Passo dell'Uomo Storto

Peaks: P. dell'Uomo Storto (2874m/9429ft)
Area: Valsesia, Pennine Alps, Italy
It was a tricky task to decide what to do with our remaining two days in the Alps. We were tempted to head over to Switzerland, but in the end we decided to maximise the time in the mountains by going for a two day traverse of the lower Valsesia peaks. This was, if you like, the 'green' trip - in contrast to the earlier 'white' trip up the high peaks of Monte Rosa. The contrast was wonderful, and remarkable given the two ranges proximity: indeed, the starting point again was Alagna. We didn't even need the car. We set off just before midday up the wooded slopes which shroud the side of the Otro valley, feeling fairly comfortable after yesterday's exertions. Delightful walking led to the treeline and a stunning moment as we emerged into Alpine meadows near the village of Follu. This, and the other Walser (Germanic) villages around Valsesia reminded me quite strongly of Nepalese treks. No road access, beautiful stone-built cottages, and superb views over to Monte Tagliaferro, a striking rock peak east of Alagna. The walking then became even more Himalayan in character, following broad donkey tracks through a series of beautiful traffic-free remote villages. First came Scarpia, preceded by tranquil Alpine meadows. After a brief lunch, we continued along the tracks - here part of the long distance Tour de Monte Rosa - up to the even more remote Pianmisura. At this point, our route to the bivvy hut broke off and immediately became very tortuous and surprisingly hard to follow. It was considerably overgrown in places, but soon the vegetation died away and the scenery became more high mountain as we gained the wild cwm containing Lac Terrafrancia. Above this, a steep moraine led to another small glacial lake with the Ravelli Bivouac hut on a small spur above. The location was stunning, and our choice of outing seemed vindicated. The views over the Otro valley towards Tagliaferro, Piglimo and Cima Carnera were wonderful, as were the closer views up the rock walls of Corno Biano. The hut was memorable: a small metal tube containing a cosy wood-panelled chamber, gas stove and four beds. We were, needless to say, the only residents (the four hour walk-in presumably prevents overcrowding!). And, according to the hut book, perhaps the first foreigners to have visited for several years. After a break and snack, I headed off on an afternoon outing, up the snow slopes above the hut. These steep slopes led to a small peak above a spur then a remote ice-dammed lake.  I skirted this along a moraine, then gained steep and unpleasant scree up to the tiny breche of the Passo dell'Uomo Storto ('Crippled Man'), a classic high Alpine pass linking Valsesia and Gressoney: two neighbouring valleys with different linguistic heritage and culture (very broadly 'French' in Gressoney, Germanic in Valsesia, despite both being in Italy), an illustration of the remoteness and difficulty of this pass, perhaps! I then scrambled up the sharp peak to the north at 2874m, which was essentially a giant gendarme on the multi-crested ridge between Corno Rosso and the parent peak of Corno Bianco. The north ridge up Bianco looked superb. The weather then closed in, with a brief shower as I descended to the hut. Later, a much heavier shower gave way to a stunning rainbow - truly memorable - stretched across the entire Otro valley with the eastern peaks beyond.