Vallée du Travignano

All kind of people visit Borah Peak –and seasoned climbers eat it for breakfast-, but this is a serious hike -4 miles ahead, one mile up. And a beautiful one too, with real top of the world feeling. Up to Chicken Out Ridge, the trail is very civilized, although steep and slippery at some points. Even the scree field has been tamed by hundreds of climbers. Just above the treeline is the ridge, which offers a view of the complete route culminating at the rounded top of Borah. C.O.R requires use of your hands. It starts with an easy scramble until you hit a point with no obvious route. One alternative is climbing to the very top of the ridge, very close to the vertical face on the left. However, it is safe because you are not hanging over the face. But for people afraid of heights it would be tough. This stretch is only 30 feet until reaching safer terrain. There were some people negotiating the route to the right about 20 feet below the ridge. The route was not clear from my viewpoint, but it must be feasible. Just after COR, head to the left-hand side of the ridge –the right-hand side is more difficult terrain. From experience, it is very easy to miss this one. The trail still requires using your hands from time to time. Shortly the snow crossing comes up –no big deal at the time, late summer- followed by an easy traverse at 11600 feet, until reaching the summit climb. Because Borah still puts up a fight. The final climb sucks, slippery and steep. An alternative could be avoiding the trail and climbing the rocks, which seem to offer better footing. And getting down is important too. That is a lot of work. Most people will take between 7 and 9 hours round trip. In summer, no special equipment is needed. However collapsible trekking poles and gloves (protection against the cold sharp rocks) are very advisable. The access is a very well maintained gravel road.