Colle Lauson and Punta Bianca

Colle Lauson and Punta Bianca We were the only ones climbing from the Rifugio Vittorio Sella that day, but the Rifugio staff still managed to provide hot coffee and bread rolls for breakfast even though it was 5 am. It was fairly dark when we left the Rifugio Vittorio Sella and set off for Colle Lauson, and this photograph was taken along the route after the sun had come up.

Colle Lauson (3296 m) is at the head of the Lauson Valley and is the pass clearly visible in the photograph. Punta Bianca (3793 m) (which I had climbed in June) is the peak to the right, the standard route following a wide flat snow gully. Now it had no snow and can be seen just to the right (North) of Punta Bianca.

The snow-covered ridge leads north to La Grivola (3969 m), a much more testing peak than Punta Bianca.