From Val Torrone

AGO DEL TORRONE "It is that magnificent slender granite monolith, about fifty metres high, so clearly visible from south. Martino and from the whole Forno Glacier."... from the introduction reported in the Guide to the Mountains of Italy, volume Masino-Bregaglia-Disgrazia, edited by Aldo Bonacossa.

Day 1

Ascent to Manzi-Pirotta Bivouac

from the VAL DI MELLO car park follow the valley floor; pass the houses of RASICA to reach the bridge at 1298 m altitude. Here take the path on the left; it allows you to reach Manzi Bivouac 2538 m (about 3 hours 30 minutes).

Day 2

Approach and start

from Manzi Bivouac 2538 m, follow the markings of the Roma Trail, climbing on traces up the right lateral moraine of the eastern Torrone Glacier. After passing a level area with large boulders, aim for the steep couloir that separates the south-west face of eastern Pizzo Torrone from the rocky base below the Torrone Col. Reaching the base of the couloir, move onto smooth but straightforward slabs towards the left for about a hundred metres. A very splayed dihedral can be identified which overcomes part of the rocky base. Climb it (IV, V+), exiting high towards the right (VI+). 45 m; one piton halfway up the dihedral, belay station equipped with three pitons. Now along an easy ledge towards the right you reach the edge of the spur that encloses the steep couloir mentioned above. Climb the edge of the spur on easy rock reaching the upper névé, below the Ago del Torrone. Cross it (average angle), in the direction of the deepest depression west of the Ago (Torrone Col 3181 m). Climb it on easy but poor rock. (About 3 hours from the bivouac).

Ascent of the pinnacle

from Torrone Col 3181 m, west of the Ago, descend slightly onto the slope of the Forno Glacier towards the north-west spur of the Ago, to reach the rock below a marked overhang. At the left edge of it, directly overcome a vertical short wall (passage of VI+ or A0; 2 pitons), then climb through a crack just to the left of the north-west spur (IV) to a good belay point; piton, S1. Traverse left in the middle of the north face going to reach vertical blades; cross them reaching a small terrace (III+, IV+) piton, S2. Now climb directly to reach blades to be overcome in opposition (V+); this brings you below a slight overhang. Traverse distinctly to the right (V) for about five metres, then (always on the north slope) over easier rock (III) climb directly to the summit; spike with slings, S3 (about 1 hour 30 minutes from Torrone Col).

Descent

Descent of the pinnacle: from the summit (spike with slings), abseil directly onto the west slope of the Ago, arriving on the border ridge at the base of the pinnacle. Two ropes of at least 45 metres are needed.
The descent then retraces the ascent route to the top of the splayed dihedral. Here an anchor with three pitons allows you to descend the dihedral with a double rope of 45 metres. Then without further difficulty reach the markings of the Roma Trail and with it reach Manzi Bivouac (about 3 hours, from summit to bivouac). Now descend the path that leads to VAL DI MELLO and in another approximately 2 hours 30 minutes the car park is reached.