). From the power plant, the trail begins, climbing very steeply, first through the woods, then through wide open spaces, reaching the first Laures lake and the Menabreaz bivouac (which can be used to split the long tour into two days). However, we will skip the bivouac and pass to the right of the lake, where traces of a trail lead to the scree above, towards the Peccoz and Blantsette passes. At a certain point, the trail ends, and via awkward, even unstable scree, you'll reach the base of the immense east face of Mount Emilius. You'll set foot on what was once an ancient glacier covered in debris and find a notch that, climbing diagonally to the right, leads to Col Blantsette (be careful of the rock quality at this point). From the col, you can climb a gendarme where a short abseil is set up to return to the ridge. To save time, you can cut across the base to the left via easy but exposed ledges. You then ascend to reach the ridge line. For a complete description of the ridge, I refer you to the various websites. I can only say that the climbing is always quite sustained (grade III/IV with a few sections even IV+/V- in my opinion), there is virtually no protection in place, and the exposure is always severe. It's a truly beautiful ridge, but you have to be very careful, especially since it's not always very stable. We climb the Black Triangle of Emlilius without a break, where a horizontal and highly exposed section of the ridge connects with the final section below the summit, where things become slightly easier, but not too much (never below III/III+). At this point, moving slightly towards the north face, we climb the final meters and emerge at the summit, where the unmistakable Madonna awaits us. As always, a thrilling experience and an exaggerated view from the summit. For the descent, we decide to descend via the east ridge. A fairly simple ridge, but again, absolutely not to be underestimated due to the poor rock quality, length, and sometimes exposure. After the long descent of the ridge, we reach a grassy and rocky gully that leads to the intermediate Laures lake, where we finally rejoin the trail that quickly leads back to the Menabreaz bivouac. From there, we follow the ascent route back to the car in Grand Brissogne. What a ride to do a day trip in One Push!!! Mountaineering Difficulty: AD+ (I'd even say a little more) Required Equipment: Helmet, harness, 30-meter rope, ice axe, and crampons (not necessary if you're doing the trip in dry summer conditions), gear to secure some sections of the route (slings and 3-4 quickdraws; bring medium/small camming devices as there's very little fixed protection on the route). Possibly, gear for rappelling (there are no belays, not strictly necessary). For the trip's route, find me on Strava or Garmin. Total Trip: approximately 16.20 km round trip and 2,270 meters of D+ (from the hydroelectric plant) Trip on August 3, 2025 Enjoy! Subscribe to the channel, like the video, and comment below if you'd like more info! :) You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook: Follow me on Facebook   / fabio.mochettaz   Follow me on Instagram   / fabio_mochettaz   Music from #InAudio: https://inaudio.org/ Inaudio - Infraction Music - Dreamwalker