A superb walking holiday adventure trekking in the Italian Alps with easy climbing to the summit of Gran Paradiso. The only 4000 metre peak entirely within the Alps of Italy, Gran Paradiso (4061m/13,320ft) dominates the impressive alpine mountain massif of the same name. After a night in Chamonix, we drive into Italy to beautiful Valgrisenche, to begin our 6 days of high-level trekking and easy climbing. Mostly walking within a national park, this is a tranquil alpine area allowing for pleasant trekking, largely free of tourist development and home to wildlife such as ibex, chamois and marmots. Each night we stay in a different alpine mountain refuge and enjoy good food and Italian hospitality. Walking over 3000 metre/9800 foot passes, we continue trekking to 2 straightforward viewpoint summits, Becca della Traversiere (3334m/10,935ft) and Punta Basei (3388m/11,112ft). Finally, from the Refugio Vittorio Emanuele, we make the classic, easy snow face and rocky ridge ascent climbing to the summit of Gran Paradiso (4061m/13,320ft), where the views extend northwards over the Alps to prominent Mont Blanc. This is one of the Alps most straightforward 4000 metre/13000 foot summits and our easiest Alpine climbing holiday that combines nicely with classic walking in the stunning Italian Alps.

Trip Guide
This is real mountain travel, following good trails to the snowline and also involving sections of scrambling, snowslope climbing and glacier travel, where ropes, crampons and an ice-axe will be used. We average 6 to 8 hours walking each day. Given the non-technical nature of the climbing and the fact that the group will be led by one or more professional UIAGM guides, this trip should be feasible for novice alpinists, providing they have a good level of fitness. Our several days at between 2000 and 3000 metres (6600 and 10,000 feet) and the climbing of two 3300 metre (10,800 foot) peaks, will provide useful acclimatisation and fitness training, prior to making the ascent of Gran Paradiso. Generally the group's technical climbing equipment, ice-axe, crampons and harness, is not needed until the ascent of Gran Paradiso on Day 6. This equipment is usually transported to the Albergo Paradiso, below the Vittorio Emanuele Refuge, to be picked up there. If, however, on the first of the year's departures there is a lot of snow at low level, group members may need to carry this equipment from the start of the trek on Day 2.