Refuge Lambronecca

Refuge Lambronecca

Lying at 3420 meters of altitude on an out crop of rock, the refuge Lambronecca is probably one of the most interesting and difficult aim of Ayas; from the Valley you can reach just only one refuge higher, the Capanna Sella. Personally, I retain Lambronecca over any possible praise: you need to get there to appreciate its characteristics! I’ve been there during 2003 summer; combining my chronicle to the data I use to write will probably make the description better. First of all, the refuge: it’s quite recent and really big, especially if compared with the Mezzalama. There are a lot of bed places, while the interiors are really beautiful: it reminds a valley floor restaurant, not a glacier refuge! Obviously you can sleep there, and eat too: the menu is really rich, as the wine list, with my great surprise. Moreover, 2003 administrators were easy – going and open; you can also buy postcards, T-shirts and many other souvernirs... and don’t forget the fellowship of high mountain refuges!

Just two words about the view: simply incredible. You’re in the middle of the ice: in facts, from there start ropes for peaks as Polluce, Castore, Breithorn and Schwarztor, with its passage for Switzerland. How to get there?

Starting from St. Jacques early, at about 5.05 AM, the writer reached Mezzalama by 9.05, with some breaks of course. However, it’s necessary to include an unfortunate digression: even if I left Mezzalama at 9.35, I could reach my aim only at 12.05, because of a bad fall after Verra’s Glacier, in the worse point of the whole run. Anyway, I left the refuge 13.00 and I reached Mezzalama at about 14.10, using great care on the aforesaid point. At 14.30, left finally Mezzalama, I could take no.7 path for St. Jacques, which I reached at 18.20. Briefly, it’s necessary to arrive at Mezzalama, then going towards passing behind it: the path runs behind and over the refuge, nearby the heliport. It takes jus an hour and a half, with good conditon, to reach the second refuge, but it’s important to describe better the “bad point” I told before. Once you’ve climber the smooth rocks over Mezzalama – the path is widely signaled by yellow circles – you have to cross Great Verra Glacier going rightwards. The refuge stands over the glacier, in facts. Worse luck, erosion caused the presence of little rocks, ice and dust absolutely unstable. It’s there that I fell; you have to pay attention, proceed carefully halping himself with rackets. It’s a place unadvisable for lonely runs, because it’s not visible from the refuge, and the navigation is purely theoric because the signals have been taken away from nature forces. It’d be opportune that local authorities provides to make the situation better!

Anyway, the dangerousness of this part doesn’t have to diminishthe beauty and importance of this excursion, and my warnings don’t want to dishearten those who want to try this run. You simply have to pay attention... Mountains teach humility, and don’t miss the chance to remind it to their old friends too! However, here we are the refuge’s telephone numbers: tel. And fax +39 0125 308083, tel. +39 0125 308951, or +39 0125 308975.