Rocciamelone
| Rocciamelone | |
|---|---|
 View from Rocca Sella, Italy (1508 m) |
|
| Elevation | 3,538 m (11,608 ft) [1] |
| Prominence | 303 m (994 ft) [1] |
| Parent peak | Ouille Mouta (3,565 m)[2] |
| Location | |
 Rocciamelone
|
|
| Range | Graian Alps |
| Coordinates | 45°12′14″N 7°4′38″E / 45.20389°N 7.07722°ECoordinates: 45°12′14″N 7°4′38″E / 45.20389°N 7.07722°E |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1358 by Bonifacius Rotarius |
| Easiest route | Scramble, partly roped path |
Rocciamelone (Piemontese: Ròcia-mlon, French: Rochemelon or Roche Melon) is a 3,538 m high mountain in Piedmont, near the border between Italy and France. This mountain of the Graian Alps has the earliest recorded first ascent date in the world.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Rocciamelone is located between Val di Susa and Maurienne, 50 km west of Turin.
Its summit is the tripoint where the comunes of Usseglio, Novalesa and Mompantero meet.
As an oddity, the international border does not exactly follow the watershed in this sector. The summit of Rochemelon is fully Italian, as is the upper first kilometre of glacier de Rochemelon; this area of about 4 square kilometres constitutes the only Italian territory portion of the Rhone basin.
[edit] SOIUSA classification
According to the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain can be classified in the following way[3]:
- main part = Western Alps
- major sector = North Western Alps
- section = Graian Alps
- subsection = Southern Graian Alps
- supergroup = catena Rocciamelone-Charbonel
- group = gruppo del Rocciamelone
- subgroup = nodo del Rocciamelone
- code = I/B-7.I-A.2.a
[edit] History
The teutonic knight Bonifacius Rotarius (of Asti) made the first ascent of Rochemelon on 1 September 1358, to bring a small metal image of the Holy Virgin as a gesture of gratitude for having survived captivity in the Holy Land during the crusades.
The summit of Rocciamelone is the destination of a traditional pilgrimage, every year, on August 5. A three metre high statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was erected there in 1899.
[edit] Access to the summit
Because of its easy access (the start of the summit trail can be reached in a 90 minute drive from Turin), its considerable height and the renowned panorama, this mountain is one of the most frequented of the western part of the Alps.
[edit] Mountain huts
- Rifugio Cà d'Asti (2,854 m - Mompantero)
- Rifugio Ernesto Tazzetti (2,642 - Usseglio)
- Rifugio Santa Maria (close to the summit)
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Géoportail IGN on www.geoportail.fr
- ^ key col= Col de la Resta (3,235 m)
- ^ Marazzi, Sergio (2005) (in Italian). Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA. Priuli & Verlucca. p. 134. ISBN 978-88-8068-273-8.
[edit] External links
Media related to Rocciamelone at Wikimedia Commons
