Monte Oronaye


The Monte Oronaye is a mountain of 3,104 metres in the Alpi Cozie, located along the border between Italy and France. It also lies on the watershed between the Valle Maira and the Valle dell'Ubayette, in French territory.

Description

The Oronaye is the first massif of the Alpi Cozie encountered when traversing them from the south, starting from the Colle della Maddalena.
It lies on the main Alpine watershed, on the border between the in France and the Valle Maira in Italy. On the Italian side, it administratively belongs to the Province of Cuneo; on the French side, it belongs to the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. It appears as a massive limestone protrusion on the main ridge, with steep flanks in all directions.
From a geological perspective, the mountain is composed of dolomitic limestone from the Middle Triassic, resting on a base of fractured marbles and black flysch. The rock is notably friable; alpinistic activity therefore preferentially requires the use of a helmet.

Ascent

The normal route involves ascending from the trail starting at Colle della Maddalena, located at the top of the Valle Stura. The trail begins near a spring on the north side of the road on the French side of the pass. It follows the course of the Oronaye stream and continues along the valley until reaching the. After the lake, the trail continues to the left, skirting a ridge until reaching a gully below which lies a distinctive diamond-shaped boulder. The gully is ascended, which is very strenuous due to the steepness and unstable detrital terrain. After passing the diamond-shaped boulder, one stays close to the rocky wall where red markers are present. Upon reaching the notch at the top of the gully, the route continues to the right through a series of well-gripped rocky channels and finally emerges onto the ridge, leading via a trail to the summit and the large metal cross. The complete route involves an elevation gain of about 1,100 m; the difficulty rating of the route, which is alpinistic, is classified as F.
Another ascent route starts from the Valle Maira, specifically from the locality Viviere, just above Pratorotondo, a hamlet of Acceglio. From Viviere, one must traverse the Enchiausa valley until reaching the and the Colle Feuillas. From here, one descends into French territory and ascends the same gravelly gully reached from the Colle della Maddalena. In this case, the ascent involves an elevation gain of over 1,400 metres; the difficulty rating is assessed as F+.

Winter access

For winter summit access, the approach can be made with skis or snowshoes, starting from the Colle della Maddalena, followed by ascending the final channel with ice axe and crampons.

Via Ferrata degli Alpini

The Via Ferrata degli Alpini was constructed in the 1930s by the Alpini of the Battaglione Dronero for military observation purposes. Restored between 2010 and 2012, the Ferrata is accessible from the Valle Maira, from the hamlet of Viviere in Acceglio, following the summit access route up to the Bivacco Enrico e Mario. Turning right toward the Oronaye, on a steep slope, one follows the clear path that ascends through scree toward the northeast ridge. The Ferrata itself is characterized by two parallel cables: one from the 1930s with wooden grips incorporated for better handholds, and a safety cable for securing; the final section, reaching Cima Dronero, consists of a long iron ladder.
The Ferrata does not reach the true summit of Oronaye; from Cima Dronero, the route is alpinistic with difficulties up to IV on unstable rock. From the end of the Ferrata, to reach the summit, one must continue a few meters with a cable and anchors in place, perform a rappel of about 7–10 m, ascend a rock slab, and proceed along the ridge to the peak. The route is equipped with anchor points. The difficulties are not high, but great care must be taken due to unstable rocks.

Cartography

Category:Alps
Category:Mountains of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Category:Mountains of Italy