Placche di Oriana – Serra di Biel (Courtil, Champorcher valley) · Aosta Valley · Italy
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: high
A six-pitch arete of well-featured gneiss that is steeper than the grade suggests, with two short bolted traverses. Recent parties recommend it as a first multipitch: good rock, close bolts and a quick path down.
The route
An easy bolted arete in the right-hand sector of the Placche di Oriana, above the hamlet of Courtil at the entrance to the Champorcher valley. The climbing follows a series of edges on flakes and good jugs, never harder than 4c, and stays interesting from bottom to top. A 2025 party found it fairly vertical for the grade and ideal for introducing someone to multipitch climbing. The access path and the start are clearly marked, and single-pitch sectors on the way down let you add more climbing.
In pictures
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | 3c | Up the arete on flakes and good jugs. |
| P2 | 4a | The slab and corner just beside the arete, sometimes dirty. |
| P3 | 4c | Some easy slabs (4a), a short move right along a ledge, then the arete using small edges on its left side (4c) and on along the crest (3c) to the belay. |
| P4 | 4b | An arete on good holds (3c), then across to a second, very airy arete climbed on its crest with a few more delicate, well-protected moves (4b). A horizontal traverse leads to the belay. |
| P5 | 3b | Round the arete easily and up its crest on good holds almost to the top, then traverse right to the belay. |
| P6 | 3a | The last arete to the end of the route. |
Getting there
From the A5 exit at Pont-Saint-Martin follow the valley road to Hône, near the Fort of Bard, and take the road up to the hamlet of Courtil (1237 m), where you park. The road beyond towards Plan Flo is closed to unauthorised vehicles.
30 to 35 min. From Courtil walk up the tarmac road towards Plan Flo to the sign pointing right to the single-pitch sector and left to the upper sectors. Continue a few tens of metres and, at a gap in the retaining wall on the right, take the sometimes overgrown path that climbs above the wall into the woods (route name marked on the wall). One minute leads to the start of the route Overfive. To its left a signed path climbs a little higher to Spigolo Verde first and then Spigolo Pendulo. A small metal plate marks the start, at about 1400 m.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Courtil (camptocamp access point)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 187941
Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 45.62214, 7.70468 (crag) · Parking: 45.61926, 7.70850
Getting down
On foot by the path to the right, marked and about 10 min to the base. It passes the single-pitch sectors Bimbo Climb and Grotte. Abseiling the route is possible but gulliver.it says it is awkward.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
Every belay has two bolts with a maillon each, and gulliver.it says you can descend the route by abseil, but with difficulty: the line follows aretes with traverses at the ends of pitches 4 and 5. The walk-off from the top takes about 10 min, so finishing is usually easier.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
South-east facing between 1400 and 1600 m. Climbed in good conditions in early and mid April 2022 (dry rock, hot on the second visit) and in late July 2025, when it was fine but breezy and cool. A party took 2 h 30 min in 2022.
Sun on the wall · SE-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun (usual season) | Jul | Aug | Sep (usual season) | Oct (usual season) | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | −2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 3 | −1 |
| Mean daily low °C | −8 | −8 | −5 | −1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 2 | −4 | −8 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 1489 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.
What to carry
10 quickdraws and cord or a sling to link the two belay bolts. No trad gear is mentioned by any source. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Spigolo Verde.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.